Big Ideas
Trees are helpful to our environment and quality of life in many ways. Some trees are native trees, while others are invasive. Understanding the difference, and how they effect the local ecosystem is important to the health of the environment.
Where we plant trees impacts their growth
How can we help our trees to grow and thrive?
Summary
Students are aware of the benefits of trees to the local environment. If students do not have a clear understanding of the structure and function of the parts of trees, what trees need to thrive, and the benefits they contribute to the local environment, consider reviewing the Mini-Unit for Grade 4 before beginning this Mini-Unit.
In this Mini-Unit students conduct a tree inventory of their local area which may include the school yard, surrounding perimeter, and the local streets. The inventory serves as data which is analyzed to describe the tree health of their area. Students learn how trees are selected for planting and the criteria considered when determining where to plan new trees. Students then engage in an action project to advocate for new trees, or create a care plan for the existing trees to support their continued health and growth.
Engage
Show the video Why Do Cities Need Trees?
Have students think about the spaces outside the school – schoolyard, park, their neighborhood. Ask the following questions or have them write their thoughts in their journal:
- How do you feel when you are here?
- Where is your favorite place to play? Why?
- Where is your least favorite place to play? Why?
- Where is the quietest spot? The noisiest?
Explore and Explain
Take students outside to the schoolyard.
Have students sketch an outline map of the school property. This should include the sidewalks around the school perimeter. Have them note where the streets with traffic are. Have them also include any planters, planting beds, rain gardens, and trees in the area already in place. If there are different surface materials in the area, have students identify the color and surface type.
Students should create a legend to describe the symbols they might use on their map.
Generate a list of the things trees need to thrive in the schoolyard.
Location – Using the map you drew, think about a location you think would be perfect for a new tree.
If your schoolyard already has a tree (or trees) select one tree to focus on.
Then research the following:
In pairs or small groups students will gather data on their tree.
Help students identify their tree by taking a photo of a leaf (using an iPhone) and use the info option to identify the tree.
You can also use a tree identification website to identify your trees: https://www.arborday.org/tree-identification
They will measure the diameter and the height. The slide deck details strategies for collecting this data.
Students can then use their data to enter into the iTree tool. This will give them the actual input and output of nutrients the tree needs and provides.
Sun – Look at your location throughout the day and fill out the Sun Chart for your location. The Sun Chart asks students to observe the sun exposure on the tree at different times during the day, in various weather conditions.
Space
Is there enough space for your tree?
If using an existing tree, how much space does the tree have to grow?
Ideally trees need at least an 8ft x 8ft area.
Water
When it rains, is your tree in an area that gets rained on?
What happens to the water on the ground? Does it get absorbed in the soil, or does it run off? Observe and write in your journal.
Temperature
How hot does the surface around your tree get?
What is the surface material around your tree?
Use a thermometer to measure the temperature at different times of the day. Add the temperatures to your Sun Chart.
What else does your tree need?
Elaborate
Depending on your schoolyard, students may want to advocate for a new tree for your yard. If that is the case, they can determine what type of tree and where the tree should be planted.
You can use this website to assist with selecting the right tree for your location: https://www.arborday.org/planning-selection-location/tree-finder
If you have trees in your schoolyard, have students select one type of tree and research it.
What can you find out about why that tree was planted in your schoolyard?
Create a care plan for your tree. This care plan can be made for a new tree or what the existing trees need to grow and thrive.
Design a plan to educate your community about the trees in your area and how to take care of them. Be sure to include the benefits trees bring to your community.
Teacher Support
Essential Question
Why are trees important to our neighborhood environment?
Guiding Questions
What types of trees will grow best in our neighborhood?
How are the basic needs of trees met?
How do you decide where and what trees to plant?
Students will be able to:
Determine the types and ages of trees that are present in their neighborhood.
Create a base map of their schoolyard reflecting any areas of plants. Students may also create a model using found materials of their schoolyard with playground equipment, surfaces, and plants.
Determine the ages of the trees in their neighborhood.
Create signs about the trees in their neighborhood to share their learning with others.
Chart paper for creating a school area map
Pencils, rulers, clipboards
Tape Measures
iTree app
Omni Calculator site
Native Plants – a plant that has evolved naturally in a specific region or ecosystem over hundreds or thousands of years without human intervention
Non-Native or Invasive: Non-Native plants are not native (alien) to the ecosystem. They likely came from an outside source. Invasive plants are not native to the ecosystem and are likely to cause harm to the native ecosystem.
Diameter (noun) a straight line passing through the center of a circle from side to side whose endpoints lie on the circle
Radius (noun) the measure of a distance from the center of any circular object to its outermost edge or boundary
Circumference (noun) a line that goes around or encloses a circle
Stormwater (noun) water is precipitation such as rainfall, snowmelt or irrigation that runs off hard surfaces and across land or into pipes and flows into streams and waterways
Mass (noun) a coherent, typically large body of matter with no definite shape
Phloem (noun) the vascular tissue in plants that conducts sugars and other metabolic products downward from the leaves
Chloroplast (noun) an organelle that contains the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll that captures sunlight and converts it into useful energy, thereby, releasing oxygen from water.
Vascular tissue (noun) complex tissue in vascular plants that transports nutrients and fluids throughout the plant
Design a plan to educate your community about the trees in your area and how to take care of them. Be sure to include the benefits trees bring to your community.