Curated OER
Tree Identification - Up Close And Personal
Fourth graders go to an outdoor area and are assigned a specific native plant to observe. They read about and answer questions about their tree. They draw the tree. Finally, 4th graders teach the rest of the class about their tree.
National Wildlife Federation
Tree Detectives!
Trees may look pretty similar until you take a closer look. Young scientists use their observation skills to describe the difference between the bark, leaves, and seeds of different trees. They then use a field guide to identify local...
Curated OER
What is a Tree?
Young scholars identify and define types of trees. In this tree identification lesson, students complete a KWL chart on trees and read the book ABCedar: An Alphabet of Trees. Young scholars complete a tree word scramble.
Curated OER
Look At Those Leaves!
Students explore botany by researching plants in class. In this tree identification lesson, students examine a group of leaves and list the different characteristics before guessing what types of trees they came from. Students read about...
Curated OER
Charting the Changes in Our School Forest
Fourth graders investigate the ecosystem and how forests are disappearing. For this environmental protection lesson, 4th graders analyze the changes in their school for 2 weeks. Students practice identifying trees, birds, and...
Curated OER
Tree Rings
Fourth graders explore tree rings. For this plant biology lesson, 4th graders construct a KWL chart on tree rings and examine real tree rings. Students identify the changes that happened during the tree's life and its actual age....
Curated OER
Our School - Our Trees
Sixth graders observe school ground trees planted nearly 3 decades ago. For this ecology activity, 6th graders examine a group of trees planted near their campus and measure the diameter, circumference and growth of the tree...
Curated OER
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree
Students practice recognizing the letters in the alphabet. They create leaves of coconut trees out of cans and use magnetic letters to retell a story they heard before.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Plants take cues from the environment—change in daylight hours and temperature—to complete their seasonal life cycles. Lesson four in the series of six has classes collect phenology data on plants. After taking initial observations,...
Curated OER
Examine the Trees in Your Community Forest
Twelfth graders examine selected tree species. In this tree lesson, 12th graders examine twenty selected tree species, identify them, and correctly map out the trees in the area.
Curated OER
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree
Students review all of the alphabet letters once they are taught. They are involved in growing their class tree and then take an interactive part in putting their letter on the tree when it is their turn.
Curated OER
Tree Leaves: Determining the Characteristics They Share in Common
Pupils use their basic knowledge of dendrology concepts and terms. In this tree leaf lesson students divide into groups and determine which characteristics go with what plant.
Curated OER
Guidebook
Learners create a guidebook page about a plant on the school grounds. In this life and plant science lesson, students identify plants around the school, then research the plant and write a narrative about it. Learners publish the book...
Curated OER
The Great Pollinators
Students discover the reproductive parts of a plant. In this biology lesson, students identify and categorize several different plants they dissect in class. Students record their information using a data chart.
Curated OER
Dichotomous Key for Identifying Pine Trees
Students identify the species of pine trees that are found in their area. They use unlabeled "mystery" samples and a dichotomous key to identify the pine trees to species. After identification, they use a field guide to answer worksheet...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Impacts of Climate on Forest Succession
Part two in a series of four explores the effects of climate on succession or the changing of plant species in a forest. Groups review how to identify trees and then spend a day in the field collecting extensive data on trees to...
Curated OER
Wetland Plant Detectives
Sixth graders identify plants in the wetlands. In this plant detectives instructional activity, 6th graders complete a scavenger hunt on a local reserve, record observations, and respond in their journals.
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Leaf Creatures
The structure of a leaf reveals a lot about the plant it comes from. Young scholars collect and prepare leaves for comparison. After pressing the leaves, they identify the different parts and then use the leaves to complete an art project.
Curated OER
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree
Students review the letters of the alphabet using the book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault. They create their own alphabet "tree" in the classroom.
Curated OER
Arizona Plant Booklet: An Introduction to Arizona Plants & Cacti
Students explore variety of plants & cacti in their Arizona community by collecting samples and taking photographs. Can be adapted to other areas.
Curated OER
Logs of Straw: Dendocronology
Students investigate the age of trees by analyzing tree rings. In this dendocronology lesson plan, students examine sample images of tree rings and identify their age by the amount of rings. Students complete a chart...
Curated OER
A Tree of Life Activity
Students solve a mystery of the identification of a unknown organism by comparing its morphological characteristics to those in a tree of life classification poster. They compare the observable characteristics of the specimen and...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Male deer growing antlers to begin the breeding season is an example of a phenological event. First in a four-part series is an activity requiring individuals to collect phenological data on their campus. Classes discuss phenology, the...
Curated OER
Leaves: All-Natural Solar Collectors
Take a good look at tree leaves and notice the adaptations for collecting solar energy. Pupils trace the margins of five different leaves onto graph paper and count the number of squares covered. They then relate this infomation to the...