• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Parts of a plant). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which part of a plant takes in water from the soil? (the leaves / the stem / the roots / the flower) → the rootsPrompt: Which part is under the ground?
2. Plant parts: which statement is true? (Roots grow up towards the sky. / Only flowers are part of a plant. / Trees are not plants. / A tree trunk is a stem.) → A tree trunk is a stem.Prompt: Picture a plant from its roots to its flower.
3. Which part of a plant makes food using sunlight? (the stem / the leaves / the roots / the seeds) → the leavesPrompt: Which part is usually green and flat to catch the light?

• Bring in a plant that has been kept in the dark next to one in the light, and ask what happened.
• Share the objective: Pollinators: animals that help flowers make seeds. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Why are many flowers brightly coloured and sweet-smelling?
• Step 1: Colours and scents guide pollinators to the flowers.
• Step 2: So the answer is: to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies
• Answer: to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Farmers sometimes bring beehives to their apple orchards in spring. Why? (Bees eat the pests. / The bees pollinate the blossom, so more apples grow. / Bees water the trees. / Bees keep the frost away.) → The bees pollinate the blossom, so more apples grow.Prompt: What turns into an apple?
2. Does this animal help pollinate flowers: hummingbird? (pollinator / not a pollinator) → pollinatorPrompt: Does it fly or crawl from flower to flower looking for nectar?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Why do bees visit flowers? (to collect nectar and pollen for food / to lay eggs in every flower / to sleep in them / to keep the flowers warm) → to collect nectar and pollen for foodPrompt: What do bees use to make honey?
2. Pollinators: which statement is true? (Using lots of insect spray in gardens helps pollinators. / Bees make pollen. / Only bees can pollinate flowers. / Planting wild flowers helps bees and butterflies.) → Planting wild flowers helps bees and butterflies.Prompt: Who makes pollen, and who carries it?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-2.