Thursday, August 9, 2007

PS 58-45: A middle-school curriculum in pollination ecology

Christopher T. Ivey, Colleen Hatfield, and Kristina Schierenbeck. California State University, Chico

We presented a curriculum on pollination to four groups of 32 at-risk 7th and 8th grade students.  The half-hour-long activities taught (1) the role of pollinators in the human food supply, (2) the importance of pollinators to the broader ecosystem, (3) the mechanics of pollination, and (4) the idea that a morphological match between flower and pollinator affects pollination success and can lead to diversification.  An interaction web, in which students assumed the roles of ecosystem components (e.g., crops, wildlife, pollinators) and connections were drawn with yarn, was used to illustrate objectives (1) and (2) and the consequences of pollinator decline.  To illustrate (3) and (4), we dipped the anthers of a variety of modified silk & plastic flowers into a koolaid/powdered sugar mixture (pollen analogue) and appended a microcentrifuge tube filled with apple juice (nectar analogue) to the flower’s base.  Students chose a straw of the appropriate length for their flower and played the role of pollinator on the model flowers.  Students that successfully picked up “pollen” on their face while extracting “nectar” were rewarded with a honey stick.  Student feedback was positive and suggested that learning objectives were met.  This curriculum should be easily adaptable to a variety of classroom settings.