Joanna Alexander

Flower Dissection Lesson Plan

Fourth Grade
Science
Living Things Unit
Lesson Essential Questions
What is a structure?
What are the parts (structures) of a flower?
How is a flower dissected?
Learning Objectives
Students will develop the understanding that a
structure is anything composed of parts arranged
together in some way.

Assessments

Students will develop the understanding that plants

Students will be able to dissect a Lily flower an
have both internal and external structures.
identify the lilys structures.
Students will develop the understanding that scientific
tools are used in a methodical and careful manner to
dissect a plant, one part at a time in an organized
fashion.
NGSS
4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that
function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. [Clarification Statement: Examples of
structures could include thorns, stems, roots, colored petals.

Materials
Science Notebooks
Pencils
OneNote
Dissection Trays
Black Sheets of Paper
Scalpels
Forceps
Magnifying Glasses
Lilies

Joanna Alexander

List of Steps, Equipment List, & Groups projected on board

Pre-lesson assignments and/or prior knowledge: In previous grades students have learned.

Grade 1: All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in
different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek,
find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers,
fruits) that help them survive and grow.

Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed
for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive.
Plants also respond to some external inputs.

Grade 2: Plants need water and light to grow.

Grade 3: Reproduction, life cycles, sense receptors.

o
Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have
different inherited information.
Instructional Plan:
Introduction
Ask students to meet at the green carpet for Science and bring their Science Notebooks (New Page
Title: Flower Dissection).

Differentiation & Transitions between steps:

Timer displayed on board for students to get to regulate their own time and know how long they
have to complete each step.

Differentiation (for ELL students): Turn & Talk Buddies can read the written content together if
one of them is struggling with the reading. Additionally, ELL students are given devices to use
Google Translate to translate any unknown words during instruction.

Differentiation:
Students are provided with both auditory and visual examples of the activity steps and OneNote
Page.
Mixed-ability groups
Students choose whether they want to take handwritten notes in their Science Notebooks or type
notes in OneNote on their laptops.

Activate Prior Knowledge (Contextual Connection): We planted our seeds. Weve been looking at
structures and functions. We have our plant diagrams.
Turn and Talk: What is a structure when we are talking about living things? What is an example of a
structure?
anything composed of parts arranged together in some way; an organization
Example: a wing of a bird: has many parts
Modelling:

Joanna Alexander

OneNote Content Library: (Model) New Tab: Plant Dissection

Page 1: What I Already Know and What do I want to know?

Page 2: Lily Flower Dissection:

Im going to take a picture of the lily before I dissect it. Im going to write down my
observations.

Im going to make a prediction of what I find when I cut open the flower without turning to the
diagram thats been sitting in my book for the week.

Then I can flip to my diagram and start.

Project Lily Flower Dissection Steps on Board & Review (see below)

What do I know? What do I want to know? - I know that the stem helps transport nutrients to
each part of the flower but maybe I have no idea what the yellow stuff is on the anther or maybe I
know its pollen but I have no idea how that helps with reproduction.

Ask student: What do we do first? Next? How should we use the scalpel? (Top on when not in
use. Watch fingers. Move slowly).

Any Questions?
Guided Work:

Organize identical parts together.

Go over student groups. Everyone is in a group with their Science Buddy.

Everyone get together with your group, make a plan with your group as to how your going to
work together to complete the tasks on the board, and decide how youre going to go about getting
your materials.

Take your time. Dissect: take one part off at a time and take turns with your group members.
Independent Work:
Flower Dissection with Science Buddy Groups. Circulate, assist, and ask students to explain what they
are doing and why or about what they have found so far.
Conclusion (Wrap-Up and Share):
Transition: 10-minute warning
Clean up and get ready to complete OneNote: Reflection (Conclusions and Questions).
Differentiation (Preparing students for whats coming up next so that they can start thinking about it
beforehand):

Tomorrow were going to work together to figure out the functions of the parts of the lily flower
we just dissected.
Formative Assessment: OneNote Flower Dissection Tabs
Classroom Management: I will circulate the room to provide assistance to students during their
dissection. Additionally, positive reinforcement will be used when necessary. If students have questions
during the lesson, they follow the classroom rule of asking three other students first before coming to
the teacher.

Joanna Alexander

Science Lesson Appendix

(sections have been formatted to fit these pages)
Flower Dissection Equipment List
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Dissection Tray
Black Sheet of Paper
Scalpel
Forceps
Magnifying Glass
Lily

Lily Flower Dissection Steps

1. Equipment List in Science Notebook
2. One Note: New Tab in Content Library: Plant Dissection
3. Predictions (1st Page):
a. What I Already Know and What do I want to know?
4. Lily Flower Dissection (2nd Page):
a. Take a photo of lily & write caption.
b. Observations & Predictions
5. Take turns dissecting the parts of the lily and Display all dissected parts on black
paper.
6. Take photo of dissected lily & write caption.
a. Clean Up Lily dissection.
7. Label (using Text Boxes) dissected parts in OneNote on top of photo
a. Refer to diagrams for scientific language
8. Conclusions and Questions (3rd page):
a. If you choose to: write in Science Notebook on new page: Flower
Dissection Conclusions and Questions. Take a photo of page(s) and put in
OneNote tab

Joanna Alexander

One Note Model

Predictions
Monday, February 29, 2016
10:51 AM

What do I already know?

I know that plants have both internal and external parts, or structures.

I know that plants have structures that serve a purpose, or function.

I know that when I dissect my plant, I will see the internal structures of
the plant.

What do I want to know?

I want to know what the inside of the plant looks like because I have
only seen it in diagrams on paper and not in real life.

I want to know the function of the structures I find.

Joanna Alexander

Dissected Lily Flower

Joanna Alexander

Observations: I noticed that the Stamen consists of 2

separate structures: the Anther and the Filament.
Predictions: I predict that pollen comes from the Anther. I
think this because it looks like the part of the plant that I
have seen pollen on other plants I have seen.

Conclusions and Questions

Monday, February 29, 2016
3:38 PM

Conclusions:
After dissecting my lily and seeing its internal structures, I now know that

Questions:
Now that I've seen my dissected lily, I wonder what the function of the
anther is?
Science Lesson Rationale
Flower Dissection
This Flower Dissection Lesson is an example of best practice in science in accordance
with the National Science Teachers Association. Specifically, this lesson is an integral part of the
classroom science curriculum aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards on From
Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes. Taking place in the fourth week as part of a
six-week unit focusing on the systems of living things, this lesson engages students in the
practices and language used by scientists. Students are asked to use and apply scientific
language throughout their communication with one another and in their work. Moreover,
students participate in the scientific practice of dissection and gain experience using scientific
tools.

Joanna Alexander

As students are asked to translate the knowledge they have learned so far from the unit
in the applied situation of dissecting a Lily flower, they deepen their understanding of scientific
concepts addressed in this lesson. Additionally, learning science through practical experience
makes the lesson relevant to the students lives and helps them retain complex ideas.
Through this lesson, science is taught as a process of inquiry and explanation through
the 5E Instructional Model. To start, students natural inquisitiveness is stirred by reviewing
the plant diagrams in their notebooks and by the display of new scientific tools and the Lily
flowers in the room. Plus, the students activate their own schema by thinking about and
recording what they already know about living things, specifically plants, and dissecting. Then,
students explore by participating in the dissection with their group members. They then make
predictions, observations, and their own model of their flower dissection. Finally, students
draw conclusions from their experience, and ask questions that will act as prompts for future
lessons of inquiry in the science unit. All of the students use technology by catching their own
work using OneNote on their laptops. Moreover, as students participate in the shared activity
and productive talk of dissecting the flower, they are thinking and reasoning collaboratively.
Overall, this lesson is meaningful and maximizes learning by having students pose
questions and discover the answers for themselves. The inquiry and explanation process of this
lesson not only leads to a deeper understanding of how science applies to everyday life, but it
also develops critical thinking skills such as problem solving, analyzing data, and modelling
concepts.