Year 3 Science: The flower: making seeds
Part of the Year 3 Science parts of a flowering plant chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
The flower: making seeds
The flower is the part of a flowering plant that makes seeds. A seed can grow into a new plant.
Many flowers have petals. Petals are often bright, coloured and sometimes scented. They help to attract insects, such as bees. A bee that visits a flower can help the flower to make seeds.
Some flowers are small and hard to see. Some plants have no flowers at all. Ferns are plants that have no flowers.
Key ideas
- The flower is the part of the plant that makes seeds.
- A seed can grow into a new plant.
- Many petals are bright, and they attract insects such as bees.
- Some plants, such as ferns, have no flowers.
Method. Think about what the petals look like and what they might do.
- Read A. Bright petals can attract insects, such as bees.A: attract insects
- Read B. The stem holds up the leaves, not the petals.B: stem holds leaves
- Choose the job. So a likely job for bright petals is to attract insects.A
- Write the answer. A
Check. Bright petals help to attract insects. ✓
Method. Think about the part of the plant that makes seeds.
- Read the question. It asks what the flower makes.the flower makes
- Think about the seeds. The flower is the part that makes seeds.seeds
- Write the word. The flower makes seeds, which can grow into new plants.seeds
- Write the answer. seeds
Check. Seeds from the flower grow into new plants. ✓
Method. Add the flowers on the two plants.
- Read the two numbers. One plant has 6 flowers and the other has 4 flowers.6 and 4
- Add them together. Adding the two numbers gives the total.6 + 4 = 10
- Write the answer. 10 flowers
Check. 4 + 6 = 10, so the answer is right. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a flower is not the same as a leaf. Leaves catch light and make food. The flower is the part that makes seeds.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). With a grown-up, sit quietly in a park or garden and count the flowers on one plant. Do not pick any flowers. Keep away from bees and wasps, and do not touch them. Write your count in a table. Wash your hands afterwards.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What is the flower for? Why do you think the petals are bright?” Keep the activity calm, and stay still near the flowers.
Exercise 2E The flower: making seeds
Method. Think about what a seed grows into.
- Read the sentence. A seed grows into a new plant.new plant
- Find the missing word. The missing word is plant.plant
- Write the answer. plant
Check. A seed grows into a plant. ✓
Method. Look at the flower picture and think about its outside parts.
- Look at the flower. The bright, coloured parts of a flower are the petals.bright, coloured
- Name the part. These parts are called petals.petals
- Write the answer. petals
Check. Petals are often bright and coloured. ✓
Method. Think about an insect you might see on flowers in a garden.
- Think about the insect. Bees often visit flowers to feed on them.visit flowers
- Name the insect. The insect is a bee.bee
- Write the answer. bee
Check. Bees are common visitors to flowers. ✓
Method. Think about what holds the flower up.
- Read the sentence. The flower is held up by the stem of the plant.held by the stem
- Find the missing word. The missing word is stem.stem
- Write the answer. stem
Check. The stem holds up the flower. ✓
Method. Think about what the flower makes.
- Read the sentence. The flower makes seeds.seeds
- Write the answer. seeds
Check. Seeds come from flowers. ✓
Method. Think about the colour of petals.
- Read the sentence. Many petals are bright and coloured.coloured
- Write the answer. coloured
Check. Bright petals are coloured. ✓
| Plant | Number of flowers |
|---|---|
| Plant A | 6 |
| Plant B | 4 |
| Plant C | 0 |
Method. Look for the number 0 in the table.
- Read the table. Plant A has 6 flowers, Plant B has 4 and Plant C has 0.6, 4, 0
- Count the plants with 0. Only Plant C has no flowers.one plant with 0
- Write the answer. 1 plant
Check. Only Plant C has zero flowers. ✓
Method. Add the plants with flowers and the plants with no flowers.
- Read the two numbers. There are 3 plants with flowers and 2 without.3 and 2
- Add them together. The total number of plants is 3 plus 2.3 + 2 = 5
- Write the answer. 5 plants
Check. 2 + 3 = 5, so the answer is right. ✓
Method. Think about what bright petals can do for the plant.
- Read A. Bright petals can attract insects, such as bees.A: attract insects
- Read B and C. Petals do not make the stem stronger or hold the leaves up.B and C: not petals’ job
- Write the answer. A
Check. Bright petals attract insects. ✓
Method. Think about the plants you know, and whether any have no flowers.
- Think about ferns. Ferns are plants that have no flowers.ferns have no flowers
- Decide. So not all plants have flowers, and Mo is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Ferns show that some plants have no flowers. ✓
Method. A table needs one heading for each column.
- Think about the things in the table. One column names each plant, and one column records the number of flowers.plant and number
- Write the headings. The headings name what each column shows.two headings
- Write the answer. Accept any two headings, such as Plant and Number of flowers.
Check. Each column needs a heading that says what it shows. ✓
Method. Think about what the flower makes.
- Think about the flower. The flower makes seeds.seeds
- Give the reason. Seeds can grow into new plants, so the flower helps the plant to have young plants.new plants
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says the flower makes seeds, which can grow into new plants.
Check. The flower helps the plant to make new plants. ✓