Flowers and Pots!!
6th grade science and social studies.
October 03, 2007
What is inside that flower? How does the flower reproduce? What are the different parts of the flower? Why are insects important to the flower? These are just a few questions being asked by sixth graders in science class. To find out the answers, students have worked through a Wonderwise Kit created by the University of Nebraska.
Students dissected flowers to discover where the different parts are located. Students became paleobotanists as they dissected a fake rock looking for fossilized pollen (beads) and then classifying them by color with the corresponding plant type. Students observed safety procedures when using dissection tools by wearing safety glasses. Along with science, social studies extended student's learning of archeology. Students created a flower pot with designs to represent themselves. Mrs. Bohling surprised the students by breaking them. Of course, the students didn't like that but, they learned that most artifacts are not found in one piece and need to be put back together, which can be a difficult process. Culture is shown by what people wear, what language is spoken, what homes people live in, what activities people engage in, etc. Students put together, as best as they could, the pot that was not their own. Students wrote cultural aspects of the person who created the flower pot by looking at the evidence drawn on the pot. Learning about the past can be very exciting.
