Parts of a Tree

Lesson Plan #2
Duration:  

One-hour session

Objectives:

Students will identify the four parts of trees.

Materials:

Children's Book: Podendorf, Illa. Trees. Chicago: Children's Press.1982. (a similar children's book about trees may be substituted)
Tree Parts Worksheet
Computer with Internet

Vocabulary:

Root-the part of the plant below the ground; it holds the plant in position; it draws nourishment and  water from the soil and stores food
Trunk- the main stem of a tree
Branches- any woody extension growing from the trunk of a tree
Leaves - any of the flat, think expanded organs, usually green, growing laterally from the stem or 
twig of a plant

Procedures:

1.  Read Trees by Illa Podendorf to introduce the unit.
2. Research on the Internet to find out what the main parts of a tree are.
3. Give students a lesson on how to use a Search Engine:

• Have students type in the URL for Kids Click: http://kidsclick.org/ 
• Have kids book mark this website, click "Favorites" and "Add"
• In the Search word box, have them type "tree" and click the Search button
• Point out that tree, genealogy and other sites with the word tree in them come up
• Tell them to narrow their search by typing a kind of tree, such as maple or Johnny Appleseed
• Or, students cal click on The Environment, under Math and Science and click the "T"
• At the various websites, students should take notes on index cards and write the URLs of the best sites
• Tree sites will come up, such as Kids for Trees, this site has a student's guide and a teacher's guide
• Kids Click is a great search engine for students that gives the grade level of websites, such as K-2, 3-6, and 7+
  

4. Complete Tree Parts Worksheet.

Assessment:

Teachers will evaluate students' answers to questions on the Tree Parts Worksheet.

Home Learning:

Students will find and bring to class various parts of trees that they have found on the ground.  No tree parts are to be broken off live trees.

Extension Activities:

1. Brainstorm with students why leaves of tress turn colors in the winter, students that live in desert, tropical and subtropical locations may have trouble picturing how the colors look. Have students visit Science Made Simple to learn how and why they change colors. Teachers can visit Environmental Studies  for background information. In teams, students can print out pictures of leaves, label process (sunlight, photosynthesis, glucose, carbon dioxide and water), and publish.

2. Have students make leaf-shaped poems. Create a leaf outline template, make multiple copies, and have students write a poem around the edges. These can be compiled into a Leaf Poem Book.