Mirar sitio en español
Share
Guides for Implementing the Project Approach
Changes in the Trees around Us
Contents
  • Introduction: A Project on Changes in the Trees around Us
  • Launching the Investigation of Changes in the Trees around Us: The Teacher’s Role
    • Considering Children’s Possible Interest
    • Locating Resources for the Project
    • Looking at the Trees before the Project Begins
    • Making the Teacher’s Web
    • Gathering Reference Materials
    • Planning for Documentation throughout the Project
  • Phase 1: Getting Started  
    • Recalling Prior Experience Related to Changes in Trees
    • Making Preliminary Observations of Trees
    • Creating a Topic Web with the Children
    • Helping Children Ask Questions and Make Predictions
    • Forming Subtopic Groups
    • Involving Families during Phase 1     
  • Phase 2: Fieldwork
    • Gathering Data on the Trees
    • Talking with Guest Experts about Trees
    • Going on Site Visits
    • Creating Collections of Artifacts and Specimens
    • Incorporating Explorations and Experiments Related to Changes in Trees
    • Debriefing after Fieldwork
    • Incorporating Language Arts and Literacy Activities
    • Incorporating Math Activities
    • Incorporating Fine Arts Activities
    • Involving Families during Phase 2
  • Phase 3: Bringing the Project to a Close
    • Revisiting the Question Table
    • Facilitating Play
    • Planning for Final Displays of Documentation
    • Planning a Culminating Activity
    • Involving Families during Phase 3
  • A Final Word
  • Acknowledgments
  • Appendix A: Illinois Early Learning Benchmarks Addressed during a Project on Changes in Trees
  • Appendix B: Children's Books Related to Trees
  • Appendix C: Teacher Resources

Introduction: A Project on the Changes in the Trees around Us

Projects are the part of the curriculum that involves children in investigating objects and events around them that are worth knowing more about. Project work is a way of uncovering a subject rather than just covering it.

Most young children growing up in Illinois have opportunities to observe and study the dramatic seasonal changes that occur in the trees around them. Preschoolers are likely to be curious about many of those changes. Some may notice how nests of birds and squirrels are revealed as the trees lose leaves, and they may want to know more about the animals that built the nests. Others may be curious about acorns, or the colors and shapes of leaves, or the kinds of jobs that people have that involve trees. Children’s curiosity about and interest in “what’s going on” with the trees may even take the project in directions the teacher might not have expected!

Figure 1Figure 1. A child examines pine needles from a tree on her school’s playground.

Note: It’s a good idea to ask families specifically about their children’s allergies before the project begins. Some children may be allergic to tree pollen, nuts, or woods such as cedar and walnut. Children with tree allergies can participate in the project, but a few activities may be off limits to them.

This guide outlines possible steps to take to engage preschool-age children in projects about trees. We have included a wide variety of investigation activities, but not all of them have to be included to make the work interesting and enriching. Much depends on the locale, the time available, as well as the children themselves. In addition, the guide indicates ways that a project investigating local trees can address a wide range of Illinois Early Learning Benchmarks (see Appendix A).

Keep in mind that this Project Guide offers a variety of ideas—not “recipes”—for doing a project on trees. Children’s ideas about what directions such a study might take are likely to emerge as the project progresses. The activities outlined in this guide are just suggestions; many other worthwhile experiences are possible—and often the children are the ones who suggest them. At the same time, it is not necessary for a project to include every activity suggested in this guide.

Return to Top

Launching the Investigation of Changes in the Trees around Us: The Teacher’s Role

Several steps may be involved for the teacher who would like to help the class engage in an investigation of the changes in trees:

These steps are discussed in detail below.

Considering Children’s Possible Interest

The study of changes in trees can be introduced to the children in any of several ways, depending somewhat on their ages. Some teachers have started tree projects after noticing that children were already interested in nearby trees—for example, when several children make comments or raise questions after a classmate reports seeing flowers on a tree that had no flowers the week before. In that case, the teacher might consider ways to help them focus or support their potential interests.

Another teacher may have a sense that the class will want to investigate trees even though the children have not expressed interest yet. In that case, an introductory event may be a good way to launch the project. For example, the teacher might collect specimens—interesting items from the trees (twigs, flowers, seeds, etc.)—to show the class. Another option is to plan a walking tour to look at trees on the playground or in the neighborhood. The children’s comments and questions about the specimens or the trees can be the teacher’s clue about whether the group is ready to start an investigation of changes in trees.

Locating Resources for the Project

Before starting a project on any topic, it is helpful for the teachers to explore available local resources and potential sites where children could safely make direct observations of relevant phenomena, ideally on a regular basis. For a project on trees, these resources might include local parks and nature centers, nurseries, garden centers, orchards and tree farms, and horticulture organizations. It’s a good idea to check whether or not the staff of these places will be open to having young children visit.

Naturalists, arborists, foresters, orchard owners, and other people whose work involves trees can be invited to assist the children with the project in a number of ways. Print materials produced by local groups (such as guides to area trees) can also be useful during a tree project.

Looking at the Trees before the Project Begins

It helps if the teacher takes a walk without the children before launching the project, taking note of the trees near the school. A field guide to trees can help identify at least five or six different kinds. (See Appendix C for a list of teacher resources, including field guides to the trees.) The teacher could take some photographs or collect a few twigs, leaves, or seedpods from the trees to take back and show the children. Such artifacts can enhance children’s initial interest in the topic.

Ideally the tree project should be launched just before either spring or fall is about to begin. At such a time, the teacher can point out to the children that the seasons are changing and the appearance of the trees will also begin to change.

Making the Teacher’s Web

Teachers usually find it helpful to make a topic web related to the project topic before launching into the first phase with the children. Below is an example of a teacher’s topic web about changes in trees.

Figure 2Figure 2. This teacher’s initial topic web has been made on easel paper.

The teacher’s topic web is intended to be a reminder of the wide range of possible subtopics that can be investigated by the children rather than an outline of lessons or activities. It includes concepts, ideas, information, and vocabulary related to changes in trees that the teacher believes are worthy of the children learning more about. This web can include elements such as trunk, height, width, circumference, parts of trees, colors, and smells. The teacher’s web can also include resources such as possible sites to visit and experts to invite. Once the project is underway, some changes can be made to the initial web, based on what the teacher learns about the children’s interests, understandings, and knowledge of the topic.

Gathering Reference Materials

Teachers may find it helpful to look at articles by teachers who have implemented projects about trees or other plant life. For example, see “Looking at the Trees around Us” (http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v6n1/bellous.html), “Investigating the Tallgrass Prairie” (http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v10n1/burns.html), and “The Tree Project” (http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/books/projcat2/armfield.html).

As the project begins, teachers can also collect some good-quality references and other sources of information to use themselves and to share with the class. A librarian can help with this process. Nonfiction picture books and field guides to trees are likely to be useful throughout Phase 1 and Phase 2. Slides or videos about trees can also enrich the class discussion during the first two phases.

A librarian can also help the teacher locate reliable Web resources on topics related to seasonal changes in trees: flowers, seeds, leaves, animals, etc. Keep in mind that although Wikipedia may be a source of basic information, it is notoriously inaccurate. (It is not a secure site, and users are sometimes able to insert misinformation.)

Teachers can also arrange to borrow the educator resource known as a “Tree Trunk” from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). (See Appendix C for the Web address.) Each “Tree Trunk” contains items such as field guides, colorful posters in English and Spanish, activity books, cross-sections of trees, and other resources that can promote the children’s observations as well as their thinking about trees.

Planning for Documentation throughout the Project

It’s a good idea for the teacher to decide before the investigation begins how to document the project work during each phase. Many aspects of documentation during a project on changes in trees will be similar to documentation for any other project. For resources to help with documentation during any project, see Appendix C.

However, documentation during a study of trees may present challenges that some other projects do not. Specifically, the specimens and artifacts that the children collect to document their experiences during a tree project may require more storage room than may be needed for some other types of projects. The teacher may want to decide ahead of time where large or fragile specimens can be kept.

Return to Top

Phase 1: Getting Started

During Phase 1, the teacher can help the children begin their study in several ways:

Recalling Prior Experience Related to Changes in Trees

During the group’s first conversations about trees, the teacher might recount a personal experience with a tree or trees. Sometimes reading a story related to trees can spark a discussion among the group about their own experiences. (See Appendix B for a list of children’s picture books related to the topic of trees.) Perhaps a child in the class has tried to climb a tree, or decorated a memorable Christmas tree, or seen a bird’s nest in a tree, or watched a neighbor cut down a tree. The teacher can invite the children to talk about these memories. The teacher can continue to invite children to share their stories for several days. Continuing to encourage memory sharing may help those who are slow to recall encounters with trees, as well as those who may be reluctant to speak.

Letting children draw or paint something that they recall about changes in trees is another way that they can share their experiences. The teacher can write the children’s dictated words on their work. Memory stories and drawings can give teachers a sense of what sorts of experiences children have had, as well as what misconceptions they may hold and what subtopics may interest them.

Making Preliminary Observations of Trees

The next step could be for the children to take a walk where they can closely observe some trees—the school playground, a nearby park, or a tree-lined street. Each child can take a clipboard, some drawing paper, and a pencil. The group can stop occasionally to talk about the trees that they observe. They should have time to sketch parts of the trees, take pictures, measure the circumference (girth) of the trees’ trunks, and so forth. If enough adults are available, the class can take their tree walks in small groups in different directions. If the availability of adults is a problem, it often helps to take only three or four of the children at a time. While on their walks, the children will be responsible for drawing the trees that they observe and, later, describing what they observed to classmates who were not with them.

It’s a good idea for the teacher to keep a record of what children talk about, pay attention to, and wonder about during the visit to the trees. This information can help the teacher foster discussions among the children later. It can also be useful during the children’s webbing process and when they are working with the question chart.

Upon their return to the class, the small groups can report to the class about what they saw and what they included in their photos and drawings. The teacher can encourage children in different groups to compare what they have observed and to ask each other questions about what they encountered on their walks.

The teacher can suggest to the class that groups of three or four children can “adopt” one of the nearby trees that they saw. The groups can “visit” their trees to make sketches, photographs, and bark rubbings, perhaps once a week for a month or more. This way, five or six groups can be responsible for regular observations of the changes that occur in the trees over the next few weeks.

Creating a Topic Web with the Children

It’s a good idea for the teacher to start a discussion with the children focusing on a number of tree-related areas:

What the children say during this conversation can become part of their topic web. As the children say what they know, what they think, or what they wonder about, the teacher can write the words directly on the topic web paper or on a sticky note. 

Figure 3 Figure 3. The teacher and the class work together to create topic web such as this one.

The teacher can also use the notes taken when the class first observed the nearby trees to remind children of what they noticed or wondered about.

Many teachers find that making a web is likely to take more than one group meeting session, depending on the children’s ages and their level of experience with the process. Children can also help the teacher organize their initial questions, comments, and ideas into categories. For example, if several sticky notes with comments related to falling leaves were generated during the conversation, those could be grouped separately from the sticky notes with children’s questions about animals that live in trees.

Helping Children Ask Questions and Make Predictions

In addition to the children’s topic web related to the changes in trees, the teacher may want to generate a question table as shown in the examples below, based on the questions that the children ask:Figure 4Figure 4. Some teachers post a large hand-printed question table on a classroom wall.

What would you like to find out? (Question) What do you think the answer might be? (Prediction) What did you find out? (Answer)
Why do people cut down trees? Because they want to have logs for a campfire.  
Do trees have flowers? No. Flowers grow in the ground.

Yes, because my tree has flowers on it.		  
Why do leaves start out green and then turn brown? Because someone didn’t water them.  

Figure 5. The teacher may want to create a question table on the computer.

(For more information about making and using a question table, see Lilian Katz’s blog entry titled “The Question Table” on the Project in Practice Web site at http://illinoispip.org/blogs/katz/2010apr06.html.)

The question table is likely to be useful during all phases of the project. New questions usually arise while children are involved in fieldwork that addresses their initial questions related to changes in trees. Teachers can encourage continued questioning during any phase of the project in a variety of ways:

(See “The Project Approach: Helping Children Ask Questions” at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/projects-questions.htm for more suggestions.)

Predicting possible answers and sources of information is another important aspect of project work that can begin during Phase 1 and continue throughout the project. When a child asks a question, the teacher might ask that child, or the class generally, “What do you think the answer might be?” or “What do you think the guest expert will answer when you ask him that?”

The teacher can also encourage children to make predictions about other things:

Forming Subtopic Groups

Several of the children may show interest in the same question related to changes in trees. They can become part of a subtopic group that will try to find answers to the question. The teacher can work with each group to help them decide what they might try to get answers to their questions. For example, the subtopic group that is interested in the question “What animals live in the trees around the school?” will benefit from particular references, experts, and site visits, while those who want to find out what makes the leaves change color will probably need to use different resources.

Involving Families during Phase 1

As the project begins, the teacher can send a note to families letting them know that the class will be investigating local trees. The note can also mention what the children have said and done about trees so far and request help from family members. Do any of them have interesting experiences with trees to share with the class? Do their jobs or hobbies involve trees? The teacher might invite family members to help children remember their own experiences with trees. As mentioned previously, it is a good idea to ask parents if their children have allergies to tree pollen or to nuts.

Another way to involve families is to suggest that children take their clipboards, paper, and pencils home to sketch the trees and bushes near where they live. Children can also invite family members to make tree drawings, which they can bring back to class to share. It’s also a good idea to suggest that from time to time parents informally ask their children to talk about what they have found out about trees recently.

Return to Top

Phase 2: Fieldwork

The children’s fieldwork can begin after their topic web has been completed and they have selected subtopic groups. Depending on their subtopic groups and the questions that they want to answer, their fieldwork may include a range of activities:

These activities are discussed in detail below.

Gathering Data on the Trees

One of the teacher’s key roles during Phase 2 of a project on changes in trees is to facilitate children’s close observations of the trees. Here are some things that the teacher can do:

Figure 6Figure 6. A child examines a leaf during fieldwork.

Talking with Guest Experts about Trees

The teacher can help the children generate a list of potential guest experts to provide information about trees and the seasonal changes they undergo. Such a list might include the following people:

    • Park Planners
    • Nature Photographers
    • Tree Technicians
    • Wildland Restoration Specialists
    • Wood Carvers
    • Recreational Tree Climbers
    • Master Gardeners
  • Botanists
  • Horticulturists
  • Forest Pathologists (“tree doctors”)
  • Tree Farm Owners
  • Orchard Owners
  • Landscape Architects and Designers
  • Lumber Harvesters
  • Lumber Mill Workers

Some specialists might be willing to write back and forth to the children via email.

Children can draw or dictate their questions for the experts prior to visits. It’s a good idea to have them practice asking their questions to be sure to make the best use of the expert’s time with the class. Many guest experts like to know ahead of time what the children want to ask them; the teacher can share those questions with them before the visit.

Going on Site Visits

Occasionally, a whole-class visit to a field site (a nature center or park, for example) will be useful, particularly if each child or small group of children has specific things to find out. When possible, however, site visits should be made by subtopic groups. When children in a subtopic group have decided what their questions are, the teacher can work with them to decide where they might go to find the answers: A tree farm? An arborist’s office? A nearby nursery? A neighbor’s backyard?

During the site visit, children can use the same data-gathering techniques described in the section “Gathering Data on the Trees” above, such as making observational sketches, taking notes, and collecting artifacts (with permission). They may also have opportunities to ask for information from people who work or live there. (See “Talking with Guest Experts about Trees” above.)

On visits to outdoor locations, the teacher may want to remind the class to follow the usual safety procedures for outdoor activities (for example, wear sunscreen, avoid poison ivy, etc.). The teacher should remind children to ask permission to collect artifacts or to touch things that they see during the visit. People are not allowed to take objects (including flowers or twigs) from state parks and similar places.

Creating Collections of Artifacts and Specimens

Helping the class build and maintain a collection of tree-related specimens and artifacts can be another important role for the teacher during Phase 2 of a tree project. Here are some ways that the teacher might help.

The teacher may suggest that children gather and share things that they find related to trees at home, en route to and from home and school, while observing their trees, or during conversations with guest experts. Some teachers invite families to add to the classroom collection. The class may be interested in collections of various materials:

It’s a good idea to remind children not to collect anything from private property without getting permission first.

As the children bring items in for the collection, the teacher can help them label each one with the name of the item, the date it was collected, where it was collected, and the name of the person who provided it. Children may be interested to know that the term for such documentation of artifacts is “provenance.”

Teachers can provide containers for the things that the children collect and keep them in a specific part of the room. Some teachers put smaller items (with their provenance) into boxes with dividers.

Teachers may occasionally bring in items to add to the collection.

Incorporating Explorations and Experiments Related to Changes in Trees

As children learn more about trees during Phase 2, they may have questions that can best be answered through planned explorations or experiments. Such activities may include closely examining items in the collection, preserving leaves and flowers, and growing new trees.

Looking Inside the Collection: Children can learn a great deal by examining objects in the class collection. Teachers might encourage this activity in several ways:

Preserving Leaves and Flowers: Preserving specimens is an important task for people who study living things. Some children may want to try pressing and drying flowers and leaves that they collect. See Appendix C for resources that include instructions for such activities.

Planting Trees: Growing new trees can be an important experience for preschoolers. Native Illinois trees such as dogwood or redbud may be good choices. A few Illinois trees will grow well from seeds, and some will grow from cuttings rooted in water. A horticulturist or nursery owner may be able to guide the teacher and the class as they decide what to plant.

Debriefing after Fieldwork

It’s a good idea to make time for the topic groups to report to the class regularly about what they have found during fieldwork. The teacher might facilitate these discussions in several ways:

Incorporating Language Arts and Literacy Activities

Introducing New Vocabulary: Learning the right words to describe trees and their important parts is valuable to children’s growing knowledge during a project on trees. The ages of the children involved may influence what words and concepts they learn and use. Subtopic groups may also learn some specialized vocabulary. For example, a group studying tree care tools is likely to be exposed to terms such as saw, crane, and pruning. The teacher can help the class find definitions of basic “tree” words:

  • Forest
  • Wood
  • Specimen
  • Artifact
  • Cone
  • Bough
  • Leaf
  • Needle
  • Blossom
  • Bud
  • Pollen
  • Sapling
  • Shoot
  • Root
  • Trunk
  • Crown
  • Bark
  • Branch
  • Burl
  • Twig

Older preschoolers may want to use terms such as compound leaves, pinnate, deciduous, coniferous, and so forth. Words such as margin, midrib, and lobe will help children describe leaves. Children studying the flowers on trees will find vocabulary such as petal, sepal, and stamen useful.

Helping Children Write: Teachers can involve children in a variety of writing activities during Phase 2:

Using Books and Other Reference Materials: Good informational picture books and other resources can help children with many aspects of their study of changes in trees. Finding and sharing such resources are key tasks for the teacher. Teachers can look for a variety of books and other resources:

Incorporating Math Activities

A study of trees can be enhanced with math-related activities that help children answer questions and express new understandings. The teacher can encourage such activities as children’s fieldwork progresses:

Incorporating Fine Arts Activities: Visual Arts, Music, Creative Movement, and Drama

During Phase 2, the visual arts, creative movement, drama, and music can offer a variety of ways for children to represent what they observe and learn about their trees. The fine arts may also provide sources of information. The teacher might try several approaches to engaging the children with the fine arts:

Figure 7Figure 7. To make this representation of a leaf, a child painted over a photocopy of an observational sketch.

Involving Families during Phase 2

Multiple opportunities for family involvement are likely to arise during Phase 2 of a project on changes in trees. Teachers can use their newsletters or special invitations to engage families in a variety of activities:

Return to Top

Phase 3: Bringing the Project to a Close

A project on seasonal changes in trees might last from 3 weeks to 3 months, depending on what resources are available and the extent of the children’s interest. The teacher can help the children bring the project to a close by revisiting the question chart with the class, facilitating children’s use of their new knowledge in their play, assisting with plans for displaying their documentation, working with them on plans for a culminating event, and inviting families to participate.

Revisiting the Question Table

As the study of changes in trees begins to wind down, the teacher can look at the question chart with the class or with individual children:

The children may want to contact some of their guest experts or consult books and other references to answer remaining questions or to clarify what they have misunderstood.

Facilitating Play

Children’s new understandings of trees may be reflected in a variety of ways in their spontaneous play throughout the project but especially during Phase 3, when they can apply their knowledge about the people who work with trees and the animals that rely on trees to survive. Teachers can take several approaches to fostering such play:

Planning for Final Displays of Documentation

After the full realization of spring or fall, the teacher can suggest that it is time for the class to plan how they will document their findings from their study of changes in trees. The teacher can help with this process in a variety of ways:

Planning a Culminating Activity

The tree study groups and subtopic groups should meet to decide what they want to do to share their new knowledge and skills with others. A key decision is how best to express and represent what they have found out about the changes in their trees. Do they want to create a mural or scale models of the trees, tell a story about the changes in the trees, write poetry, make music, create a dance, put together a play about animals that live in trees? The children can also decide if they want to host an event when others can view their work or, instead, plan a less-complex final activity such as making a book that can be passed around among families.

The teacher can meet with the small groups to discuss the children’s decisions:

As the investigation ends, children may feel inspired to imaginatively express what they have been learning about the changes in trees as part of the culminating activity. The teacher can foster their creative work during Phase 3:

Involving Families during Phase 3

Family members often enjoy seeing what children have done and learned during a project. As the investigation of trees comes to a close, the class may think of a variety of ways to share their work with their families. Here are some ways that teachers can help:

Return to Top

A Final Word

This Project Guide is meant to suggest possibilities, to support the teacher who wants some ideas for ways to get started with a project related to changes in trees, or to help maintain momentum once an investigation is underway.

It is important to remember that the children themselves are likely to find many worthwhile ways to investigate the changes in trees. In fact, as children pursue what interests them, any project may end up with a main focus very different from what was originally expected. “Changes in trees” could become just a small part of some other topic that engages the minds of many children in a class.

Return to Top

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Barb Gallick and Lisa Lee for document review.

Return to Top

Appendix A: Illinois Early Learning Benchmarks Addressed during a Project on Changes in Trees

The following table suggests some of the Illinois Early Learning Benchmarks that are likely to be addressed during a project on changes in trees.

Benchmark Benchmark Description Benchmark Is Addressed When…
Language Arts
3.B.EC		 Dictate stories and experiences. …children dictate labels or captions for their drawings and other representations.
…children dictate questions that they want to ask guest experts.
…children recount their activities (e.g., on a site visit) while an adult writes their words.
Language Arts
3.C.EC 		Use drawing and writing skills to convey meaning and information. …children sketch what they see during fieldwork.
…children label parts of their drawings of trees, etc.
…children talk with others about what they have drawn.
Language Arts
5.A.EC		 Seek answers to questions through active exploration. …children discuss what they want to find out.
…children follow up on their own questions.
Language Arts
5.C.EC		 Communicate information with others. …small groups report to the class about what they have observed or found out, using their drawings as visual aids.
Mathematics
7.A.ECb		 Construct a sense of time through participation in daily activities. …children notice changes in the trees over the days and weeks of the project.
Mathematics
7.B.EC		 Show understanding of and use comparative words. …children discuss or make drawings that show how their trees and their various parts are similar to/different from each other.
…children use words such as largest, darker, drier, heavier when discussing findings.
…children use drawings to illustrate differences among trees and other objects observed.
Mathematics
8.A.EC		 Sort and classify objects by a variety of properties. …children group tree parts (seeds, leaves, etc.) by common characteristics (for example, when sorting or making Venn diagrams).
Mathematics
8.D.EC		 Describe qualitative change, such as measuring to see who is growing taller. …children report on using nonstandard or standard measurement to determine changes in size of a leaf or flower over time.
…children talk about changes that they have observed in colors, shapes, and quantities.
Mathematics
9.B.EC		 Find and name locations with simple words, such as “near.” …children use terms such as beside, across, around, etc., to describe the location of a tree or the placement of parts of the tree.
Mathematics
10.A.ECa		 Represent data using concrete objects, pictures, and graphs. …children make graphs or Venn diagrams using information related to their trees.
…children sketch and draw accurate and detailed pictures of their trees and related objects.
…children organize drawings, photos, and other documentation to tell the story of their investigation of changes in trees.
Mathematics
10.A.ECb		 Make predictions about what will happen next. …children speculate about possible results of an exploration or experiment.
…children discuss possible future changes in the trees they are studying.
Mathematics
10.B.EC		 Gather data about themselves and their surroundings. …children observe nearby trees, taking field notes.
…children interview guest experts about trees.
…children take surveys of peers and family members.
Science
11.A.ECa		 Uses senses to explore and observe materials and natural phenomena. …children handle or use the artifacts and specimens collected.
…children closely study trees, noticing aspects such as textures, odors, sounds, and visible properties (size, shape, colors, etc.).
…children use a variety of materials to represent their knowledge and understanding of changes in trees.
Science
11.A.ECb		 Collect, describe, and record information. …children sketch, draw, take photographs, and make notes during all fieldwork.
Science
11.B.ECa		 Use scientific tools such as thermometers, balance scales, and magnifying glasses for investigation. …children use magnifiers, binoculars, and other tools to examine trees.
…children weigh seeds and other tree parts using various scales.
Science
12.A.ECa		 Investigate and categorize living things in the environment. …children learn what makes trees different from and similar to other living things.
…children investigate parts of trees (leaves, flowers, twigs, bark, shape) which aid in identifying tree species.
…children learn ways to identify tree species using field guides and similar resources.
Science
12.A.ECb		 Show an awareness of changes that occur in themselves and their environment. …children study and discuss the ways that trees change over a period of several weeks.
…children organize drawings and photographs chronologically to show the changes in the trees during the study.
…children create their own representations of the changes in the tree (for example: mural, model, etc.).
Science
12.B.EC		 Describe and compare basic needs of living things. …children find out what trees need in order to survive.
…children find out the importance of trees in the lives of other living things, including humans.
Science
12.C.EC		 Make comparisons among objects that have been observed. …children talk with each other about differences among the particular trees they are studying.
…children compare characteristics of seeds, flowers, bark, and twigs that they have collected.
…children organize photographs and drawings to show the order in which changes occurred in their trees.
Science
12.D.EC		 Describe the effects of forces in nature (e.g. wind, gravity, and magnetism). …children observe and discuss ways that the trees are affected by wind, rain, snow, etc.
…children observe that some parts of the tree fall to earth, while others do not.
Science
12.E.ECa		 Use common weather-related vocabulary (e.g., rainy, snowy, sunny, windy). …children describe what their trees are like in different types of weather.
Science
12.F.EC		 Identify basic concepts associated with night/day and seasons. …children experience the ways that trees change in spring or fall.
Science
13.B.ECa		 Express wonder and ask questions about their world. …children ask questions or state what they want to find out during the webbing activities.
…children develop questions to ask guest experts.
…children ask questions after their classmates have reported on fieldwork.
Social Science
15.A.EC		 Identify community workers and the services they provide. …children know some of the jobs that involve trees.
Social Science
16.A.EC		 Recall information about the immediate past. ...children report to others about what they have learned during fieldwork.
Social Science
17.A.ECa		 Locate objects and places in familiar environments. …children can find the particular trees they are studying.
Social Science
17.A.ECb		 Express beginning geographic thinking. …children can describe some aspects of where their trees are located (in relation to the classroom or the school).
Fine Arts
25.B.EC		 Describe or respond to their own creative work or the creative work of others. …children discuss the creative processes involved in representing what they have learned.
…children talk about the ways that artists depict trees in their work.
Fine Arts
26.B.EC		 Use creative arts as an avenue for self-expression. …children use a variety of materials to express their ideas, feelings, and new understandings about trees.
Social/Emotional Development
31.A.ECb		 Exhibit eagerness and curiosity as a learner. …children involve their families in some tree-related activities.
…children participate willingly in many activities related to the project.
Return to Top

Appendix B: Children's Books Related to Trees

Many teachers like to start a project by sharing well-written, accurate informational books. Having reliable factual information—whether from the text or the illustrations—is especially important during Phase 1 and Phase 2. Realistic fiction (stories that are possible but did not happen) may be of interest to the children during Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Children’s direct experiences with trees can help them better respond to the descriptive language of poetry about trees during Phase 3. Magical elements in folktales and fantasy stories related to trees may engage the imaginations of some children during Phase 3. Throughout the project, children may also enjoy looking at the varied ways that illustrators of picture books represent the changes in trees.

The following lists of children's literature are not comprehensive, and teachers may know of additional books that may be useful to children during a project on changes in trees.

Informational Picture Books

The following is a sampling of books that can provide factual information about trees or the people who work with them. Some of the books listed may be too challenging overall for preschool-age children, but contain some text or illustrations that the children may find helpful.

Realistic Fiction Picture Books that Involve Trees

The following picture books are fiction with no magical elements.

Picture Books of Poetry

The following picture books feature poems related to trees.

Picture Books of Folktales and Fantasy

The following picture books include folktales and fantasy writing that involves trees.

Return to Top

Appendix C: Teacher Resources

The following resources—field guides and similar books, activity and curriculum books, articles about projects on trees and other plants, Web resources about trees, and other resources—may be useful during a project on changes in trees.

Field Guides and Related Books

Activity Books

Children may enjoy looking through these books to find experiments and other activities related to the project.

Articles about Projects on Trees and Other Plants

Web Resources about Trees

Other Resources Relevant to Project Work

Other Resources

Return to the Guides main page.