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Addresses NGSSLevel of Difficulty: 1Grade Range: K-2

OVERVIEWIn this activity, students will investigate how tasty fruits help some plants survive. Students will dissect a variety of fruits and observe characteristics such as taste, type and number of seeds, size, shape, and protective coverings. They will use their observations to predict how fruits can help some plants survive and thrive in their environments.

Topic: Plant Structure and Survival

Real-World Science Topics• An evaluation of the unique characteristics of fruit-bearing plants, including their seeds, interior, exterior,

and taste.

• An evaluation of the relationship between plants’ characteristics and their ability to survive.

ObjectiveAfter completing this activity, students should be able to identify the interior and exterior parts of fruit-bearing plant. They will be able to describe how the physical nature of the fruit-bearing plant aids in its survival and reproduction and how the environment contributes to this process.

NGSS Three-Dimensions

WHY SO YUMMY? (1 Hour)

Obtaining, Evaluating andCommunicating Information

• Obtaining, evaluating andcommunicating information inK-2 builds on prior experienceand uses observations andtexts to communicate newinformation.

Science and Engineering Practices

LS1.A: Structure and Function• All organisms have externalparts. Plants have differentparts (roots, stems, leaves,flowers, fruits) that help themgrow and survive. (1-LS1-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Structure and Function• The shape and stability ofstructures of natural anddesigned objects are relatedto their function. (1-LS1-1)

Crosscutting Concepts

Background Information

What are the common physical characteristics shared by all plants and the characteristics specific to fruit-bearing plants?

Plants are similar in that they have the same parts to help them grow, function, and survive. All plants contain roots that absorb water and nutrients as well as a stem for carrying food to the other parts of theplant. Fruit-bearing plants can be distinguished from other plants, because they contain a reproductivestructure that develops into an edible fruit. This reproductive structure is the shelter that protects the seedsuntil they are mature. This is important, because seeds are not distributed to the earth for germination untilthey are ripe. Fruits can be fleshy and moist, like apples and pears, or dry, like peas and nuts. Many foodsthat we consider to be vegetables, like peas, are actually fruits.

How does a fruit-bearing plant’s physical nature directly affect its ability to survive?

A fruit’s main function is to protect the seeds and distribute them at the correct time and in the correct manner for growth. Since seeds are in the protected covering of the fruit, they remain safe until fully ripened. Once the fruit has ripened, the fleshy part can be eaten by an animal or human. Then, the seed can be released and settle into the ground at the correct time for germination.

How does the fruit-bearing plant and the environment work together for the plant’s survival?

In order for a seed to germinate and thrive, it has to have adequate spacing for sunlight, air, and water. Thephysical make-up of the seed in the fruit covering allows it to be distributed in a large land area in threeways. First, animals eat the fruits and seeds and carry them away; the animals then release them throughtheir digestive tracts so that they end up in the ground to germinate. Second, the wind disperses seedsacross large areas. Finally, water disperses seeds by transporting them through rivers, streams, and otherwater bodies until they reach land and are able to germinate.

Key Vocabulary

Stem– the main body or stalk of a plantPetal– one of the segments of the corolla of a flower, which is a leaf-like, colorful substanceSeed– the embryo or unit that reproduces into a flowering plantFruit– the reproductive structure of a fruit-bearing plant Germinate– to emerge at the beginning stages of growthReproduction– the act of recreating itselfDisperse– to distribute or place

Materials Needed for Activity

• Fruits for each child

• Pear or fleshy fruit

• Watermelon with seeds (can have one for the class and cut the rest into slices)

• Strawberry

• Lemon

• Nuts (optional as there may be students with allergies to nuts)

• A plastic knife for each child

• A paper plate for each child

• Chart paper and markers or a large writing surface and writing utensil

• Fruit Dispersal photo collection

• “Why So Yummy” handout- one per student

Teacher Preparation

• Purchase the fruits for the lesson. Cut the hard-covered fruits, like watermelon and lemon, into medium

slices. Leave the skin on so the students are able to make observations. Put the fruits into bowls for each

table or group of students.

• Have all materials ready to use.

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WHY SO YUMMY?

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STEPS FOR WHY SO YUMMY?

1. Warm-up Activity: Display a variety of fruits where they are visible to all students. Ask the students toshare what they know about the fruits. Call on several students and gather a broad range of ideas aboutthe fruits. Ask open-ended questions such as, “How are these foods alike?” or “What do you know to betrue about one of these foods?” to aide them in their responses.

2. Begin a discussion about the origin of fruits and how they grow. Ask students to share ideas. Draw adiagram of the life cycle of a fruit-bearing plant as they share their ideas. Identify the different stagesin the life cycle. Point out the fruit covering and talk about its fleshy inside. Talk about the importanceof the seed being ripe before it leaves the covering.

3. Tell the students that plants and fruits can grow all over, from forests to parks to tropical areas. Ask,“How do you think the seeds can get to all these different places?”. After accepting a few responses,explain to the students that fruit-bearing plants can grow in all of these areas because their seeds aredispersed or carried to these placed in three different ways. Distribute copies of the pictures representingthe three methods of seed dispersal: the squirrel, the river, and the wind. Explain to students the waysin which seeds are dispersed. Reiterate the importance of the seed being ripe before dispersal. Discusshow the animal eats the fruit and releases it through its digestive track back onto the earth for germination.

4. Next, explain to the students that they will dissect and examine several fruits. They will think abouthow the seed, the outside covering of the fruit, and the fleshy inside might contribute to how seeds aredispersed. Explain the chart to the students. Pass out the first fruit. Give the students time to examineit and chart their answers. Share ideas as a group. Next, you may choose to examine each fruit one ata time as a class or give the students all of the fruits and allow them to complete the chart at their ownpace. The students can also eat the fruits after examining each one.

Kindergarten: There are a few ways to modify the lesson, such as either completing the activity as awhole class or having your students draw on their chart instead of writing words or sentences. You canalso decrease the number of fruits your students examine.

5. Review the various responses your students have written on their charts. Talk to them about how thefruits are different in each of the categories. Ask questions about how these differences might aid inseed dispersal and plant growth and survival. Here are some sample questions:• “Who can tell us about the outside of the lemon compared to the strawberry?”• “Which way might the seeds of the strawberry be dispersed? Why?”• “How do you think the hard covering of the watermelon helps it?”• “What might happen if an animal eats a fruit before it is ripe?”• “How do you think a nut might be dispersed compared to the other fruits?”

6. Finally, have the students summarize their findings about fruit seeds and their contribution to plantsurvival. They should then complete the final writing portion on their Why So Yummy handout.

Extension Activity

Now that the students have examined specific physical characteristics of several fruits, they will look morecritically at the journey of the fruit seed. Students will select one of the fruits they examined and think abouthow that fruit might take a journey through its life cycle. They will first diagram in pictures the steps the seed will take, beginning at its original fruit shelter. They will continue their diagram by illustrating the seedmoving to the ground and continuing to being eaten by an animal or traveling via a river. After completingtheir illustrated diagram, they will write sentences describing each picture in their diagram.

Sources

http://www2.yk.psu.edu/~sg3/ist311/games/team3/phasefour.html

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/plantparts.html

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WHY SO YUMMY?STUDENT HANDOUT

Fruit-Bearing Plant Life Cycle

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WHY SO YUMMY?STUDENT HANDOUT

Fruit Dispersal Photo Collection

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WHY SO YUMMY?STUDENT HANDOUT

Name:

Date:

Why So Yummy?Directions: You will examine the physical nature of several fruits. First, write the name of the fruit in the first column. Next, you will examine three parts of each fruit: covering, inside, and seeds. Look at the color,texture, size, shape, and taste. Write words or phrases in each box to describe what you experience witheach fruit.

Summarize any ideas you learned about fruit seeds, how they are dispersed, and how they grow.

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Name of Fruit Fruit Covering Inside of Fruit Seeds Taste