1. Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms Topic XIV:
Big Idea 15:
Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms
Topic XIV:
Plant Classification SC.3.L.15.2
Open up Discovery Education on your Teacher Portal and minimize.
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2. Benchmarks Big Idea 15: Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms
SC.3.L.15.2 Classify flowering and non-flowering plants into major groups such as those that produce seeds, or those like ferns and mosses that produce spores, according to their physical characteristics. Cognitive Complexity: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts

3. How do we classify plants?
Engage: Ask students questions and allow them to discuss how they would sort/classify the plants displayed?
Possible answers: Plants that produce flowers and plants that don’t. Plants that produce seeds and plants that produce spores.
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4. Some plants produce flowers
SEED PRODUCING PLANTS
Some plants produce flowers
Explore/Explain: Explain to students that in the illustration, only few plants die shortly after the fruit releases the seeds. Most plants go through the cycle multiple times.
Tell students plants are classified into two groups: Flowering Plants and Non flowering Plants. Tell them to look at the life cycle of a flowering plants and explain what they have learned about how flowering plants reproduce. Then click on the hyperlink: Some plants produce flowers to compare their ideas to the ideas in the video.
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5. Office of Academic - Department of Science
SEED PRODUCING PLANTS
Other plants produce cones
Explore/Explain: Tell students Pine trees belong to the conifer group of plants that do not produce flowers. Ask them to look at the illustration and explain what they have learned about how pine trees and other conifers reproduce. Then click on the hyperlink: Other plants produce cones
to compare their ideas to the ideas in the video.
Ask what do flowering plants and conifers have in common. They both produce seeds to reproduce.
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6. Office of Academic - Department of Science
SEED PRODUCING PLANTS
Conifer Plants
Explore/Explain: Let’s take a closer look at how non flowering plants reproduce. Click on the hyperlink Conifer Plants. Discuss.
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7. WHAT ARE FLOWERING PLANTS?
Plants that produce flowers. Their seeds are found in flowers that grow with the leaves.
Explain: Ask the question and have students record their answer in their notebooks. Then click on the hyperlink: FLOWERING PLANTS and show the video. Have students compare their definition to the one on the video.
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8. Office of Academic - Department of Science
WHAT ARE CONIFERS?
Conifers are non-flowering plants that grow seeds just as most plants do. Their seeds are found in CONES which makes them unique…
Explain: Ask the question and have students record their answer in their notebooks. Then click on the hyperlink: CONIFERS and show the video. Have students compare their definition to the one on the video.
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9. DO ALL PLANTS MAKE SEEDS TO REPRODUCE?
Ferns and Mosses do not grow seeds. Instead they produce spores.
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10. Ferns produce spores
Explore/Explain: Play the hyperlink Ferns produce spores. Read and discuss the passage on ferns.
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11. Comparing Nonflowering Plants
Moss and ferns produce spores.
Conifers such as a Pine tree produce cones
Explain: Have work in groups to discuss characteristics of nonflowering plants. You may want to clarify that, the term meiosis refers to the division of sex cells. This concept will not be assessed in third grade. Students will learn more about meiosis in Middle and High School. Also the terms sporophyte (adult plant) and gametophyte (produces pollen and ovule). These terms will not be assessed in third grade.
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12. Office of Academic - Department of Science
REVIEW Questions
1. Explain how the conifer plant on the left reproduces.
Answer: Conifer plants like this pine tree reproduce by forming seeds inside of pine cones, which are spread throughout the forest by the wind and/or animals.
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13. Office of Academic - Department of Science
Ferns VS Orange Trees
What is the main difference between the way a fern and an orange tree reproduce?
Answer: An orange tree is a type of flowering plant that reproduces by means of seeds.
A fern is a nonflowering plant that reproduces by means of spores.
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