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Why do plants give us fruit?
Circle of Life Unit | Lesson 4 of 5

Why do plants give us fruit?

Circle of Life Unit | Lesson 4 of 5
Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:

What do you think happened to the seeds the pear flowers should have made?

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DISCUSS:

What part of the flower turned into a pear?

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DISCUSS:

Why do you think some plants grow fruit around their seeds?

Hint...

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DISCUSS:

Do you think a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable?

Reveal answer

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Anchor Connection Look at the "Wonder" column of your class See-Think-Wonder chart. Have any questions been answered by this lesson?
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In the past lesson, you saw that flowers turn into fruit with seeds. Discuss. Are bell peppers a science fruit or a science vegetable? How do you know?
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Saguaros grow flowers every spring. But in late spring and early summer, the flowers change into something else. This person pulled one off and opened it up for us. Discuss. What do you notice has changed about these flowers?
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The flower petals dried up. And the base of each flower swelled up and turned into a fruit filled with seeds.
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Every spring, saguaros grow new flowers. In late spring and early summer, the flowers turn into fruit with seeds. This happens every year, again and again.
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Step
01/03
Get your Spotting Cycles worksheet. Remember: on this sheet, we are listing all of the cycles we can find.
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Step
02/03
In the Saguaro Cycles box, add what you learned about how the saguaro flowers turn into saguaro fruit with seeds every year. You can use words, drawings, or both.
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Step
03/03
Save your Spotting Cycles worksheet. You will update it after the next lesson in this unit.
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flower


1 of 13

the reproductive part of some plants that can make seeds
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petal


2 of 13

the colorful part of a flower
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stigma


3 of 13

the sticky part of a flower that pollen can stick to
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ovary


4 of 13

the part of a flower or other living thing that contains its eggs
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stamen


5 of 13

the part of a flower that has pollen
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pollen


6 of 13

a powder plants make that is involved in plant reproduction
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pollination


7 of 13

the process of moving pollen from one part of a flower (the stamen) to another part of a flower (the stigma)
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fruit


8 of 13

the part of a plant that contains seeds inside a covering, like apples
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seed


9 of 13

a part of a plant that can grow into a baby plant
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reproduction


10 of 13

a stage in the life cycle of living things when they have offspring
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offspring


11 of 13

babies
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vegetable


12 of 13

part of a plant that is eaten, like leaves, roots, and stems; does not include fruit that contains seeds
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dissect


13 of 13

to take something apart to study it
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🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
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Exploration
Cherries by 4028mdk09
Open field by Broo_am (Andy B)
Single pear by Xth-Floor
Flowers by Imgur
Pears seeds by Dezidor
Strawberriew by Ken Hammond, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Apple flowers by Дар Ветер
Tree full of flowers by ForestWander
Video: Pear fruit swelling by Neil Bromhall
raccoon eating cherry by Shelly Cox
Apples on tree by George Chernilevsky
monkey eating banana by live-less-ordinary.com
Apple by Amada44
Send a message by ladelentes
squirrel eating orange by Mr.TinDC
airplane by The Photographer
bird eating berries by Matt MacGillivray
bird with large bill by William Warby
Cedar Waxing by Craig Gibson
pear tree (with fruit) by Paul Wood
Baby plant by JMK
pears on branch by Amber Ginsburg and Lia Rousset
pears by Imgur
Maple seeds by Dcrjsr
Inside apple by LD Cross
Bartlett pears by Peaceful Valley Company
Watermelon flower by Meighan
green pepper by Kitty W
Watermelon by Fred Hsu
green pepper flower by Jim Conrad
green pepper sprout by Barbara
Vegetables by Man vyi
Cut up watermelon by Harsha K R
Lesson narration:

Grade 3

Life Cycles

Fruit, Seeds, & Plant Reproduction

3-LS1-1

13647 reviews

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson students learn about why plants grow fruit. In the activity, Science Fruit or Vegetable, students examine common grocery produce and predict if each item is a science fruit or science vegetable. Then they take a closer look at slices of the produce and search for seeds.
Preview activity

Exploration

20 mins

Grade 3

Life Cycles

Fruit, Seeds, & Plant Reproduction

3-LS1-1

13647 reviews
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