Dandelions Across the Curriculum at KS2

How do dandelions grow in different habitats?

Can we measure their growth to give us useful information about these habitats?

Can we then link these measurements to science teaching about plants, and to other aspects of the National Curriculum – in numeracy, literacy and IT?

The teacher notes provided share an investigation into two different features of dandelions. The first investigation looked into the measurement of the length of dandelion leaves in various habitats and the second focussed on the angle of the dandelion leaf in relation to the ground. This activity is suitable to carry out with KS2 pupils and has cross-curricular links with numeracy, art and IT.

The work described in the resource was carried out with groups of pupils at Clare Middle School and Hartest Primary School, both in Suffolk. It fulfilled requirements from numeracy as well as science and generated a lot of enthusiasm and interest in the humble dandelion.

Judy Vincent from Hartest Primary School in Suffolk is grateful to the Gatsby Technical Education Project for a fellowship which enabled her to develop some of the ideas used in this work. She would also like to give due recognition to ‘Action for Biology in Education’ (ABE) for some of the ideas developed here.