Unit: Poetry Lesson Title: Flower Dissection Section of Unit: Introduction Objectives: Students will be able to: -identify and label the stem, petals, stamen, filament, ovaries, -sepal, etc. on a flower -explain how a flower compares to a poem -explain how the parts of a flower compare to a poem Materials: flowers (if using personal funds, carnations work well) flower anatomy handout (http://csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/tfplab/reproch.htm) Procedure: 1. Explain that as in the beginning of studying poetry, the class will dissect a flower. Do not explain why. When students ask, tell them to see if they could answer the question by the end of class. 2. Have students look at a particular flower or vase of flowers and to describe it -literally and associating it with personal experiences. Discuss briefly as a class. 3. Distribute a flower to set of students (2 per group). Also handout the flower anatomy worksheet. Go over the basic parts of the flower and then have students dissect the flower themselves. 4. If resources are available, have the science department assist with the dissection. Possibilities include microscopes or magnifying glasses or other dissection material. If not, clear tape and a colored sheet of paper work fine. Have students label the dissected parts. 5. As a class, review the parts of the flower and their functions. The teacher then introduces the correlation to a poem. Poems and flowers are both nice to enjoy for themselves as they are. However, poems do have a deliberate organization - some parts are meant to attract the reader (petals/sound devices, etc.), and others are meant to hold the poem together (meter and other structures / stem). Explain that an appreciation of the flower's or the poem's beauty can be increased by knowing such intricacies although they may initially be difficult to find. Evaluation: Proper labeling of dissected pieces Class participation