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How could you make the biggest fruit in the world?
Power of Flowers Unit | Lesson 4 of 3

How could you make the biggest fruit in the world?

Power of Flowers Unit | Lesson 4 of 3
Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep

DISCUSS:

If you could make a giant version of any fruit or vegetable, which one would you do?

DISCUSS:

What other traits would you select for? (Remember, traits are things like size, shape, color, flavor, and so on.)

DISCUSS:

Before we start the activity… take a quick guess! Are there any fruits or vegetables that you think might be varieties of the same thing?

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.
# Readings:

These Common-Core-aligned readings are free with registration on ReadWorks. All readings include comprehension questions.

  • Growing Melons, Kinds of Melons, Fun with Melons — A set of three readings describing how melons grow, kinds of melons, and contests involving watermelons. (Grades 2 & 3)
  • Magic Tomatoes — In this story, a farm boy learns what you need to grow tomatoes. (Grade 3)
  • Pumpkin Time! — A short, illustrated reading describing the life cycle of a pumpkin. (Grade 2)
#Three Activities

The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project offers hands-on lessons that integrate science, reading, and math through their Growing Minds project.

  • Tomato Exploration introduces children to tomato varieties, including heirloom tomatoes of the past.
  • Pumpkins in the Fall focuses on predicting and counting how many seeds are inside a pumpkin.
  • Lettuce Exploration has children grow and taste three varieties of lettuce — writing poems, making observations, and graphing their results.
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trait


1 of 9

something you can observe about a living thing, such as the number of petals on a flower
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inherit


2 of 9

to get a trait from parents
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inherited trait


3 of 9

a trait of a living thing that comes from its parents
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variation


4 of 9

the different versions of a trait, such as the number of petals on a flower or the size of a pumpkin
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artificial selection


5 of 9

the process of humans choosing certain traits of living things so that they are passed to the offspring
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variety


6 of 9

a particular type of fruit or flower, such as a ghost pumpkin
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fruit


7 of 9

the part of a plant that contains seeds inside a covering, like apples
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seed


8 of 9

a part of a plant that can grow into a baby plant
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evidence


9 of 9

information that can be used to support or reject an idea

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
ferry-morse pumpkin packet by Eliza Cross
pumpkin seeds by Shawn Campbell , used under CC BY-SA
wood background by Petr Kovar , used under CC BY-SA
pumpkin vine by furtwangl , used under CC BY-SA
hand holding cup/plant by UWyoExtension , used under CC BY-SA
large pumpkin by Christian Ude , used under CC BY-SA
celestia: north america by NASA , used under Public Domain
pumpkin patch by Sweet Posy Dreams
patch with sign by Sycamore Pumpkin Festival / we cropped the Sycamore flag from an image
giant pumpkins by Yourcsd , used under CC BY-SA
tree by Public Domain Images
pumpkin in hand by Olichel
giant pumpkins + cowboy by Mike Mozart , used under CC BY-SA
frame by Alvaro , used under CC BY-SA
swirly watermelon by Alvaro , used under CC BY-SA
modern watermelon by Stefan Schweihofer , used under Public Domain
fruit stall by Daderot , used under CC BY-SA
peach evolution by James Kennedy
full size peach by PublicDomainPictures , used under Public Domain
hand by Niek Verlaan
corn evolution: small by Paul Ransome
ear of corn by U.S. Department of Agriculture , used under CC BY-SA
three shovels by Lothar Wandtner
plethora of fruit by Olearys , used under CC BY-SA
pink roses by StockSnap , used under Public Domain
wild pink rose by Efraimstochter , used under Public Domain
pink rose by Carla Nunziata , used under CC BY-SA
pumpkin isolated by PublicDomainImages , used under Public Domain
family genetics by Manuel Corpas , used under Public Domain
gardener pruning by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Fresnel
fresh vegetables by Mary LaFrance
pumpkin patch by liz west , used under CC BY-SA
citrouille blanche by Chef Simon
yellow & blue gourds by Michael Schwarzenberger , used under Public Domain
yellow gourd by Efraimstochter , used under Public Domain
gourd with bumps by Robert Couse-Baker , used under CC BY-SA
orange pumpking with streaks by Jim Linwood , used under CC BY-SA
gourd & pumpkin exhibition by Kathastrophal
gourds & pumpkins by blickpixel , used under Public Domain
orange pumpkin vs. by Petr Kratochvil , used under Public Domain
orange pumpkin guts by Denise Torres
white pumpkin guts by Mirko Erakovic
pumpkin flower by PublicDomainPictures , used under Public Domain
pumpkin flowers by Toshiyuki IMAI , used under CC BY-SA
butternut squash by PublicDomainIssues , used under Public Domain
cucurbita maxima by J.M.Garg , used under CC BY-SA
granny smith by Steve Buissinne , used under Public Domain
red delicious by Apple and Pear Australia Ltd. , used under CC BY-SA
decorative squash by Hans , used under Public Domain
Activity
pumpkin face off by William Warby , used under CC BY-SA
cherry by Amanda Slater , used under CC BY-SA
grape by Andrew McFarlane , used under CC BY-SA
plum by Alan Levine , used under CC BY-SA
cherry blossom by James Petts , used under CC BY-SA
cherry interior by Nova , used under CC BY-SA
cherry leaf by Rosser1954 , used under Public Domain
grape blossom by Jckowal , used under CC BY-SA
grape interior by Yelkrokoyade , used under CC BY-SA
grape leaf by Forest and Kim Starr , used under CC BY-SA
plum blossom by Christopher Pluta , used under Public Domain
plum interior by Evan Amos , used under Public Domain
plum leaf by Plum leaves , used under CC BY-SA
cucumber by Rasbak , used under CC BY-SA
dosakai by Jamain , used under CC BY-SA
lemon by fir0002
cucumber blossom by Petr Kratochvil , used under Public Domain
cucumber interior by viZZZual.com , used under CC BY-SA
cucumber leaf by Bincymb , used under CC BY-SA
doaskai blossom by Bicanski , used under Public Domain
doaskai interior by helsesenteret
doaskai leaf by Scot Nelson , used under CC BY-SA
lemon blossom by Jessica Johnson , used under Public Domain
lemon interior by aleksandra85foto , used under Public Domain
lemon leaf by Tony Buser , used under CC BY-SA
tomato by tooony , used under CC BY-SA
watermelon by Shu Suehiro , used under CC BY-SA
zebra fruit by Pirate Alice , used under CC BY-SA
tomato blossom by Earth100 , used under CC BY-SA
tomato interior by Rasbak , used under CC BY-SA
tomato leaf by Jerry Nettik , used under Public Domain
watermelon blossom by Pinus , used under CC BY-SA
watermelon interior by liz west , used under CC BY-SA
watermelon leaf by TonyCasanova33 , used under CC BY-SA
zebra fruit blossom by Niek Willems , used under CC BY-SA
zebra fruit interior by Dan , used under CC BY-SA
zebra fruit leaf by Jerry Nettik , used under Public Domain

Featured Reviews

“I love the layout of the lesson. There is minimal prep and the activities are super engaging. The discussions my students were having were great! ”
“The kids were always really surprised by the fruits they didn't know, specifically what the insides looked like! They also really enjoyed sorting the cards. I appreciate that the worksheet had lines for them to write down their evidence - it was great to be able to see their thinking. ”
“My first grade class loved this lesson! It was a perfect Fall pumpkin lesson without being Halloween related! Thanks”
“I taught this lesson to three different third grade classes. They LOVED it! They really began to notice the similarities and differences of the seeds, leaves, and flowers. Great lesson that kept everyone engaged,”
“Visuals were excellent for special education students. Our class really enjoyed this lesson!”
“So fun and great activity! The video is perfect for my 3rd grade class and very informative!”
“The kids had great discussions using academic vocabulary to sort the fruit based on traits that they observed.”
“Watching third graders have discussions about what traits prove that certain plants are related to the same wild plant was amazing. The lesson furthered their thinking and they have the basics of heredity down!”
“Students made real connections with the varieties of fruit lesson and thoroughly loved the Odd One Out activity. ”
“The kids really liked the Odd One Out game. Lots of exclamations like "What????" The card sorting was a great followup-challenging and intriguing to them. Thanks! We appreciate your curriculum so much. We are all learning.”
“The activity cards the students used to closely look at, discuss, and classify related fruits. It was great to her them using terms and knowledge just learned.”
“I absolutely love teaching science using this program!!”
“We liked being able to guess what fruits were related based on how they looked. We liked learning about how pumpkins come in different colors. We liked seeing the GIGANTIC pumpkins!”
“The Budda's hand! How cool! and we're traveling to southern CA in March, so we'll look for it. Thanks so much for this program, my son LOVES it. So engaging. I enjoy it too!”
“I did not think they would like this as it only involved paper/pencil. However, they found it like a game and were very engaged. ”
“Both kids really understood the idea of selection by the end of this unit. We all learned something new in these lessons.”
“Funnest lesson ever! Very engaging and informative!”
“The students loved seeing how their guesses changed when comparing the outsides versus the insides of fruits and vegetables!”
“Interesting and engaging information. The kids loved doing the sorting cards activity at the end and had great conversations with their tablemates”
“LOVED this lesson...even I learned something!!!”
“Students realizing how plants are related..."ahhhh" Loved the extra video with the floating giant pumpkins!”
“I love all of the great video clips and I love that they are real life and not a cartoon.”
“The use of the technology with the pictures of the various fruits, flowers, seeds, leaves really helped to 'show' students exactly what I was trying to teach them about plant traits. They were easily able to match like plants with the cards based on the 'preparation' from the tech lesson.”
“It was so well laid out. Simple and so much learning! Great lesson. ”
“Very impressed with the engineering aspect of it ”
“My kids say the best part was the "Odd One Out" activity. I enjoyed the fruit cards, a couple of them stumped me, but it was interesting to see how comparing the leaves, insides and flowers helped to show the relation between the fruits.”
“My students LOVED it! As did I! It incorporated partner, group and discussions!!!”
“I learned about some amazing new fruits. Just as fascinated as the kids were with the Budda hand.”
“"This was the best lesson I ever had"--N, age 9 "It's really cool how you put fruits together and see how they compare!" --KB, age 8 "Cool." -M, age 7 "AWESOME!...Because!" -J, age 7 "I have never seen anything like this!" -S, age 7 "I bet I can make a watermelon boat! Probably using the rind." --A, age 10 "Illuminating lesson!" --M, age 38 Great work. This had the kids engaged start to finish. ---K, age 35 ;)”
“I never ever knew that pumpkins could be in different shades of color and sizes and that I never knew varieties could change roses, fruits, corn and any other fruit or vegetable. Signed Kennedy Bruce”
“Kids enjoyed taking the cards home to share with parents.”
“The video is scripted at a level the children understood and enjoyed. Very informative!”
“Very engaging to try to which one didn't belong - lots of great discussion while predicting and then the "ohhhh as they saw the seeds with the leaves and flowers. The sorting activity at the end solidified their thinking. Loved it. ”
“I love this series of explorations. The connection to foods they eat make the concepts so relatable and easy to talk about in our everyday lives. This means the content and ideas presented really stick!”
“My students were amazed at all the varieties of pumpkins and fruit that are available today as compared to the past! They also became more aware of similarities and differences during "Odd one out"”
“We used this as a lead into inherited traits.It helped the students make sense of it.”
“The students loved seeing how the fruits and vegetables changed over many years. They were fully engaged in the lesson.”
“Kids were amazed at the changes in the fruit!”
“The mystery aspect of this lesson really engaged my students! ”
“The kids loved discovering that fruits that look really different are related.”
“This was swell. The boys enjoyed the Odd One Out game. It would be interesting to add some of the vegetables in the discussion we well, although that wouldn't go with your 'flowers' theme. But you could add it as an extra.”
“My kids loved the game of guessing which fruits were varieties of one another by looking at their insides, leaves, and flowers.”
“I love the fact that you used fruits and veggies that the students had never seen before. There were many surprises that way!”
“The kids were amazed by seeing the pictures of different kinds of fruits and vegetables. It was an exciting lesson. I like the teamwork of cutting out the cards. Simple directions.”
“I liked how the lesson gradually released kids towards independent practice. They started sorting as guided practice, and then partners used cards to continue. ”
“I love watching the students work together as they try to convince their partner why they thought the fruits were related.”
“Great to see the kids critically thinking about the different traits of plants and how to categorize them! They continue to ask for more Mystery Science!”
“My students were totally engaged in the video of the selection of the different varieties of pumpkins! They really got involved in the discussions”
“That was my favorite one of the who year. It made the kids compare and contrast, give real evidence, and make decisions on what groups they belong in. They enjoyed it too. ”
“I even learned new things. The students were incredibly captivated by this lesson, and the sorting cards and games were highly engaging.”
“Best part is that students have to use their powers of observation and categorize accordingly. It really helps them use their describing words.”
“The students were enthralled and working together on this project. It really made them pay attention to detail!”
“My kids loved seeing the different, weird fruits. The card sorting game was great!”
“We really liked the sorting activity and I like the assessments that come with it. They are preparing our students for the SBAC. Thank you”
“The best part was sorting the cards. I didn't realize just how similar the various parts of the fruits and vegetables are!”
“The kids loved learning in the Odd One Out activity that even though fruits looked the same on the outside, that did not mean they had the same origins.”
Lesson narration:

Grade 3

Plant Life Cycle & Heredity

Trait Variation, Inheritance, & Artificial Selection

3-LS3-1

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students explore how human beings have modified plants based on our knowledge of how plants inherit their traits. In the activity, Odd One Out, students play a game where they guess which fruits are related to each other based on traits of leaves, flowers, and arrangement of seeds. They use this information to understand how humans create fruit varieties by selecting certain traits.
Preview activity

Exploration

20 mins

Wrap-Up

5 mins

Grade 3

Plant Life Cycle & Heredity

Trait Variation, Inheritance, & Artificial Selection

3-LS3-1

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Flowers Lesson 4: How could you make the biggest fruit in the world?

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