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How did a tree travel halfway around the world?
Plant Adventures Unit | Lesson 1 of 4

How did a tree travel halfway around the world?

Plant Adventures Unit | Lesson 1 of 4
Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep
Slide Image
DISCUSS:
How could the same kind of tree grow in only two places, thousands of
miles apart?
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DISCUSS:
How could a koa seed travel all the way from Hawaii to Réunion?
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DISCUSS:
How will the structure around these seeds change how they travel
through the air?
Step
01/18
You’ll work with a partner.
Step
02/18
Get your supplies.
Step
03/18
Write your name on the back of your maple model. Then fold dot A to
dot B. When you’re done, the gray triangle should be covered.
Step
04/18
Fold the triangle up so that it covers the picture of a seed.
Slide your paper clip on the bottom of your seed.
Step
05/18
Cut along the dotted line. Stop at the stop sign. When you’re done,
this part of your maple model should have two flaps.
Step
06/18
Fold flap 1 on the line toward you. Fold flap 2 on the line away from
you. Push your folded flaps up with your fingers so they stick out
sideways.
Step
07/18
When your teacher tells you, stand up next to your desk. Pretend to
be a tree. Root your feet to the ground, stand up tall, and stretch
your arms up.
Step
08/18
Hold your maple model from the side with two fingers. Hold it high
above your head. Drop your model and observe how it falls. Repeat.
You have 3 minutes to test.
Step
09/18
Discuss:
Step
10/18
Write your name on the back of your rain tree model. Cut along the 2
dotted black lines. Stop at the stop sign. When you’re done, you’ll
have two slits.
Step
11/18
Hold the two ends of your printout and make a “U.”
Slide the slit at one end into the slit at the other.
Step
12/18
Pretend to be a tree! Hold your rain tree model in the middle with the
ends pointing sideways. Hold it above your head, drop it, and observe
how it falls.
Step
13/18
Work with your partner to explore how both of your models fall.
Compare what is the same and what is different.
You have 3 minutes to test.
Step
14/18
Discuss:
Step
15/18
Write your name on the back of your koa model.
Fold it in half along the black line.
Run your fingernail along the fold to crease it.
Step
16/18
Hold your koa model with two fingers at one end. Hold your model
above your head, drop it, and observe how it falls. Repeat.
You have 3 minutes to test.
Step
17/18
Discuss:
Step
18/18
Discuss:
Slide Image
DISCUSS:
Do you think the wind could carry a koa seed halfway across the world?
Why or why not?
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DISCUSS:
What could help a cherry seed move from one place to another?
Slide Image
DISCUSS:
What kind of animal could carry a koa seed across the ocean to the other
side of the world?
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Anchor Connection Discuss. Look at the "Wonder" column of your class See-Think-Wonder chart. Have any questions been answered by the past lesson?
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Step
01/12
In the past lesson, you learned that plants make seeds, and seeds become new plants. Discuss. This is a dandelion. Where are the seeds on it?
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Step
02/12
Each one of the little puffs is a seed. The seeds become new plants. Those new plants make seeds, and those seeds become more new plants. It is a cycle!
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Step
03/12
With enough seeds, you can have a whole field of dandelions, just like this! These dandelions came from old dandelions that grew before them.
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Step
04/12
The plants in Death Valley are not dandelions, but they are similar. They grow from seeds, too. Discuss. Where do you think the seeds for the 2016 superbloom came from?
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Step
05/12
The seeds for the 2016 superbloom came from the last superbloom in 2005. Discuss. Where do you think the seeds for every superbloom come from?
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Step
06/12
The seeds for every superbloom come from the plants that grew in the last one. It is a cycle. You can’t see the seeds here, but they are there, waiting to grow.
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Step
07/12
This is what sand and seeds look like. They look very similar. Most people don’t even see the seeds in Death Valley. If you ever visit Death Valley, keep an eye out for seeds hiding in the sand.
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Step
08/12
Discuss. We know that seeds are important for superblooms. What should these students add to their sheets? How should they do it?
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Step
09/12
Get your Superbloom Cycle worksheet.
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Step
10/12
If you didn’t draw seeds before, draw and label them here. The seeds go on the ground.
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Step
11/12
If you didn’t draw new seeds coming from the superbloom, draw and label them here. The seeds fall off of the flowers and land on the ground.
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Step
12/12
Put your sheet somewhere safe. We still have more to learn about the superbloom!
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seed


1 of 10

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


2 of 10

a young plant that grows from a seed
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structure


3 of 10

the specific form and shape of something

disperse


4 of 10

to move and spread out

wind dispersal


5 of 10

when the wind moves a seed from one place to another

water dispersal


6 of 10

when water moves a seed from one place to another

animal dispersal


7 of 10

when an animal moves a seed from one place to another

observe


8 of 10

to pay close attention to something

compare


9 of 10

to notice what is similar and what is different between things
Slide Image

model


10 of 10

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
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Lesson narration:

Grade 2

Plant Adaptations

Seed Dispersal

2-LS2-2, K-2-ETS1-2

2973 reviews

Activity Prep

Print Prep
THIS LESSON WAS REVISED ON FEB 1, 2023. Here is a link to the previous version.
In this lesson, students investigate the mystery of the koa tree, a type of tree that grows in only two places—islands halfway across the world from one another. In the activity, students develop three different physical models of seed structures. They observe how structure affects the seed’s function in dispersing away from the tree. Then, they use these observations to evaluate whether koa seeds are likely dispersed by wind, water, or animals.
Preview activity

Exploration

10 mins

Grade 2

Plant Adaptations

Seed Dispersal

2-LS2-2, K-2-ETS1-2

2973 reviews
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