New

Pollinators (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability)

I can explain how plants are pollinated by animals and describe the common features of pollinators.

Download all

View unit

Lesson 4 of 9

New

Year 5

Pollinators (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability)

I can explain how plants are pollinated by animals and describe the common features of pollinators.

Download all

Lesson slides

Download lesson slides

Skip lesson slides

Lesson details

Key learning points

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another flower of the same species.
A pollinator is an animal involved in the pollination of plants.
Pollination is mostly done by insects, although some birds, bats and other small mammals can be pollinators.
Features such as wings, hairy bodies and long noses mean pollinators can move around flowers, taking pollen with them.

Keywords

Pollination - Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another flower of the same species.
Pollen - Pollen is a very fine powder made by the anthers of a flower. It is needed to make a seed.
Anther - An anther is a male part of a flower that produces pollen.
Stigma - The stigma is a sticky part at the top of the female parts of a flower.
Pollinator - A pollinator is an animal which pollinates a flowering plant.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that animals are pollinating flowers to intentionally help them.

Explain that pollinators are visiting flowers to find food for themselves, rather than to help the plant; they do not pollinate flowers on purpose.

Enhance Task B by giving pupils the opportunity to make and try out Sam’s pollination model themselves so they can observe first-hand how pollen is moved from place to place by animals. This lesson contains a diagnostic question on slide 15 - see additional materials for further guidance.

Teacher tip

Equipment

If wanting pupils to make their own models, each small group needs 1 cupcake case, 2-3 sweets per 'flower', 5-6 cheese puff crisps, kitchen roll. Check for food allergies.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).