SCIENCE 4
with Miss Laver
What did we learn
about last time
1 thing - 1 point
2 things - 2 points
3 things - 3 points
1.3 How seeds are
spread
(Learner’s book page 15)
At the end of the lesson:
1. Can describe how flowering plants are adapted for seed
dispersal.
2. Can say how seed dispersal is part of a flowering plant’s life
cycle.
3. Can sort seeds into groups according to the way they are
dispersed.
4. Can observe and make drawings of seeds.
5. Can complete a key to identify methods of seed dispersal.
words for this week:
exlde
se disers
seling
song
Words for this week
-to burst open with a lot of -when seeds are spread or scattered
force away from the plant where they
formed
Explode
Seed dispersal
Words for this week
-the new plants that grows from like a sponge with lots of holes in
a germinated seed it that can be filled with air or
water
Seedlings
Spongy
GETTING STARTED
1. what you know about
fruits and seeds
2. Have you ever
swallowed a seed when
you were eating an
apple or an orange?
Fruits and seeds
A fruit is the part of a flowering plant that contains the
seeds. Fruits and seeds can be different sizes and shapes.
Fruits usually have a skin on the outside, seeds inside and
flesh around the seeds.
A fruit has two jobs:
● to protect the seeds inside
● to help spread the seeds.
Why seeds must be spread?
Plants need to spread their seeds away from themselves. We call this seed dispersal.
Seed dispersal happens when a fruit is ripe. The seeds are ready to grow into new
plants.
Seeds grow into young plants called seedlings. Seedlings need room to grow. They
also need light and water. Seedlings cannot grow to be healthy plants if they all have
to share water and light in a small area. Plants are adapted to disperse their seeds in
different ways.
The picture shows how the fruits of some plants disperse their seeds.
1. Some seeds are dispersed by animals
Some fruits use animals to spread their seeds. Fruits that spread in this
way must attract animals to eat them. These fruits are often colourful, soft
and juicy, and taste good. They usually have small seeds.
The seeds pass
through the
animal’s body and
are dispersed in the
animal’s droppings.
Some fruits and seeds have spines and hooks. These stick onto the
fur of animals or the clothes of people.
The seeds can be carried a long way from the parent plant before they fall
off, or the animal scratches them off.
1.3 How seeds are spread
(session 2)
2. Some seeds are dispersed by wind
Seeds that are dispersed by wind are light.
Dandelions have a parachute of hairs to help them float in the air. Other
seeds have thin papery ‘wings’ to help them blow away easily. The poppy
fruit forms a ‘pepper pot’ with holes in it. When the wind blows, the seeds
are shaken out and blown Sycamore
away. seeds
poppy fruit
3. Some fruits float
A few seeds are dispersed by water. The fruit must float to carry the seeds
away. The fruits have a spongy covering that helps them float.
For example, the coconut is dispersed by water.
Mangroves are trees that grow in salty water in warm, wet regions. Their
seeds, called ‘sea pencils’, float upright in the sea until they are washed onto
land.
4. Some fruits split open or explode
Some fruits disperse their seeds by themselves. The fruit dries out
and splits open to let the seeds fall out. Some fruits explode and
shoot out their seeds.
For example, bean pods dry out and explode in hot weather.
5. Some fruits drop and roll
Some fruits are heavy and round. When the fruits are ripe, they
drop from the tree and roll along the ground.
LET’S WATCH A VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqgVks9NViQ
SEED Dispersal sorting ACTIVITY:
LMS: On wordwall (optional)
SEED Dispersal sorting ACTIVITY
By animals By wind By water/ floating explode Drop and roll
By animals By wind By water/ floating
Stick on explode Drop and roll
Page 17
Check your answers
1. Which seeds would grow better: those in a tomato left on the plant, or those in a
tomato eaten by a bird? Say why.
-The seed eaten by a bird. The bird would spread its droppings away from the
parent plant. These seedlings would not be overcrowded like the seedlings that
germinate right next to the parent plant. They would be able to get more light
and water for growth.
-
2. Do you think peach seeds can be dispersed by animals? Say why or why not.
-Yes. Animals do not eat peach seeds, which are big and hard, but if they eat the
peach they may leave the seed on the ground some distance away from the
parent plant.
Check your answers
3. Make a drawing of a seed you think would be dispersed in an
animal’s fur.
-Drawing
4. How can people disperse seeds?
-People can carry seeds stuck in their clothes, shoes or hair. It can
bury seeds in the ground while walking. They can eat the fruit and
leave the seed behind on the ground.
Page 19
1 A water lily seed has a spongy covering. How does this help a water lily
to disperse its seeds?
ANS
-The spongy seed coat has air spaces that trap air and help the seed to
float.
2 Why are bean pods usually picked before the weather gets hot and dry?
-If the weather is hot and dry the pods dry out and will explode,
scattering the beans so we can’t pick them to eat.
3 Apple seeds are dispersed by the drop-and-roll method. How else can the
apple seeds be spread?
-The animals can eat the fruit and leave the seed behind on the ground.
4 How are the seeds this picture adapted for wind dispersal?
-wind dispersed – it has two wings that help it float in the air.
1.3 How seeds are spread
(session 3)
Activity Time
What did we
learn about
yesterday?
TODAY
I will Complete Unit 1. 3 Activity
(Pg 9)
impatiens
lantana acacia
jacaranda
Seed dispersal
Check your answers
lantana Blackjack dandelion coconut impatiens
plum jacaranda mangrove acasia
sycamore
Some fruits and seeds have spines and hooks. These
stick onto the fur of animals or the clothes of people.
Plants need to spread their seeds away from
themselves so they have more room/space to grow.
They also need light and water
HOMEWORK
HOMEWORK
Check your
answers
By wind. The seeds have wings or a
parachute of hairs to help them blow
away in the wind
To make their results more reliable.
Reading 3 for seed
They did not start measuring the time
as soon as the seed was dropped;
Dandelion (seed 2)
they dropped the seed from a lower
height than for the other readings;
lighter than other seeds, or it has
bigger wings.
Tell us two
things you
learned today.
1 thing - 1 point
2 things - 2 points
3 things - 3 points
What you have
learned
1. I can say how seed dispersal is part of a
flowering plant’s life cycle.
2. I can identify methods of seed dispersal and
say how flowering plants are adapted for
seed dispersal.
3. I can sort seeds into groups according to the
way they are dispersed. I can observe and
The end
