We Bee Scientists: Grade 5: Traits, Variation, Pollination, Oh My!

In this set of units, students engage as plant scientists to understand how genetic information is passed from one generation to the next. They grow plants and collect data (and/or play a game simulation) to understand traits, variation, pollination, fertilization and environmental impact. Students collaborate to manually pollinate their plants and select for desired traits in their offspring, recognizing that humans have selected for traits for thousands of years to meet their needs. Playing the Buffelgrass Game guides students to learn that as humans manipulate the environment to solve one problem, another problem is often created.

What’s included:

• 3 fully comprehensive units that lead students to answer the driving questions, “How are traits passed from one generation to the next?”, “How can a change in the environment affect the development of traits in a population of organisms?”, and “How can human-caused changes to habitats impact populations?”
• Lesson Plans: Step-by-step lesson guides to prepare your teaching are included. Lessons are hands-on, incorporate multiple science and engineering practices, and will have your students completely engaged!
• Worksheets: Each unit includes worksheets, assessments, and student self-assessments that you can use to evaluate student learning.
• Slide shows: For each unit you will also have access to a slide deck that is ready for you to present and teach with! Slides include activities, high quality photo resources, and explanations to accompany all the exploring your students will do.
• Assessments

UNIT 1: Students will explain that genetic information is passed on from one generation to the next. Traits are passed on by DNA, but traits are also affected by the environment.

UNIT 2: Students determine what plant traits they want in the next generation of plants, and they manually pollinate plants as humans have done for thousands of years to get plants they desire.

UNIT 3: Students will explain how humans impacted the Sonoran Desert environment by introducing the invasive species buffelgrass to North America.

Google Classroom Code

To join our Google Classroom, sign in to your Google account. Navigate to Classrooms (either through your Google waffle or by searching Google Classrooms), and then select the plus sign in the upper right corner of your screen. Enter your Classroom Join Code vqddgiz. Joining our Google Classroom allows you to communicate with us about the curriculum, and allows us to notify you of any support or updates to material we may offer.