Pollinator Products
A lesson to teach students about the various pollinators we have along with the products we use that come from pollinated plants.
- Students will examine various products that came from plants that were insect-pollinated.
- Students will describe the benefits from and human dependence on insects as pollinators.
Lesson Created By: Savannah River Ecology Lab
Essential Question
Who are our pollinators? What products to pollinators help provide?
Grade(s):
- 1
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
- A whiteboard and markers or a large notepad to write down ideas on.
- Create bingo cards with food/ products made from insect-pollinated plants. Examples: Chocolate, tea, blueberries, apples, bananas, cherries, cashews, apricots, tomatoes, vanilla, watermelon, lemon, pumpkin, raspberry, soybeans, peaches, sunflower, strawberries, figs, grapes, coffee, coconut, avocado, alfalfa grass, mango, cotton (socks, pants, shirts), cucumber, cranberries, beans, almonds, honey.
- Make bingo card coverslips, cardstock cutouts should work great
Lesson Progression
The Activity:
- Ask students to think about the various animals that act as our pollinators. Write these down on a whiteboard in the front of the room.
- Ask students if they can think of any products that come from insect-pollinated plants. Write them down as they go.
- Play a game of pollinator bingo!
- Pass out bingo cards and coverslips to students. Explain how the game works: if an item is called out that is on their card, they cover the spot. If they get four in a row they have BINGO. This gives students a fun way to see how many different products are made through the use of insect pollination.
- At the end of the game, have students talk about what they think would happen if pollinators were not around anymore (crops would not be able to grow, we would lose all the products that come from those plants).
Teacher Notes
Many products we use daily come from plants that have been insect pollinated. These items include many of the fruits, nuts, and veggies we like to eat, to the cotton used to make our clothes. Many of these crops would not be able to reproduce if insects were not around to pollinate them. The consequence of pollinator insects dying off, means many of the products we use and need would no longer be available to us.