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First Flower
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Viewing Ideas
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Before Watching
Have students
bring in flowering plants and distribute them among groups. Ask students what
the flower is for (seed formation leading to plant reproduction). On the board, draw and label the parts of a
flower. Make a chart with each part's function. Have students locate the
following parts on their flowers: anther and filament (stamen); the stigma,
style, and ovary (pistil); and the petals (corolla). Discuss differences in
reproduction between flowering and non-flowering plants. Organize
students into three groups. As students watch the program, have each group take
notes on one of the following: the geography and ecology of the area featured
in China; the technologies, materials, and procedures used to study and date
plant findings; and plant classification.
After Watching
Have students
refer to their notes as you lead a discussion concerning the evolution of flowers.
Ask students to provide examples of plant diversity. What accounts for that
diversity? What techniques do scientists use to determine the evolution of the
first flowering plant? How has DNA fingerprinting changed plant classification?
One scientist
in the program studies how changes in leaf vein patterns can provide clues to
plant evolution. Advanced leaves often have straighter veins to more
effectively provide sugar to the plant, whereas earlier leaves have a more
wandering vein patterns. Have students bring in leaves. Discuss the function of
leaf veins and ask students to draw and describe vein patterns, noting which
ones they think are examples of earlier or later evolution and why.
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