How Does A Flower Grow?

WebQuest for Third Grade

3.3.1 Identify the common structures of a plant including its roots, stems, leaves, flowers,
fruits and seeds. Describe their functions.
3.3.2 Investigate plant growth over time, take measurements in SI units, record the data
and display the data in graphs. Examine factors that might influence plant growth.
By Mackenzie Wieneke
Kenzie.wieneke@yahoo.com

Introduction: Did you ever wonder how many parts a flower has? What makes a
flower grow? How do flowers grow in many different environments? There are thousands
of flowers and they are able to grow in different climates and environments all over the
world. In this WebQuest you will have a chance to travel the world to the place where
your flower lives and learn about the different parts of a flower. You will work with three
other students to help you discover other places that flowers live and the climate in which
they survive.

This WebQuest is designed for a third grade class and should be taught in a science
lesson. The lesson should cover plant growth, the different parts of the plants and how
they function, and the different atmospheres that the plants can live in. As a teacher you
could give the students an area outside to create their garden or have plants growing in
the room to show the students how flowers grow. Prior to this lesson the students will
need to be able to think critically, have note taking skills, have the knowledge of what a

flower is, be aware that there are different states in the world, be able to click and search
the Internet, and have communication skills.

Task: As a team of flower experts, you have been asked to create a natural biome that
allows flowers from all over the world to live in one place. You and your team will travel
the world to research and identify four different types of flowers and their climates. When
you return your team must define the different parts of a flower and label them on a
picture. Your team must also create a biome that demonstrates a clear understanding of
how a flower grows and what a flower needs in order to grow. The team members will
use their knowledge of the other flowers in order to construct the biome. You may be as
creative as you wish with building your biome. Good luck!

Standards that are covered in this WebQuest are:

Science
3.3.1 Identify the common structures of a plant including its roots, stems, leaves, flowers,
fruits and seeds. Describe their functions.
3.3.2 Investigate plant growth over time, take measurements in SI units, record the data
and display the data in graphs. Examine factors that might influence plant growth.
Language Arts
3.RN.1: Read and comprehend a variety of nonfiction within a range of complexity
appropriate for grades 2-3. By the end of grade 3, students interact with texts proficiently
and independently.
3.RN.3.1: Apply knowledge of text features to locate information and gain meaning from
a text (e.g., maps, illustrations, charts, font/format)
Social Studies
3.3.8 Identify the major climate regions of the United States and explain their
characteristics

3.3.9 Describe how climate and the physical characteristics of a region affect the
vegetation and animal life living there.
As a result of this lesson the students will learn to research the different parts of a flower
and how they function, the different types of flowers, and the different environments that
they may live in. They will also learn how to construct a biome that will allow different
types of flowers to survive inside. The students have an understanding of the different
types of flowers and what nutrients and physical conditions are needed to sustain the
flowers. The students will also have learned how to express their fears, worries, and
concerns with others in their group and how to speak to everyone without making other
people feel bad or taking things personally. They will have learned interpersonal skills,
presentation skills, writing skills, and personal skills.

Process:
1. Your teacher has split the class into groups and there are four people in each
group. This is a great opportunity to spend time working with people that you
may not normally get to work with. Be kind and encouraging to one another.
As a teacher you should be aware of who your students are friends with
and who they dont get along with so that you are able to split them into
groups where they are able to work effectively with the other students.
2. There will be five different jobs that are associated with the group. Your teacher
will assign each student a job and then as a group you will decide who will
research the different types of a flower and who will research each flower.
Make sure that you clearly explain the jobs and what their roles are
throughout the project. Always stress the importance of everyone working
together and completing their job so the group can succeed.
3. The jobs are the collector, designer, material manager, recorder, and the
researchers.
The collector will be the main writer of the group. They will take all of
the information that everyone else has researched and put it together in
one document. The document will flow from topic to the next and have no
grammatical or punctuation errors.
The researcher will be EVERYONE. Each member of the group is in
charge of researching a specific part of a flower and then learning about
one type of flower is that given to them by the teacher.
The designer will be the student that creates a prototype or a plan of how
the biome will be constructed and what materials will be used.
The material manager is the student that is in charge of buying or
retrieving all of the supplies that will be needed to make the biome.
The recorder will be the student that observes and records the growth and
the health of the flowers in the biome and the biome itself as well.
4. Once your teacher has assigned each student a job your next task is to decide
which student is going to be researching the four different parts of a flower and
which type of flower everyone will be researching. Each member of the group
must pick a part of the flower to research. The different parts of a flower are:

Stem
Petal
Stamen
Pistil

Each student must also pick a specific flower to research and learn about. The
four different flowers are:
Daffodils
Dahlias
Impatiens
Lilly

5. After the roles have been chosen everyone is to research their part of the flower.
Here are a few websites that you may use to find information. As you are taking
notes use this graphic organizer to help keep your thoughts in order:
http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit74/lesson3_attachments/1.html
http://www.makemegenius.com/science-videos/grade_1/flower-parts-forkids
http://www.ducksters.com/science/biology/flowering_plants.php
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/lifecycles.html
http://kidsgrowingstrong.org/Flowers
6. Once the research for the parts of a flower is completed you may begin your
research for your flower. As you are researching about your flower use this
graphic organizer to take notes:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/star/circles7.shtml
For the student that is researching Daffodils, here are some websites that
you may find information.
1. http://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/daffodil_facts/675/
2. http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/da/Daffodil
3. http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc211/student
%20papers/articles00/rkraft/daffodil.htm
For the student that is researching Dahlias, here are a few websites that
you may find information.
1. http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/growingflowers/growingflow
ers/dahlia
2. http://www.gardenguides.com/77453-information-dahlia-plant.html
3. http://www.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Dahlia

For the student that is researching Impatiens, here are some websites that
you may find information.
1. http://www.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Impatiens
2. http://www.ehow.com/about_5087190_impatiens.html
3. http://www.theblogfarm.com/fun-flower-facts-impatiens-touch-menot/
For the student that is researching Lilies, here are a few websites that you
may find information.
1. http://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/lily_facts/558/
2. http://funflowerfacts.com/2013/08/18/fun-flower-facts-lily-lilium/
3. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-lilies.html

Give the students enough time to research their part of the flower and the type of flower
that they have. Make sure that you dont give them too much time or they will begin to
goof off and not focus on what needs to be done.
7. After everyone has found their information on the parts of a flower and their
specific type of flower give all of your graphic organizers to the collector so they
are able to gather all of the information and put it together. As you are putting the
information together use this worksheet to help you neatly put everything
together: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/paragraph/1.shtml
8. Next, the designer is to create a prototype and map out what they want the biome
to look like. Decide on what the dimensions of the biome should be and what it
should be made out of. Find all of the products that you would like to use to
construct the biome and write them down on a sheet. Use this worksheet to help
you keep track of your materials:
http://esl.about.com/od/writinglessonpla2/ig/Graphic-Organizers/StructuredOverview.htm#step-heading
9. Once the list of materials is finished the material manager needs to take the list
and go to the store to get all of the supplies. As the manager is shopping they will
use the list that was given to them to make sure that they have bought everything
that is needed. Use this organizer to help keep track of the supplies:
http://esl.about.com/od/writinglessonpla2/ig/Graphic-Organizers/StructuredOverview.htm#step-heading
10. After all of the supplies have been retrieved everyone will look at the plans made
by the designer and construct the biome as a team. When it is finished everyone
will plant their flowers and then watch to see how they grow.
11. The recorder will document all of the plant growth and anything that may go
wrong while the flowers are in the biome. Use this organizer to help you keep
track of the all of the data:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/plantgrowth/15day5plant.sh
tml
12. After two weeks of recording the data as a group you will take your findings to
your teacher and explain what you have learned from completing this project.

When evaluating the students and the group on their project make sure to tell the
students that their group mates have the opportunity to tell you if they did not
complete their end of the project or if they were not involved in the completion of the
project. The student gets a grade individually and as a group.
Evaluation
Teacher Name: Mackenzie Wieneke
Student Name:

________________________________________

CATEGORY 4
3
Usually
Contribution Routinely
provides useful provides useful
s
ideas when
ideas when

Sometimes
provides useful
ideas when
participating in participating in participating in
the group and the group and in the group and in
in classroom
classroom
classroom
discussion. A
discussion. A
discussion. A
definite leader strong group
satisfactory
who contributes member who
group member
a lot of effort.
tries hard!
who does what
is required.

Rarely provides useful ideas

participating in the group and
classroom discussion. May re
participate.

Quality of
Work

Provides work
of the highest
quality.

Provides high
quality work.

Provides work
Provides work that usually ne
that occasionally checked/redone by others to
needs to be
quality.
checked/redone
by other group
members to
ensure quality.

Preparednes
s

Brings needed
materials to
class and is
always ready to
work.

Almost always
brings needed
materials to
class and is
ready to work.

Almost always Often forgets needed materia

brings needed
rarely ready to get to work.
materials but
sometimes
needs to settle
down and get to
work

Complete
research

All of the
research has
been
completed and
there are two
pages of notes
to prove it.

Most of the
research has
been completed
and there is one
page of notes
some type of
notes that were

The research
has been
completed but
there are no
notes that have
been taken.

Very little research has been

there are no notes that have b

taken.
Almost always
listens to,
shares with,
and supports
the efforts of
others. Tries to
keep people
working well
together.

Usually listens
to, shares, with,
and supports
the efforts of
others. Does
not
cause \"waves\"
in the group.

Often listens to, Rarely listens to, shares with,

shares with, and supports the efforts of others.
supports the
a good team player.
efforts of others,
but sometimes is
not a good team
member.

Focus on the Consistently

stays focused
task
on the task and

Focuses on the
task and what
needs to be
done most of
the time. Other
group members
can count on
this person.

Focuses on the Rarely focuses on the task an

task and what
needs to be done. Lets others
needs to be
work.
done some of
the time. Other
group members
must sometimes
nag, prod, and
remind to keep
this person ontask.

Working
with Others

what needs to
be done. Very
self-directed.

Attitude

Never is
publicly critical
of the project or
the work of
others. Always
has a positive
attitude about
the task(s).

Rarely is
publicly critical
of the project or
the work of
others. Often
has a positive
attitude about
the task(s).

Occasionally is
publicly critical
of the project or
the work of other
members of the
group. Usually
has a positive
attitude about
the task(s).

Often is publicly critical of the

the work of other members of
Often has a negative attitude
task(s).

Job has
been
completed

Designated job
has been
completed and
done to the
very best of
your ability.

Designated job
has been
completed but
could use a little
improvement.

Designated job
has not been
completely
finished and is
missing a few
parts.

Designated job has not been

Conclusion
Congratulations you have now completed your biome and research on the
different parts and types of flowers. By completing this WebQuest you have learned to
research the different parts of a flower and how they function, the different types of
flowers, and the different environments that they may live in. You have also learned how
to construct a biome that will allow different types of flowers to survive inside. Not only

have you learned new information about flowers but you have learned how to work with
a group of peers that you may not normally work with. Everyone did a GREAT job!
If you are interested in learning more about flowers here are some books that you can
read:
All About Flowers by Claire Thorp
You Cant Smell A Flower With Your Ear by Joanna Cole
It Could Still Be A Flower by Allan Fowler
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds by Patricia Relf
How Does A Seed Sprout by Mellissa Stewart
A Dandlions Life by John Himmelman
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Grow Flower Grow by Lisa Bruce
The Reason For A Flower by Ruth Heller
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
If you happen to finish early here are few activities that you can do.
Write a story about a flower to send to a friend.
Complete a crossword at this website:
http://www.familyfunshop.com/flowerscrossword.pdf

Non-readers: for non-reading students pair them up with another student that is a very
successful reader so that when there is reading that needs to be done the successful reader
can read the book or article aloud to the non-reader. If I had access to audio books or
videos that the students can listen to that talks about flowers I will play those so that they
can listen rather than struggle to read.
ESL Students: for the students that have English as their second language I would give
them notecards that has the parts of the plants and the their definition in both English and
Spanish so that they are able to see any connection between the words and so they may
practice how to say the word while having it in front of them. I would also play videos
that explain the types of plants in Spanish so that they can understand the words.
Special Needs Learners: for the students that have special needs I would place them
with a group that is high ability and that way the other students are able to help out the
special needs student whenever possible. I would also give the student with special needs
a job that doesnt require all of their energy or is maybe easier than the other jobs that
way they have the opportunity to succeed and do their job to the best of their ability.

Credits and References

About Impatiens. eHow. Jenn Mercer. 2015. Web. 4 May 2015.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5087190_impatiens.html
Biology for Kids: Flowering Plants.Ducksters.May 2015.Web.1 May 2015.
http://www.ducksters.com/science/biology/flowering_plants.php
Daffodils. Rachel, Kraft.Web. 6 May 2015.
http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc211/student
%20papers/articles00/rkraft/daffodil.htm
Daffodil. Kids.net.au.2015.Web.7 May 2015.
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/da/Daffodil
Daffodil Facts.SoftSchools.com.2015.Web.6 May 2015.
http://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/daffodil_facts/675/

Dahlias. The Flower Expert. 9 May 2015. Web. 3 May 2015.

http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/growingflowers/growingflowers/dahlia

Dahlia. KidzSearch.com. 3 February 2011. Web. 4 May 2015.

http://www.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Dahlia
Flower Anatomy Parts
2015.

of a Flower. Flower Anatomy Parts of a Flower.Web. 1 May

http://www.familymanagement.com/holidays/flowers/flower_anatomy.ht
ml
Flower Parts for Kids. MakemeGenius.2010.Web.30 April 2015.
http://www.makemegenius.com/science-videos/grade_1/flower-parts-for-kids
Fun Flower Facts. The Blog Farm. 23 February 2013. Web. 3 May
2015. http://www.theblogfarm.com/fun-flower-facts-impatiens-touchme-not/

Fun Flower Facts: Lily. Grower Direct. 18 August 2013. Web. 4 May
2015. http://funflowerfacts.com/2013/08/18/fun-flower-facts-lily-lilium/
Information About the Dahlia Plant. Garden Guides.com. Katelyn
Lynn. 2010. Web. 3 May 2015. http://www.gardenguides.com/77453information-dahlia-plant.html
Impatiens. KidzSearch.com. Web. 30 April 2015.
http://www.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Impatiens
Interesting Facts About Lillies. Buzzle. 2015. Web. 3 May 2015.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-lilies.html
Life Cycle of a Plant.Science Kids.6 February 2015.Web.25 April 2015.
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/lifecycles.html
Lily Facts. SoftSchools.com. 2015. Web. 5 May 2015.
http://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/lily_facts/558/
Paragraph Structure. EnchantedLearning.com. 2015. Web. 6 May
2015.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/paragraph/1.sht
ml
Picture of a flower. Web.29 April 2015.
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?
image=24955&picture=a-flower-for-you
Plants by Type: Flower. Plants by Type: Flower. Web.3 May 2015.
http://www.almanac.com/plants/type/flower
Plant Growth Chart. EnchantedLearning.com. 2015. Web. 30 April
2015.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/plantgrowth/15d
ay5plant.shtml
Plant Parts:Flower.KidsGrowingStrong.2013.Web.5 May 2015.
http://kidsgrowingstrong.org/Flowers
Rubistar:Home. Rubistar:Home. Web. 30 April 2015.
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?ts=1431312306
Structured Overview Organizer. About Education. 2015. Web. 30 April
2015. http://esl.about.com/od/writinglessonpla2/ig/GraphicOrganizers/Structured-Overview.htm#step-heading

Unit 74, Lesson 3, Handout 1. Unit 74, Lesson 3, Handout 1.Web.29

April 2015. http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit74/lesson3_attachments/1.html
7 Circle Options Diagram.EnchantedLearning.com.2015.Web.6 May
2015.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/star/circles7.sht
ml