Students will examine how the seeds have adapted to use different methods of dispersal to get to a new sprouting spot. Students will discover ways to categorize seeds' appearances by looking at a variety of seeds from home or previously collected outside. We will connect those physical characteristics with the way those seeds disperse. We will examine "close-up" special features of certain dispersal methods. Finally after the videoconference, students will design their own seed considering the method of dispersal they have chosen and the adaptations we have discovered.
Program Format
1. Students will relate what they found during their exploration of the different seeds.
2. Based on their findings, we will start to discover the relationship of the appearance to the seed's method of dispersal.
3. I will have examples of common wild plants' seeds to examine up-close.
4. The students will hypothesize what dispersal method the seed uses and why.
5. If time allows, we will play a quiz game.
6. Students are welcome to ask questions during or after the presentation.
Participants will:
-To sort and classify seeds by external characteristics.
-Explain how the features of seeds help the plants survive.
-Ask questions and identify some needs of plants and their seeds, and explore possible answers to these questions and ways of meeting these needs (predict how a seed might travel/ disperse based on its appearance)
-Describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other
-Use appropriate vocabulary to describe their investigations, explorations and observations
Cost: $125
Karin Davidson-Taylor
Royal Botanical Gardens
680 Plains Road West
Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7T 4H4