Lesson Plan
Integrating Math and Literature
The Giving Tree
~Shel Silverstein
How Big is Your Tree?
Project Learning Tree
Teacher's Name:
Date: November 19, 2001
Grade: 3rd or 4th
Goal of Activity: In this lesson, students will measure trees in different ways, therefore learning the importance of standard units of measure, and various procedures of measuring.
Learning Objectives: The students
will:
1. Measure and compare the parts
of a tree
2. Discuss how and why people
measure things
3. Explain the need fr consistency
in measuring
Materials: Scrap paper, yardstick, large ball of string, large paper, marking pens, and a ruler for each pair of students, The Giving Tree.
Description of Activities:
1. Intro: Introduce the lesson.
Briefly ask the students to share times when they had to measure an object,
and why they had to measure it. Then, proceed to ask them how they
measured it, what tools they used, and what they learned from measuring
it. Have the students discuss how and why people measure things.
2. Explain to the children there
are different objects that can be used for measuring. Have the students
name some parts of their body, or other objects in the room that they think
would make good measuring tools. The students will then measure random
objects in the classroom and record their findings on their scrap paper.
3. Then, I will discuss with the
students the accuracy of measurement. Obviously, each student will
get a different measurement because of different sizes of body parts (hands,
feet, arms, fingers). Ask the children why people got different measurements,
and explain that using these nonstandard objects to measure with is why
they each got different measurements.
4. Now, explain to the children
that in order to get a more accurate measurement of their object, a ruler
should be used. If need be, review measuring with a ruler, although,
this should be knowledge the students already have.
5. Next, ask the children to name
some things outside they could measure. Discuss reasons why they
might want to measure those objects, and then set out to do so. If
no one mentions a tree, make sure to talk about it, since that is the main
idea of the lesson.
6. Read The Giving Tree to the
class, and ask the students why measurement of the tree would be important
in this specific story. Why would the boy have to know the measurements
of the tree? The students will be asked to keep this in the back
of their minds while taking measurements of their trees.
7. Then, I will gather the students
up, wearing jackets and gloves if it is cold outside, and bring them out
to an area where I have chosen a couple of trees to be measured.
8. Next, I will break the students
up into pairs, making sure to separate those who may cause problems together,
and I will distribute one marking pen and one large piece of paper to the
pairs. These materials will be used to record their measurements.
9. I will first have the students
measure as high up as they can reach on the tree. Using their yardsticks,
each pair will record the highest point in which they can reach.
10. Then, I will have each partner
stand against the tree, and the other will measure with the yard stick
how tall each person is. Those measurements will then be recorded
on the large paper.
11. After this, the pairs will
have had enough practice with the yardsticks, and we will begin to measure
the circumference of the trees.
12. I will first ask for an estimate
to be written on their large paper, of how fat around they think their
tree is.
13. Then, the students will be
asked to measure this using their arms. Both partners will wrap their
arms around the tree, and then write in words how big the circumference
of the tree is.
14. Then, to get a more accurate
measurement, I will ask the students how they think it is possible to measure
the circumference of the tree, seeing as the yardstick does not bend.
I will ask for possible solutions, and we will discuss different possibilities.
15. Next, I will give each pair
pieces of yarn. I will have them estimate what they think the measurement
of the circumference of their tree is, and then they will actually measure
the tree circumference.
16. The students will take their
yarn, and put it around the tree, so both ends are touching. When
they are done with this, the students will take their amount of yarn they
used, and they will measure it using the yardstick.
17. Have each pair right down
their measurements on their large paper. Then, gather the students
back up and head back to the classroom.
18. Back in the classroom, we
will discuss our findings, and ask the students to talk about some of the
things they learned and observed. Mention how different objects can
be used to measure things, differences between the sizes of the trunks
of different trees, and then make up a graph to plot the different measurements
with the different objects.
19. Conclude the lesson by asking
the students if their observations and conclusions of measuring their tree
have changed their answers to why they think it is important the boy measured
the tree in The Giving Tree. Have them write a brief paragraph
explaining why they think it is important for the boy to measure the tree
in The Giving Tree. When they are done with these short paragraphs,
have the children turn them into me, and then take out their social studies
materials for their next lesson.
Connections to Other Ideas: This
lesson ties in with science, because of its extensive observation of trees.
This lesson also ties in with language arts, due to the paragraph that
is written at the end of the lesson, and also because of the reading and
application of The Giving Tree. Social studies is also apparent
in this lesson because of the group work and social aspect of the lesson.
Assessment: The students will be asked to write a small paragraph on why measurement was important for the boy in The Giving Tree. They will discuss why measurement was important for the boy, how they measured the tree, and how the boy used the tree for his own needs. I will then collect this paragraph, making sure the students could explain the importance of measurement, and how it was related to the story.
Adaptations for Students With Special Needs: A child with vision impairments can write the recordings, while his/her partner does the measuring.
Connections to the Standards:
Standard 3-Measurement-Students will:
~understand that measurement is approximate, never exact
~select appropriate standard and nonstandard measurement tools
in activities
~collect data
Standard 6-Interconnectedness-Common Themes-Students
will:
~use simple instruments to measure such quantities as distance
and size
Reference for Lesson
"Project Learning Tree." (1998). Project learning tree-environmental education activity guide. Washington: American Forest Foundation.
Other Lesson Ideas for The
Giving Tree
Click here for two other ideas to use in the math classroom with
The
Giving Tree. Access a full paper on why this is a good book to
use with a math lesson, and various ways to use it!
