Language Dive Guide I: What Is Pollination?
Notes / Refer to the Language Dive in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 8 for detailed notes on how the Language Dive format has changed starting in Module 3.Sentence / To make new plants, pollen has to move from one flower part to another of the same kind of flower. (from page 5 of What Is Pollination? by Bobbie Kalman)
Rationale / This sentence is compelling and complex because it uses a series of prepositional phrases and adjectives to help address the Daily Learning Target and L.2.1e, and connects to the guiding question by providing information about how pollinators help plants grow and survive. Invite students to discuss each chunk briefly, but encourage extended conversation and practice with the focus structure from one flower part to another. After discussing this structure, students practice using it to describe themselves. Students apply their understanding of the meaning and structure of this sentence when writing their informational paragraphs at the end of Unit 2. Note that this Language Dive is longer and slightly restructured to incorporate a role-play activity about pollination during Sentence Practice.
Time / 10 minutes
Throughout the Language Dive / Follow the same routines found in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 8.
Deconstruct / Refer to the chunk chart for language goals; display the sentence strip chunks; distribute and display the note-catcher. Follow the same routine found in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 8 to assist students in deconstructing, reconstructing, and practicing the chosen sentence.
Practice (Focus Structure)
Reconstruct
Practice (Sentence)
Language Dive Chunk Chart I:
What Is Pollination?
Deconstruct: Language Goals /
- “This sentence tells us what must happen to do what?” to make plants grow; to make more plants from other plants. (infinitive phrase)
- new: “What kind of plants?” new plants; baby plants (adjective)
pollen
Deconstruct: Language Goals /
- “What is this sentence about?” pollen; the part of the plant that gets stuck to insects and small mammals
has to move
Deconstruct: Language Goals /
- “What does pollen have to do?” it must move, or go somewhere. (verb phrase)
from one flower part to another
- “Where does pollen have to move to make new plants?” to flowers (prepositional phrase)
- from one flower part: “Where does the pollen begin?” at one flower part; it can be a flower part of any flower. It comes right from the flower part because flower makes pollen. The flower part the pollen comes from is called the stamen. (prepositional phrase)
- flower: “What kind of part” flower part or part of the flower (adjective)
- flower: “What if we removed this adjective from the chunk? How would that change the meaning?” It would be less specific or exact. We might not know what kind of part; it could be a part of something else. (adjective)
from one flower part to another, cont.
- to another: “Where will the pollen from one flower part go?” to a
different flower part; the noun phrase flower part is left out because the word another already suggests the same noun phrase previously written. The flower part to which the pollen must travel is called the stigma. (preposition + pronoun) - Students can sketch pollen moving from one flower to another. ✎
of the same kind of flower.
Deconstruct: Language Goals /
- “What does this chunk tell us about the other flower part where the pollen has to move?” the flower part has to be the same kind of flower as the one that the pollen came from.
- “What if we removed this chunk from the sentence? How would that change its meaning?” It would mean the pollen could move to any other flower part; we would not know if it had to be a part of the same kind of flower or if it could be a different kind of flower.
- Students add to their drawing of flowers to make sure they both look like the same type. Students can shade them in or color them the same to emphasize that they must be the same kind of flower. ✎
from one flower part to another, cont.
Practice
(Focus Structure) /
- To make _____ [plant species], pollen has to move from one _____ [kind of flower] part to another of the same kind of _____ [plant species].
(To make tomato plants, pollen has to move from one tomato plant flower part to another of the same kind of tomato plant.) - To provide lighter support:
- “What is another way of saying this chunk?” from one part of the flower to a different part of the same kind of flower
- To provide heavier support: Provide a word or phrase bank to
support students in completing the frame.
To make new plants, pollen has to move from one flower part to another of the same kind of flower.
Reconstruct /
- “How can you say this sentence in your own words?” Pollen must move to another flower of the same type to make more plants.
- “How does this Language Dive add to your understanding of the guiding question?” It helps us understand how pollinators help plants grow and survive because it explains how pollination happens.
Practice
(Sentence) /
- “Can we say this sentence in a different order? How?” Students
can each hold a chunk and switch places to show the sentence in a different, correct order. (Pollen has to move from one flower part to another of the same kind of flower to make new plants.) - Act out moving pollen:
–Invite three students to help model and one student to read the Language Dive sentence aloud.
–Give the first two students flower #1 and the second student flower #2. Give all three students a pollen piece.
–While a student reads the Language Dive sentence aloud, model the pollination process:
- Visit the first student and take the pollen piece from flower #1.
- Move past the student holding flower #2.
- Carry it to the other student holding flower #1 and give it to that student.
–Designate two students to hold flower #1, one student to hold flower #2, and one student to act as the pollinator. Give all students holding flower #1 or flower #2 a pollen piece to hold, too.
–Read aloud the sentence used for the Language Dive on page 5, inviting small groups to act out moving the pollen from one flower to another of same kind.
- Language Chunk Wall suggestions:
–Nouns and noun phrases (people, places, things): pollen
–Verbs and verb phrases (actions and states): has to move
–Adjectives and adjectival phrases and clauses (describing nouns): from one flower part to another / of the same kind of flower.
Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks I:
What Is Pollination?
pollen
has to move
from one flower part to another
of the same kind of flower.
Language Dive Note-catcher II:
What Is Pollination?
Name: ______ Date: ______
To make new plants,/ pollen/ has to move/ from one flower part to another/ of the same kind of flower.
- Sketch pollen moving from one flower part to another.
- Make sure the flowers are both the same kind of flower. Color them or shade them in so they look the same.
Pollination Props
Note to teacher: Copy enough for one set per group of four students.
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