Treesu GET READY TO WATCHAsk students to define “tree.” Discuss how trees differ from otherplants. Have students name some kinds of trees that they know.Write the names of the trees they mention on a chart.
Invite students to tell about a favorite tree. Why is it special?
u TALK ABOUTAfter watching, discuss why trees are important to the earth. In thediscussion include people, animals, and the environment, and aes-thetic as well as practical values.
Brainstorm ways in which people can preserve forest areas.Discuss how children can help.
u CURRICULUM INTEGRATION ACTIVITIESScienceGo on a tree walk. Encourage students to observe the shapes ofdifferent trees (rounded crown; tall, thin crown; drooping branches;triangular crown, etc.); have them notice the characteristics (color,shape, patterns, etc.) of leaves and bark; have them look for anyabove-ground roots and for anything growing on the trees in addi-tion to leaves. Take paper along on the walk so that students maymake sketches and take notes. Include some tree field guides forstudents who may wish to try to identify various trees that they see.Take along some bags for collections of leaves, twigs, acorns, pinecones, bark, etc. Before going on the walk, discuss with studentswhy they should pick up items that have fallen on the ground ratherthan removing them from the trees.
Have students build a model of a tree that shows all the essential parts that trees need for life. Use a variety of supplies,and have them build a model of a tree that shows all the essentialparts that trees need for life. For example, they will need to includeleaves (where the food is made during photosynthesis), roots(which take in water and minerals from the soil and anchor thetree), the trunk (which supports the tree and acts as a pipeline—along with the branches—for carrying nutrients to other parts of thetree), and the outer bark (which protects the tree). They might alsowish to include fruit, nuts, flowers, etc.; the inner bark (which car-ries the sap down from the leaves to other parts of the tree); andthe heartwood (the old, dead sapwood which mainly provides sup-port). Possible materials for building the tree models include: yarn,cardboard tubes, construction paper, pipe cleaners, cardboard,collections from the tree walk, etc. Provide an opportunity for stu-dents to explain how their tree model works.
u Program Description
Celia and Bud plan a tree-planting partyfor an oak seedling. Viewers learn thefunctions of the various parts of a tree,including bark, roots, branches, andleaves. Characteristics that differ from treeto tree, such as fruit, needles, and size,are discussed. Crinkleroot demonstrateshow different parts of a tree are used bywildlife.
Celia meets a horticulturalist who explainshow to care for a tree by cutting off dis-eased portions and spreading mulcharound the trunk. By wearing a blindfoldand “hugging” a tree, a young boy showshow much there is to discover about atree just by touch.
Language ArtsHave students write a poem about a tree. After they return fromthe tree walk, brainstorm a list of words that describe trees, interms of both the way they look, as well as what they do for peo-ple. Use these words to create the poems. They might try a poemin the shape of a tree, an acrostic, or another creative arrangement.
Examples:
Have students study pictures of different types of trees inbooks and look for the “best” trees for climbing, hanging a treeswing, building a treehouse, stringing a hammock, nest building,and other ideas they might think of. Have students draw picturesfor a class Big Book of these trees, and complete this sentenceframe on each page: “Here is the best tree for ____________.” Titlethe book, “Here is the Tree,” and have students share their pagesby telling why they chose that tree as the “best” for a particularactivity.
MathUse materials collected during the tree walk for mathematicalactivities. For example, sort the items into categories, such asleaves, nuts, pine cones, twigs, pieces of bark, etc. Further classifi-cation might be done by sorting the leaves according to size, color(if in the fall season), shape, edge, etc. Have students count thenumber of items they collected in each category. Have themarrange leaves or twigs according to size. Have them find leaves,pine cones, pieces of bark, etc., that match.
The place where a tree growsoften affects its shape. For
example, if a strong wind usually blowsfrom the same direction, a tree’s trunkand branches will grow the way the windpushes them. If a tree grows in a denseforest, the trunk will grow tall and thin,and the branches at the top of the treewill be thicker and more plentiful as theleaves search for light.
50 T R E E S
PricklyItchyNeedlesEverywhere!
LIFTBARK
BROWNROUGH
ANDROOTS
THIRSTYSTRONG
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“Measure” the height of a tree. Put students in pairs for this activity. Each set of partners will need a yardstick and two pieces of colored chalk in different colors. (Each child in the pair shouldhave a different color; chalk marks will rub off the yardstick.) Take students to an area where there are several trees of differentheights. (Maximum height for using a yardstick is about 30 feet.)Assign each pair of students to a tree. Measure a distance of 60feet from the tree. One partner stays in that spot with the yardstickstanding upright. The other partner measures an additional 6 feetfrom the yardstick. At the 66-feet mark, this partner lies face downon the ground with her/his head as close to the ground as possibleand looks up at the tree, noticing where the top of the tree appearsto meet the yardstick. The partner holding the yardstick marks thatspot. (This will take some time, as the child on the ground directsthe one holding the yardstick to find the spot and mark it.) To cal-culate the approximate height of the tree, the partners multiply the height marked on the yardstick by 10. Have each child in thepair “sight” the height of the tree on the yardstick to see if theirmeasurements agree.
Social StudiesBrainstorm a list of the ways people use trees in their lives,including products from trees. Sort the list into categories, such as“shelter,” “food,” “objects used for work,” “things used in play,” etc.Bring occupations associated with trees into the discussion.
ArtMake bark rubbings. Students will need a sheet of thin paper(copier paper works well) and a large crayon or piece of sidewalkchalk. Visit an area where there are several different kinds of treeson a day when the bark is dry. Students make the rubbing bypressing the paper against the bark of the tree. They need to gentlyrub the side of the crayon or chalk on the paper until the pattern ofthe bark shows. To preserve the chalk rubbings, spray with a clearfixative (available at craft stores) or hair spray. When they are fin-ished, compare the patterns in the rubbings.
Make leaf prints. Students will need construction paper, temperapaint, and an assortment of different types of leaves. Leaves shouldbe supple and easy to manipulate (as “fresh” as possible, as dryleaves will crumble). They make prints by brushing paint onto theunderside (veined side) of the leaf. Next they place the painted sideon the paper, cover the leaf with a piece of newspaper, and gentlyrub. When they remove the newspaper, lift off the leaf, and the printremains on the construction paper. Different types of leaves and dif-ferent colors of paint will make an interesting and colorful picture.
Have students make a large tree mural. Divide the mural into four sections—one for each season—and have them draw a tree in each section, including all the parts of a tree. They will need todraw the tree as it might look in each season. Have them add animals that might live under, in, or near the tree, and other trees,such as evergreens in the background. Encourage them to be creative and think of ways they might make their trees three-dimensional.
u Sass’s SceneFor the good of the earth, plant atree. When purchasing a seedling,ask a nursery person whether asunny or shady spot is the best placeto plant it. Dig a hole large enough tocover the roots of the seedling.Loosen the soil in the bottom ofthe hole. Put the seedling into thehole up to the point where the roots meetthe trunk. Fill in the hole with loose dirtand press firmly to make sure air pocketsare removed. (Stamping the dirt with yourfeet is effective.) Add dirt until the groundis level. Water the seedling immediately.Apply mulch to the area around the baseof the tree.
