The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Dissection of the Arizona Yellow Bell

Dissection of the Arizona Yellow Bell

A 3rd Grade STEM Lesson

Deliah Cottle

June 2023

Notes for Teachers

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• Context: This lesson takes place in a classroom for one hour.
• Students should work individually.
• An emphasis on the anatomy of the flower.
• Facilitate student reflection on function of the parts of the flower; specifically within the context of the Arizona desert.

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List of Materials

• Arizona Yellow Bell Flower and Stem.
• Informational text. (***see slide 6)
• Graphic Organizer (***see slide 9)
• Ruler
• Pencil or Pen

Arizona Standards

Life Science Standards:

3.L.2: Organisms require a supply of energy and materials for which they often depend on, or compete with, other organisms.

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Science Practices:

• Plan and carry out investigations
• Understand structure and function
• Recognize systems and system models.

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ELA Standards:

3.RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.�

Math Standard:

3.MD.A.2 Measure and estimate the masses of objects using metric units. Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units.

Objective(s):

Today we will identify the parts of a flower by dissecting and Arizona Yellow Bell.

Today we will identify what characteristics make a flower in Arizona survive using vocabulary from a nonfiction passage.

Today students will understand the structure and function by dissecting and categorizing the four parts of the Arizona Yellow Bell.

Today we will accurately measure the length of the Arizona Yellow Bell Petals in the centimeters.

Agenda

45 minutes:

5 minutes - Intro: **see next slide for discussion starters��20 minutes - Read Aloud: Arizona Yellow Bell: Informational Text��15 minutes - Dissection: Students will independently dissect their flower.

5 minutes - Closure: Discuss final thoughts. Have students share any remaining questions or post dissection observations.

Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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What makes a plant or animal native to Arizona?

What characteristics do you think help the Arizona Yellow Bell plant survive in the desert?

Hands-on Activity Instructions

• Students are individually given their own Arizona Blue Bell flower and Graphic organizer (**see next slide).
• Students take a minute to observe the flower (texture, smell and color).
• Students gently pull apart the pieces of the flower.
• Students are asked to identify the parts of a flower and then sort accordingly.
• Students will carefully tape the pieces of the yellow bell to the Graphic Organizer.
• Students will then measure the length of the petal and label the piece in centimeters.

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Assessment

Brown Beige Pastel Cute Minimalist Brainstorming Graphic Organizer.pdf

Differentiation

• Pair students with academic challenges with students who do not.
• Model inclusive language (sentence starters.

what do you think?�How would you like to _______?�Do you have any other ideas?

• Allow students to annotate the reading or draw a picture by the vocabulary words.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students who need an academic challenge should complete a research project on a plant or animal that is native to Arizona:

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• Gila Monster
• Saguaro Cactus
• Coati
• Agave