Plant reproduction – literacy and numeracy learning links
Plant reproduction is a topic that lends itself to many areas within the junior and middle school curriculum. This teacher resource provides a number of literacy and numeracy links to New Zealand Curriculum levels 1 and 2.
Note: This resource is intended to encourage links across the curriculum areas. Reading or writing about science concepts is only one aspect of a science programme. An effective science programme challenges students through activities, discussion and reflection.
Te haenga mā ngā pī
Ka kohikohia waihonga e ngā pī hei whakaputa i te mīere. Mā reira, ka haria hoki te hae. Kei tēnei whakaahua, ka kitea tētahi pī e ngongo ana i te waihonga i ngā pua o te koromiko.
Pī, Norman Mason me koromiko, Alfred Lex CC BY-NC 2.0.
View in English
Below are suggestions for:
Reading
The science articles The seed-flower life cycle and Seed dispersal were written with younger students in mind. Consider using these as shared reading or for small group reading.
The bilingual resources Ngā kākano ❘ Seeds and Te haenga me te ruinga o te kākano ❘ Pollination and seed dispersal present information in a form accessible to students and teachers with limited prior knowledge relating to plant identification and biology. The resources include excellent images and diagrams, which promote observation and discussion. Both resources are available as a te reo Māori only Word document file for kura to adapt as required.
Dandelion seeds
Dandelion seeds float away in the wind. To make sure at least some of the seeds land in a suitable growing place, the plant has to produce lots of seeds.
Here is a selection of readers appropriate to this topic. Please check your own reading resources to supplement this list.
Ready to Read Phonics Plus
Pop, pop in the pot (Kākano 2)
Ready to Read
This Leaf (red)
Growing Pumpkins (orange)
Junior Journal
Seeds (Level 2 2015) (Year 3)
(22) Taking the Scraps Out (2000)
Te Tāhuhu O Te Mātauranga
Ngā Rau
School Journal
Seeds That Wear Life Jackets (Pt 1 No 5 2003) (Year 4)
Seeds for the Birds (Pt 2 No 4 2007) (Year 4)
King of the grapes (Part 1 No 4 2000) (Year 5)
Sunshine
The Seed (yellow)
Seeds, Seeds, Seeds
Seeds Grow
Plants and Seeds
From Flowers to Fruit
PM
Sally’s Bean (yellow)
Foundation
Be a Plant Scientist (purple)
Connected
Seeds (No 1 1999)
Grow your own ferns (No 3 2002)
Moturoa students (No 2 2010)
Garden with science (Level 2 2014)
Gardening in the living room (Level 2 2017)
Whakaotirangi and her kete of kūmara (Level 2 2020)
Finger puppet pollinators
Simple finger puppets take on the roles of insects and birds to simulate different methods of pollination.
Writing
Write a recount of one of the student activities. Develop a list of subject-specific vocabulary for students to use.
Write about dispersal from a seed’s point of view. This is creative writing, but suggest students use the appropriate dispersal method and subject-specific vocabulary.
The activity Seed dispersal puppet play has a written storyboard and opportunities for a written voiceover to narrate the play.
The activity Pollination role-plays includes a written component.
The activity Student-led investigations about seeds has a written component.
Exploring kōwhai mātauranga in the classroom curates resources developed as part of a primary classroom inquiry, which include writing poetry and creating infographics.
Numeracy
Use plant parts (for example, fern fronds or flower petals) as a means of non-standard measurement. Students work in pairs to measure a distance by counting the number of times they can place the frond or petal end to end.
Extend the activity by using different sized fern fronds or petals. Leave it to the students to notice the different measurement outcomes. Then discuss why we have standard units of measurement like the metre or centimetre.
Graph results from the Student-led investigations about seeds activity.
Seed packets – Numeracy activities use the familiar context of planting seeds to support students to transition from using materials to using number properties when solving rate problems with multiplication.
Planting seeds
Sprouting and growing seeds does not require costly resources. Recycled containers make useful pots, as do mugs and other items from the cupboard. Seeds can be sourced from foods or from plants from the garden. Introduce numeracy aspects by recording the time it takes for seeds to emerge, measuring stem growth, or count the number of leaves and/or flowers the seedling produces. Mustard and cress seeds sprout and grow quickly, and are edible, making them ideal seeds for young learners.
For more resources linking science and gardens and plants, see our Garden collection – full of resources to support planning to develop a school garden. Sign in to make this collection part of your private collection, just click on the copy icon. You can then add additional content and notes and make other changes. We also have a Garden science Pinterest board.
The article Literacy through science has suggestions on how to integrate science with literacy to enhance learning in both areas.
Useful link
The Biological Husbandry Unit Organics Trust (BHU) is a joint venture between Lincoln University and the New Zealand Organic Movement, it includes The Organic Store with 13 activity pages.
