This lesson was conducted on October 10th, 2001 with a group of 1st graders.  The lesson was adapted from the Project Learning Tree activity book (1998).  I taught this lesson with a group of four other people.
 

Goal of the Activity:

 To have children understand how a tree grows and develops through explaining the different parts of a tree and their functions.

Learning Objectives:

 1.  Learn about 5 different parts of the tree
 2.  Learn the functions of these 5 parts of the tree
 3.  Learn how all the parts of the tree work together for development

Materials:

 Fallen leaves
 Yarn
 Crayons
 Paper bags (pre-cut in to vests)
 White computer paper
 Green paper
 Hole punch
 Staplers
  Masking tape
 Straws
 Scissors
 Assessment questions and sheets
 The Giving Tree.

Description of Activities:

  1.  We will introduce ourselves, and then we'll introduce our activity by asking the children to describe what the trees around us look like, and ask them to tell us what makes up a tree.

  2.  We will then proceed to explain our project of making ourselves in to trees, and by doing this we will explain the different parts of the tree and their functions.

  3.  First, the students will each find 2 or 3 leaves they would like to use for leaf rubbings.  The students will place their paper over their leaves and begin rubbing their crayon across the paper.  When the texture of each leaf has come through the paper, the children will then give their leaves to a teacher so she can cut the leaves and string them for each student.  An explanation of the purpose of a tree's leaves will be given.  The leaves are used for a tree's energy.  They absorb sunlight in order to produce food for the tree.

    4. Next, the students will take a brown paper bag vest (pre-cut) from the pile.  This vest represents the trunk of the tree.  In addition, the students will be given brown crayons to color bark on their tree.  The teacher will explain the trunk of a tree is like the body of a person.  The trunk supports the tree and holds the leaves up where sunlight can reach them.  Also, the function of the bark is to protect the tree from rain, cold, insects, disease, and possibly fire.

  5.  Next, the students will tape green paper on the insides of their vests.  This green layer represents the cambium of the tree.  The cambium is similar to the skin of a person, and it produces new bark and wood for the tree.  This is also the part of the tree from which paper is made.

  6.  Then, each student will be given 4 pieces of a drinking straw.  This straw represents the xylem in each tree.  The explanation of xylem will be given to students as they are attaching the straws to the inside of their vest.  The xylem allows food to travel through the tree, much like blood vessels allow blood flow in our bodies.

  7.  The final step in the project will be adding the roots.  The children will be given yarn to attach to the back of their vests.  This yarn will represent the roots of a tree.  The roots are used to absorb nutrients and water from the ground, and transport them through the rest of the tree.

  8.  The students are then allowed to put on their tree outfits, and create a forest!  While gathering the students around in the "forest," we will ask them questions to follow up on their understanding of the lesson.

  9.  With the group of students we have for an extended period of time, we are going to read and discuss Shel Silversteins' The Giving Tree.  This book describes the relationship a boy has with a certain tree, and how the tree helps the boy through his life.  In addition to the book, we will have the children play a game in the field, similar to freeze tag.  One person will be "it," while the others try and run away from him/her.  If a person is tagged, they have to freeze and become a tree until a person comes by and unfreezes them.

Connections to Other Ideas:

  This lesson can be related to a lesson on the human body, and the functions of basic parts of the body.

Assessment:

   We are going to have follow-up questions to ask the students, possibly in smaller groups, so we can grasp exactly how much of the lesson they understood, and what they may have had trouble with.

Connections to Standards:

 Standard 4: The Living Environment.
   1.  Living things are both similar to and different from each other and non-living things.  The students will be able to describe the life process of a tree.

   4.  The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development.  The students will be able to describe the way a tree develops.

Assessment Questions:

 1.  What is one purpose of the leaves on a tree?

 2.  What is the function of the trunk and bark of a tree?

 3.  What does the cambium do in the tree?

 4.  What does the xylem transport through the tree?

 5.  What does the tree use the roots for?

Pictures and a Reflection of My Experiences Teaching This Lesson to Children