Berkshire Museum
Adopt a Schoolyard Tree
Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it in...
PBS
Terrific Trees
Engage in a shady activity to practice measurement techniques. Classes venture outside to collect measurements of various trees, using different strategies to measure the height, trunk circumference, width, and crown size. Then they...
Curated OER
Tree Measurement
Measure a tree? Yes, measure a tree! Students get outside and measure a tree's trunk, crown, and height. Each group compares their answers to determine if any re-measuring is necessary. Once back in the classroom, students make bar...
Curated OER
How Tall is that Tree?
Students use their feet to measure distance between themselves and a tree trunk. In this distance lesson, students use the number of steps, and string to measure distances and height of the tree. Students can get the tree height when...
Big Kid Science
Measuring Shadows Using an Ancient Method
How did ancient peoples determine the height of really tall objects? Young scientists and mathematicians explore the concept of using shadows to measure height in a hands-on experiment. Paired pupils measure shadows, then calculate the...
Curated OER
Measure a Tree
Young mathematicians explore data collection and mathematical problem solving. They will work in cooperative groups to determine the height of a tree by measuring several predetermined distances on the ground. They will use the data...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Tree Rings: Living Records of Climate
Open with a discussion on weather and climate and then explain how tree rings can provide scientists with information about the earth's past climate. Pupils analyze graphics of simulated tree rings from various US locations for the...
Curated OER
Evergreen Tree
Learners use a ruler to make measurements, and to create triangles and a rectangle. They take the shapes they've made and assemble them into an evergreen tree image. This simple, yet effective, lesson would be ideal for young learners...
Chicago Botanic Garden
What Can Tree Rings Tell Us About Climate?
Tree rings are slightly thicker on the south side of the tree because it receives more sunlight. Part two in a series of five lessons helps learners analyze tree rings to determine the environmental conditions that caused size...
Rainforest Alliance
Trees and Carbon
You'll find everything but the kitchen sink here ... or just a carbon sink. In the activity, pairs or groups of middle school learners go outside and measure a tree's circumference and height to estimate its carbon storage potential and...
Illustrative Mathematics
How Many Leaves on a Tree? (Version 2)
A second attack at figuring out the number of leaves on a tree, this activity makes both an excellent follow-up to version 1 and a stand-alone activity. Learners practice setting parameters and deciding acceptable estimate precision, and...
Open Oregon Educational Resources
Forest Measurements: An Applied Approach
Geometry—it's not just for the math classroom! Learners explore the field of forestry through a mathematical lens. An instructional resource explains how forest workers collect data about trees such as height, diameter, and age using...
Exploratorium
Handy Measuring Ratio
Your hand can be a handy tool for measurement. Young mathematicians learn how to estimate the height of objects by applying similarity. They find the horizontal distance from the object where spreading their outstretched fingers results...
Minnesota Department of Natural Resoures
Parts of a Tree
Discover the parts of a tree and so much more with a packet of activities covering a range of subjects. First graders label practice pages, test their measuring and addition skills, explore books, dance, build 3-D trees, play games, give...
Minnesota Department of Natural Resoures
Tree Life
The life of a tree is the focus of a packet consisting of several activities all covering a different subject. Second graders measure shadows, make pinecone critters, write poems, count rings, complete a word search, play tree tag, and...
Curated OER
Trees
Students investigate the parts of a tree, measure its circumference and the length and width of its longest branch. The data is compiled and placed into a bar graph.
Curated OER
How Does Your Tree Measure Up?
Students work in pairs or small groups to gather data about a tree. Each group might gather data about a different tree; all groups might collect data about the same tree; or two teams might gather data about each tree and compare their...
Curated OER
Tree-mendous Game
Learners play a game where they classify the different characteristics of trees. In this tress lesson plan, students also use tree vocabulary and describe benefits of trees.
Curated OER
Does it Measure Up?
Use this fun activity with youngsters learning how to use rules for measurement. Each is provided with six steps that direct them to draw specific things with specific heights or lengths. For example, they start by drawing a tree that is...
Mathed Up!
Metric and Imperial Measures
After watching a brief video on making metric conversions to standard units, pupils complete tables to describe certain items with the appropriate unit of measurement. Then, they convert liters to millimeters, millimeters to centimeters,...
National Geographic
Measuring Elevation Past and Present
After viewing a short video about a climb up Mount Everest, high schoolers read about triangulation for measuring distant elevations. Have your class work in groups to construct an inclinometer and then use it to measure the height of...
K20 LEARN
Transpiring Trees: Plant Transpiration and the Water Cycle
Looking for a tree-rific addition to your water cycle unit? Teams of young foresters examine the role of transpiration in the water cycle through a week's worth of activities. Pupils analyze how trees take in and transport water during...
University of Utah
Geometry Part 2: Measurement in 2- and 3-Dimensions, Plane Sections of Solids
What kind of tree does a math teacher climb? A geometry! Here is a lesson that includes all the geometry resources you could ever wish for in one comprehensive workbook. Class members demonstrate what they have learned by determining the...
Radford University
How Tall is the Tree?
Pairs or small groups work together to determine the height of a tree using similar triangles. Learners make a judgement which direction to let a tree fall to avoid hitting any structures. They then write letters to the principal...