Curated OER
Make Bark and Leaf Rubbings
Students explore natural resources by creating art from plant materials. For this leaf rubbings lesson, students identify the plants that shed bark and leaves and discuss how it helps them survive in specific environments. Students...
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Meet the Trees!
Young scholars investigate their school forest and make their own miniature forest. In this forest investigation lesson, students read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and make alist of reasons to have trees. Young scholars...
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Hello Summer
Students celebrate the great outdoors and the coming summer break by studying the natural world. In this seasons lesson, students engage in bark rubbing and operate a digital camera to capture outdoor imagery for a collage to help them...
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Observe a Tree
Tiny tree-huggers observe and examine various species of trees around campus. They use My First Field Guide to Trees to support their observations. Different tree projects are offered that can include using natural materials to make a...
Rainforest Alliance
Get in Touch with Nature
Take a trip to the Colombian rainforest through the sense of touch. Here, class members discover what's inside a mystery box: wood, cinnamon, Brazil nuts, a banana, and orange. Then, the class takes a trip outside for a tree rubbing...
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Tree Bark
Students explore and display textures of tree bark in a patterned arrangement of positive and negative space. They make crayon rubbings with various colors and arrange them in an original repetitive pattern. They glue finished designs to...
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Winter Tree Identification
Students utilize techniques of winter tree identification such as twig and bark characteristics. Students also identify specific uses for trees in school surrounding. They work cooperatively to produce a multimedia presentation on...
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DRASING NATURE
Learners take samples of local trees and identify the tree using a field guide. They keep data for the tree on the Tree ID sheet. They create leaf, seed, bark, and flower prints and paint them.
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Western Red Cedar
Students explore the First Nations uses of the Western Cedar tree. In this nature lesson students compare and identify four conifer species. The students go on a nature walk.
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Create a Community Tree Tour
Students study tree identification. In this tree identification lesson plan, students design and assemble a tree tour booklet describing 5 trees found in their community. The booklet should feature common and Latin names of the species,...
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Trees, Trees, Trees! - Adopt A Tree
Students adopt a tree, take a bark rubbing from that tree, and conduct research about that type of tree. They write an original piece about their tree using three facts and in a genre of their choice.
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Take a Closer Look
Students examine how to determine the species of a tree through the examination of the bark and leaves. They create tree rubbings, match bark samples with trees on a nature walk, match leaves using a tree identification guide, and...
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Tree Hunt
Students identify the common trees of Iowa and make observations while creating a key. In this tree hunt lesson plan, students write a letter to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to receive a pamphlet of Common Trees of Iowa....
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Tree Identification
Students list four ways to identify trees. In this tree identification instructional activity, students use tree identification techniques such as leafs, bark, wood grain, soil type, and climate to create tables and graphs.
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Giant Acorns
Students investigate nature by creating acorn art. In this arts and crafts lesson, students create a giant acorn using construction paper and crayons. Students share their creation with classmates and rub bark onto it.
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Materials We Use
How can you tell if something is made out of wood, metal, or plastic? Kids use noise and visual cues to determine what various household items are made from. They then examine their toys at home and record the materials used to make...
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Science: Schoolyard Trees
Sixth graders choose specific trees to research while taking a nature walk around the schoolyard. They discuss tree and leaf parts and observe various types of leaves. After writing their reports, 6th graders present them to the class...
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A Tree-mendous Project
Seventh graders use their observation and measurement skills to identify trees. Using a tree diagram, they label the parts and discuss the functions of the tree. They practice using a dichotomous key to identify trees as well.
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What's That Tree?
Fifth graders identify trees along a nature trail. Using a dichotomous key, 5th graders answer questions to aid in their identification of trees along a specified nature trail. Observations are recorded in their science journals. Sample...
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Trees, Trees, Trees!
Students increase their awareness and knowledge of trees. They be involved within the world around them at home and at school and hopefully become caretakers of their environment. They adopt a tree of their choice and research it.
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Family Tree
A unique twist on a family tree project is a fun alternative to the traditional family tree drawing. This 3D family tree would make a great display for back to school night or open house. Presenting all the important people in their...
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School Forest
Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity. In this biodiversity lesson, 6th graders discover a variety of planets and animals that live in forests, and how a rotting log benefits that environment. Students also locate seven...
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Temperate Forest: Comparing Deciduous and Evergreen Trees
Students compare deciduous and evergreen trees. In this tree lesson, students list the differences between these two species of trees.
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Our Friends the Trees
Students explore trees and learn about their importance to the environment. In this tree study instructional activity, students work in groups to complete a tree survey, a map for the survey, and several worksheets about the tree topics....