Background

Pollination is an essential ecological function. Without pollinators, the human race and all of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. Over 80 percent of the world’s flowering plants require a pollinator to reproduce. Animals that assist plants in their reproduction as pollinators include species of bats, butterflies, moths, flies, birds, beetles, ants and bees.

Pollinators visit flowers in search of food, mates, shelter and nest-building materials. The secret bond of the partnership is that neither plant nor pollinator populations can exist without each other.

Prior Knowledge

No prior knowledge is required. This is a stand-alone activity.

Key Learning Question

How can we use Sphero Bolts to show how flowers are pollinated?

Learning Intentions

In this program students will:

• Identify various pollinators
• Understand the importance of pollination
• Explore the relationship between plants and pollinators (such as bees)
• Learn how to carefully move the Sphero Bolt ‘pollinators’ to move from one flower to another

Activities

Students will:

• Draw a pollinator (such as a bee) and animate their image using Matrix Animation on iPads with Sphero Bolts
• Use bee & bird sounds to enhance their animated pollinator on iPads with Sphero Bolts
• Move their Sphero Bolt Pollinators to pollinate various flowers around the room.

Victorian Curriculum

Science – Biological Science

• Living things have a variety of external features and live in different places where their basic needs, including food, water and shelter, are met (VCSSU042)

Science – Analysing and evaluating

• Compare observations and predictions with those of others (VCSIS054)

Digital Technologies – Digital Systems

• Identify and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose (VCDTDS013)

Digital Technologies – Creating Digital Solutions

• Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems (VCDTCD017)