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  2. Let's Make a Seed Dispersal Mechanism!
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Let's Make a Seed Dispersal Mechanism!

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This lesson plan lets students do a fun, hands-on project about how seeds spread. They'll look at different kinds of seeds and learn about them. Using maker tools, they can see tricky ideas more clearly, helping them get how plants reproduce and relating what they learn in class to what they see every day. Students will make examples of seeds that spread through water, wind, animals, or explosive action.

 

Prior Knowledge:

Learners should be able to:

  • Identify different types of seeds and their features.
  • Understand the different kinds of seed dispersal mechanisms.

 

Lesson Objectives:

Learners will:

  • Identify and explore the physical characteristics of seeds that aid in dispersal.
  • Brainstorm on creating a ‘seed prototype’ that could get dispersed by one of the four methods of seed dispersal.
  • Experiment and build a seed prototype with different materials to make an efficient prototype.
  • Test the efficacy of their prototype and reflect on their observations of the tests they conducted to improvise the same. 

 

Learning Outcomes:

Learners will understand ways in which seed dispersal benefits a plant.

  • Understand the benefits of seed dispersal for plants.
  • Discover seed dispersal methods - by water, wind, air, and explosive action.
  • Investigate seed characteristics that facilitate dispersal.

 

Lesson Overview

Lesson Stages and Duration

Lesson Stages

  1. Explore
  2. Build
  3. Test 
  4. Reflect

Duration 

10 min 
20 min
14 min
16 min

Notes for the Facilitator

  

This lesson plan focuses on hands-on maker activities for seed dispersal for exploring different types of seeds, their characteristics, and dispersal techniques in depth.

 

Assumption(s):

  • Classroom teaching has already been done for Seed Dispersal

 

Grouping: 

  • Divide students into groups of five.

 

List of Resources and Materials 

 

Resources for introducing the topic

  

For physical characteristics observation:

  • Dandelion Seed &/ Maple Seed 
  • Beggar ticks, Sandbur, Burdock
  • Blackberry, Tomato, Raspberries
  • Peas, Lupin, Viola
  • Lotus seeds &/ Coconut 

 

And/or use the following videos for seed demonstration purposes if you don’t have required seeds.

List of Materials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Resources

 

For Hands-on Activity

For Testing
  • Ideation worksheet (8 prints)
  • Challenge Cards (8 Prints)
  • Scissors
  • Masking tape or transparent tape
  • Sporks
  • Cotton balls
  • Colored construction paper
  • Toothpicks
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Twister ties
  • Colored play dough
  • Rubber bands
  • Glue or glue sticks
  • Binding wire
  • Thermocol ball
  • Skewer
  • Pom poms or old woolen cloth 

 
  • A large water container
  • Stopwatch
  • Measuring tape
  • Animal figurine created out of cotton / woolen glove

 

Objectives:

  1. Enable students to identify the physical characteristics of seeds that aid in dispersal.
  2. Explore the physical characteristics of seeds that get dispersed by various seed dispersal methods like wind, water, animals, and explosion.

 

Slide

Activity
4

Begin by asking students the need for Seed Dispersal.

Expect responses like “for survival, avoid competing with one another for light, water and nutrients from the soil.
5

Activity Prep:

Form groups with 5 students in each group. Each group should receive one of seeds from each of the following five types:

 

Type 1: Dispersal by Wind i.e. Dandelion/ Maple or any other wind-dispersed seed.

Students should observe the physical characteristics of the seed that help them in getting dispersed by wind.

 

Type 2: Dispersal by Water i.e. Lotus seeds &/ Coconut fruit or any other water-dispersed seed.

Students should observe the physical characteristics of the seed that they feel help in getting dispersed by water.
 

Type 3: Dispersal by Animal Fur - seeds that get dispersed by animals, by getting hooked to their fur i.e. Beggar ticks, Sandbur, Burdock, or any other seed dispersed by animals.

Students should observe the physical characteristics of the seed that they feel help them in getting dispersed by animals by getting hooked onto their fur.

 

Type 4: Dispersal by Animal Excreta - The seeds that get eaten by animals i.e. Blackberry, Tomato, Raspberries or any other animal-dispersed seed that gets eaten and then excreted for dispersal.

Students should observe the characteristics of the seed that makes it tempting to eat.

 

Type 5: Dispersal by Explosion - i.e. Peas, Lupin, Viola

 

Student Instructions: You will get 2 minutes to observe the seeds. 

By looking at the seed, observe its physical characteristics like its weight, structure, texture etc and note down features that you feel aid in its dispersal. 
6

Start the timer and let students observe. 

Once the timer stops, ask students to stop observing and face the projector. 

You may also make use of the clap call to quickly bring everyone’s attention to you for the next instruction.
7 Once done observing, teams can share the physical characteristics of the seeds they observed that aid in dispersal. The objective of this sharing is for all students to gain knowledge of the different physical characteristics of seeds that help in dispersal. 

Objectives: 

  1. Enables students to brainstorm on creating a ‘seed prototype’ that could get dispersed by one of the four methods of seed dispersal.
  2. Experiment with different materials to make an efficient prototype.
  3. Build a seed prototype in response to the challenge received, in a limited time (~15 min).

 

Slide

Activity
8

Introduce students to the task of the day. 

You can share that the knowledge they gained by observing the physical characteristics of seeds shall now be implemented to make a seed prototype that could move. 
9-10

Guide students through the Roles for Maker challenge.Following could be the role distribution:

Project Manager: 1 student

Resource Manager: 1 student

Time Keeper: 1 student

Presenter: 2 students

Ask teams to mutually agree upon team roles and finalize roles for everyone in the team.
11-21

Maker Challenge for Students:

Working with your team, design and build a seed prototype that could get dispersed by one of the following methods:

  • Wind
  • Water
  • Animals
    • Hooked on animal fur
    • Gets eaten by animals
  • Explosion

 

To conduct this activity:

  • Form groups of 5 students.
  • Ask each group to choose 1 of the methods to create a prototype. 
  • Distribute available materials amongst groups according to the chosen method.

 

In the process of facilitating the discussion within the groups, teachers may support by:

  • Helping them to brainstorm with guiding questions.
  • Asking questions related to the physical characteristics of seeds they observed in the last activity.
  • Encouraging them to seek solutions by trial and error or looking at what their peers are doing, rather than giving them direct solutions.

Students who finish early can test their prototype at their station itself and make iterations to their model based on their observations.

 

Observe the brainstorming in various groups. Help student groups reflect by asking the following probing questions:

  1. What physical characteristics are you aiming at incorporating into your prototype?
  2. Does your choice of material align with your expected outcome?
  3. What are the limitations you foresee in your prototype?

 

Consider offering the following suggestions to teams whose seed prototypes need to be more accurate:

  • Look at pictures: Pictures of the seeds you are trying to make can help you better understand what it looks like.
  • Use your hands: Using your hands to shape the model can help you make it more accurate.
  • Take your time: Take your time when making the model, and don't rush. It's better to take your time and make it accurate than to hurry and make mistakes.
  • Check your work: After making the model, check it against pictures or other sources to see if it looks accurate. If it doesn't, you can make adjustments.
  • Work in layers: Building the model in layers can help teams create a more accurate representation of the seed dispersal. They can start with a simplified version, adding more details with each successive iteration.
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What if my learners find it challenging to create the prototype?
Ask learners to create a digital presentation or poster showcasing the seeds based on the dispersal activity. How can I make this activity more informative for my learners? Encourage your learners to compare and contrast their seed prototype with real-life examples. This will help them understand the significance of the different features of the seed that help in seed dispersal.
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How can I make this activity more informative for my learners?
Encourage your learners to compare and contrast their seed prototype with real-life examples. This will help them understand the significance of the different features of the seed that help in seed dispersal.
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How can I adjust the activity for learners who require more support?
Scaffold their learning by breaking down the creation of the prototype into discrete steps. Teachers can use relevant examples (e.g. video recommendations on YouTube).
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How can I adjust the activity for my more advanced learners?
Instead of creating a basic seed prototype, challenge your advanced learners to develop a more complex and detailed model. For example, they could incorporate multiple seed forms into one model or create a seed with intricate features and characteristics. You can integrate technology into the activity by having your learners use software like CAD or 3D modeling programs to create a virtual seed prototype. This will allow them to work with advanced tools and techniques. You can challenge your advanced learners to consider the real-world applications of the seed they are creating. For example, they could research how a specific seed is dispersed and what are the effects of such dispersion.

Objective: 

Enables students to test the efficacy of their prototype and note down their observations. 

 

Slide

Activity
22-23

The facilitator would encourage teams to test their prototypes along with the following criteria:

  1. Wind Dispersal: One team member shall stand at a height and drop the seed prototype. Another member should note down the time duration for which it was in the air and the distance traveled from its initial position. 
     
  2. Water Dispersal: Team shall place their seed prototype in water. One member shall observe the time duration in which it remains afloat with the help of a stopwatch. Check whether or not the water is penetrating the seed.
     
  3. Animal Dispersal (by fur): Team shall place their seed prototype on the ground and try hooking it to the cotton animal without touching the seed. Other members of the team should take note of the number of tries it took to get hooked and how long the seed remained hooked on the cotton animal while flipping it in the air.   
     
  4. Animal Dispersal (by ingestion): Team shall place their seed outside and observe if any birds sat near it. Make a note of the time duration for the same. 
     
  5. Dispersion by Explosion: Team shall burst open their prototype and measure the distance of the farthest seed from the initial position where it was launched with the help of measuring tape.

Objectives: 

Enables students to:

  1. Reflect on their observations of the tests they conducted.
  2. Understand shortcomings of the current model and think of ways to improvise the same.

 

Slide

Activity
24-26

The facilitator asks students to present their creations and communicate to the class what they learned from the activity.

Notes for the facilitator:

  • Ask students guiding questions to help them reflect while presenting.
  • Ask students if there are any particular challenges they faced during the process, and how they overcame them.

Guiding questions for facilitator to pose to students:

  1. Which seeds from the class trials traveled the farthest?
  2. What could you change that might make your seed travel farther?
  3. Suggest 2 modifications you would make to your prototype based on your observations while testing.
  4. Which seeds from the class trials traveled the farthest?
  5. Why would a seed benefit from traveling away from the parent plant?
  6. What were the features of the seeds that traveled farthest?

 

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Learning Point
There is a complementary relationship between structure and function. Plants have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
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How would the presentation of the prototype facilitate reflection and feedback in the classroom?
Presentation has the added benefit of encouraging cooperation, listening skills, team building, and addressing several cognitive abilities involving analysis, assessment, and synthesis.

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Subject
Science
Grade
5th Grade
Maker Approach
Application Project
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