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Why do plants give us fruit?

Fruit, Seeds, & Plant Reproduction
4.7 (14055 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

What do you think happened to the seeds the pear flowers should have made?

Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

What part of the flower turned into a pear?

Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

Why do you think some plants grow fruit around their seeds?

Hint...

Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

Do you think a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable?

Reveal answer

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Video trouble?
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Slide Image
Slide Image

offspring


1 of 13

babies
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reproduction


2 of 13

a stage in the life cycle of living things when they have offspring
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seed


3 of 13

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


4 of 13

the reproductive part of some plants that can make seeds
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petal


5 of 13

the colorful part of a flower
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pollen


6 of 13

a powder plants make that is involved in plant reproduction
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stamen


7 of 13

the part of a flower that has pollen
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stigma


8 of 13

the sticky part of a flower that pollen can stick to
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ovary


9 of 13

the part of a flower or other living thing that contains its eggs
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fruit


10 of 13

the part of a plant that contains seeds inside a covering, like an apple
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pollination


11 of 13

the process of moving pollen from one part of a flower (the stamen) to another part of a flower (the stigma)
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vegetable


12 of 13

a plant part that humans eat, such as leaves, roots, or stems; does not include fruits which contain seeds
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dissect


13 of 13

to take something apart to study it

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
Cherries by 4028mdk09
Open field by Broo_am (Andy B)
Single pear by Xth-Floor
Flowers by Imgur
Pears seeds by Dezidor
Strawberriew by Ken Hammond, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Apple flowers by Дар Ветер
Tree full of flowers by ForestWander
Video: Pear fruit swelling by Neil Bromhall
raccoon eating cherry by Shelly Cox
Apples on tree by George Chernilevsky
monkey eating banana by live-less-ordinary.com
Apple by Amada44
Send a message by ladelentes
squirrel eating orange by Mr.TinDC
airplane by The Photographer
bird eating berries by Matt MacGillivray
bird with large bill by William Warby
Cedar Waxing by Craig Gibson
pear tree (with fruit) by Paul Wood
Baby plant by JMK
pears on branch by Amber Ginsburg and Lia Rousset
pears by Imgur
Maple seeds by Dcrjsr
Inside apple by LD Cross
Bartlett pears by Peaceful Valley Company
Watermelon flower by Meighan
green pepper by Kitty W
Watermelon by Fred Hsu
green pepper flower by Jim Conrad
green pepper sprout by Barbara
Vegetables by Man vyi
Cut up watermelon by Harsha K R
Credits
Why do plants give us fruit?
Fruit, Seeds, & Plant Reproduction
4.7 (14055 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“The students are always engaged with the informative videos. I like how they stop to allow us to discuss and digest some of the material that we have seen.”
· Lynne · Teacher
“This was an easy lesson to prepare and it was very effective in teaching about the different points of view between a fruit and a vegetable. ”
· · Teacher
“My kids absolutely loved this lesson. It was so structured and easy to follow. Best of all, the kids loved it.”
· Sharon · Teacher
“Loved it! The students were so engaged, as always, in the information presented in the video slips. They also loved the hands on activity of investigating the fruits and vegetables.”
· Marie · Teacher
“The kids loved to see how fruit is made! Even I didn't know some of the things that we learned in this lesson! ”
· Theresa · Teacher
“My students love the hands on experience. I like how your lesson goes step by step which is teacher and student friendly.”
· Amber · Teacher
“My students were very engaged with this lesson. They were even dissecting the seeds from their fruits and "science fruits" at lunch! (Sorry lunch monitors!) They also enjoyed the science fruit salad extension. We made it at the end of the day and they were so excited to tell their parents about it! I love how engaging these videos and activities are. I work in a high-risk school and am so thankful for amazing free resources that my students love. These lessons have been wonderful! We can't wait to do more. ”
· Darcie · Teacher
“The hands-on activity and the chance for kids to explore the fruits and vegetables on their own is great!”
· Amy · Teacher
“The students were able to interact and experience dissecting fruits and vegetables they normally don't see (I used a turnip instead of a radish (Out of season), and added an eggplant in my interpretations questions (inference). Great concrete lesson.”
· · Teacher
“My students really understood the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. The activity made sense to them.”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“"It was a really good video!" from Danny. Josselyne says, "It looks so good, I want to eat it." "It was beautiful!, from Priscilla. We love MysteryScience! Keep us curious.....Mrs. Ojeda and the 5/6 CHAMPS Class”
· Trini · Teacher
“this is a incredibly helpful site for teachers...nice job”
· Suzanne · Teacher
“The kids were WOWED by seeing the pear develop!”
· Heather · Teacher
“Fantastic!!!!!!!!”
· Susan · Teacher
“This really gave the students an understanding of flowers and seeds. Beautifully done.”
· Cindy · Teacher
“Again, lots of background information and scaffolded learning. Very engaging!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“Loved it! My students were really engaged and loved tasting the foods!”
· Lara · Teacher
“My kids liked "dissecting". They also still remember that cucumbers are scientific fruit. ”
· Debbie · Homeschooler
“The videos were absolutely amazing! The kids were so engaged the entire time!”
· Beth · Teacher
“The students need to have the vocabulary for plant parts and life cycle stages in context. This lesson helps them see these in an engagingly visual format.”
· · Teacher
“My students loved "dissecting" the different fruits and vegetables and then classifying them into science fruits or science vegetables. Another great Mystery! ”
· Anna · Teacher
“The kids loved getting to "dissect" the science fruits and science veggies during the activity. The hands-on components of these lessons are fantastic, and so easy. This is the best program, basically ever.”
· Brandon · Teacher
“Thanks, shared with whole school Monday!”
· Gail · Teacher
“My students love the time lapse videos. It really helps them understand how fruit is created and why. Thank you! Activity was great too!”
· Dixie · Teacher
“The vocabulary is used in such a way that the students understand meaning.”
· Donna · Teacher
“We had a wonderful time examining fruit and vegetables and cutting them open to look for seeds. ”
· Melissa · Homeschooler
“I was nervous about the ovary discussion with my class but it went so well! The students discussed the reason we need bees for plants by telling me that they pollenate the ovary! I was ecstatic! They also LOVED cutting open fruits and vegetables for our experiment.”
· Mary · Teacher
“They were amazed to find out that some things they thought were vegetables, were actually fruit. They are going to go home and test their parents.”
· Grace · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson students learn about why plants grow fruit. In the activity, Science Fruit or Vegetable, students examine common grocery produce and predict if each item is a science fruit or science vegetable. Then they take a closer look at slices of the produce and search for seeds.
Preview activity

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

I have a Mystery Pack

Science Fruit or Science Vegetable worksheet 1 per student
Science Fruit or Science Vegetable Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 per class
Cutting Board
1 board per class
Knife
1 knife per class
Celery
1 stalk per 10 students
Cucumber
1 cucumber per class
Cucumber
1 cucumber per 10 students
Paper Plates
1 plate per student
Potato
1 potato per group
Potato
1 potato per class
Radish
1 radish per group
Radish
1 radish per class
Tomato
1 tomato per group
Tomato
1 tomato per class
Toothpicks
1 toothpick per student
Prep Instructions

Slice Fruits and Vegetables Before Class

We suggest slicing foods before class. We used the foods listed above, but you can use other foods in place of these. Just be sure to include a mix of vegetables that have seeds, such as tomatoes and cucumbers (science fruits), and ones that don’t, such as celery, potatoes, and radishes (science vegetables). If you want to challenge your students, use less familiar produce, such as pineapples, eggplants, and kiwis (science fruits), as well as brussels sprouts (science vegetables).

Place one slice of each type of fruit or vegetable onto a paper plate for each student so that each student will have the opportunity to examine all the produce.

Before students examine the sliced fruit and vegetables and look for seeds, you will show them one whole fruit or vegetable so that they can first make a prediction. So be sure to reserve one of each grocery item to show students.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

20 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Extend this lesson

Unit Readings

Unit Readings

Mystery Science Fruit Salad

In this reading, students learn how some mischievous people at Mystery Science made a "fruit salad" while thinking like plant scientists.


Wild Sunflowers, Wonderful New Traits

In this reading, students learn about two scientists who study wild sunflowers.

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms

Activity

Activity

Bee-Free Barbeque

If you've ever been pestered by bees at a picnic, you might think that a barbecue would be better if there were no bees at all.

Not so! Without the bees to pollinate crops, your barbecue would have no mustard, no ketchup, no pickles, no lemonade.

In this activity from the Smithsonian, students explore what foods the barbecue would be missing if there were no bees. A student handout and teacher instructions are provided.

Transcripts

Credits
 
Circle Of Life Lesson 4: Why do plants give us fruit?

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