Saturday SAVY, Day 1, “Plants and Pollen” (1st/2nd)
We had a wonderful first day with all of our Agricultural Engineers.
We started our morning meeting by introducing ourselves, and we got to know each other through interesting facts everyone shared about themselves. We then ascertained norms for our time together, and students worked in teams to produce posters to remind us to Be Kind, Work Together, Listen to Each Other, and Share.
After reading Mariana Becomes a Butterfly, students discussed the setting of the story and how the tropical climate of the Dominican Republic supports the growth of many types of plants. The Dominican Republic and Hawaii—where Mariana’s ohelo plant originates—were then plotted on a world map to compare locations. Students also explored the process of pollination and considered possible reasons why Mariana’s plant was not producing berries.
We observed lilies and an array of different flowers, and we identified the stigma, pollen dusters/anthers, and parts of the flower. Students enjoyed “dissecting” flowers and using their magnifying glasses to identify the parts involved in pollination.
The students were then given a marble, eraser, tape, foil, pompom, and a pipe cleaner to test which material could make a good hand pollinator. They tested the materials by touching them onto baking soda (representing pollen), then tapping them over a flower representation to compare the amount of “pollen” dropped off from each material. They then recorded their results, which will be used when designing their hand pollinators in our next classes.
I am excited for our next two Saturdays, when we will build on knowledge of pollination, pollinators, and plants, and put our agricultural engineering knowledge to use in designing a hand pollinator.
Questions to ask your Agricultural Engineer:
- Where did your instructor, Dr. Kent, grow up? What other interesting facts did your friends in the course tell you about themselves?
- What norm did you and your team represent for your poster?
- Can you describe where the Dominican Republic and Hawaii are?
- Describe the Ohelo plant and where it is from.
- What is pollination?
- How do plants produce seeds?
- Why might Mariana’s ohelo plant not be producing berries?
- Which of the different materials you tested held the most pollen? How do you think you will use that material to build a hand pollinator if there aren’t insects to pollinate the ohelo plant?
Best,
Jacqueline Kent