Download 7-12 Gr2 trees

2012 - 2013
Old tree materials still available – new materials in various stages of development
CONTENT:
STANDARD #’s
TREE STUDY
PreK-2 - #1, #2, #3, #4, #7, #8 - refer to DESE Life Science Standards
Description: The Tree Study is a yearlong theme comprised of several integrated mini-units or Kits. Each
mini-unit has “must-do” science lessons and “optional integration lessons”. The classroom teacher can
choose when to request the Kit and, beyond the scope of the “must-dos”, how extensive the coverage of the
specific content will be. The Grade 2 Soil Unit intersects with, compliments, supports, and deepens the
students’ understanding of trees.
Tree Study Categories
1. Getting to Know Trees
• Observing trees outdoors
o Observing leaves, buds, branches, bark, etc
o Measuring trees, height, circumference, etc
• Identifying trees from other plants
• Comparing and contrasting trees –
o conifers
o deciduous
2. Adopting A Tree:
Tree changes over time / Observing “my” tree
• Seasons and trees
• Growth & development
3. Trees as plants
• Life cycle of tree
• Tree parts & function
• Trees make their own food (photosynthesis)
• Trees produce oxygen which many living organisms breathe
4. Trees as habitats
• Vertical habitats
• Forest & woodland habitats
• Logs as habitats - connects to soil unit
5. 10-Minute Fieldtrip Suggestions for Tree Study
• Includes ideas for all above topics 1-4
• Outdoor adventure backpacks
6. Technology & Trees
• Products made from trees
• Usefulness to human
• Human impact on forests
Mary Rizzuto, Science Curriculum Specialist, Needham Science Center
June 2012
Some lessons require students to work outdoors.
Concepts:
Students need to:
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Observe one tree over time – sketch and record seasonal changes
Identify trees as living things.
o Trees grow, change and reproduce – have life cycles
o Trees have basic needs - (air, water, nutrients, light, space)
Build awareness that trees are plants
o Like all plants, trees produce their own food – using sunlight, water and
nutrients from the soil (photosynthesis).
o Trees have different parts (leaves, flowers, stem, roots, seeds, bark)
o Each part does a different job for the tree (food production, water transport,
growth, reproduction, protection, etc.).
Build awareness that there are many types of trees
o Trees are identified by observing parts. (leaves, bark, buds etc.)
o Trees can be deciduous or coniferous.
o Trees share characteristics – structure and systems
o Trees adapt/differ based on their particular environment
Introduce the idea that trees provide a habitat for living things and are part of a larger
ecosystem
o Weather & seasonal changes impact trees.
o Trees exhibit changes during various seasons.
o Trees are homes for many living things
o Environmental changes effect trees
o Visit to the Needham Town Forest – suggested fieldtrip
Build awareness of various ways human technology uses trees
Use magnification tools to closely observe tree parts
Continue to practice making meaningful observations coupled with data collecting
strategies and techniques and analyze data for specific information.
Performance Skills: Students will be able to:
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Organize and communicate observations through spoken words, pictures and writing. Use
vocabulary associated with unit appropriately in context both orally and in writing.
Convey that trees are plants, use sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil to produce their own
food.
Explain verbally that there are many types of trees and that trees begin as seeds, grow, change
and reproduce new seeds.
Discriminate between two types of trees. Identify/label parts of a tree on a simple diagram
(seeds, roots, trunk, leaves) and relate the function of each part.
Give examples of trees as habitats for living things. Ex: home for owls
Recognize trees as part of a larger ecosystem.
Observe using magnification tools and record observations using words and sketches.
Participate in a technology project that demonstrates humans use of trees to meet needs: Ex:
maple sugar, paper making
Mary Rizzuto, Science Curriculum Specialist, Needham Science Center
June 2012
CONTENT:
TREES – Grade 2
VOCABULARY:
STUDENTS NEED EXPOSURE TO THE FOLLOWING WORDS DURING THE UNIT
Review Vocabulary from grade 1: seed, bud, stem, flower, fruit, air
Seedling
Life Cycle
Grow
Leaf
Root
Trunk
Sunlight
Outer Bark
Phloem
Xylem
Cambium
Heart Wood
Environment
Crown
Branches
Photosynthesis
young plant developing out of a plant embryo (Seedling development starts at
germination of the seed.)
life cycle is a period involving all different generations of a species – birth through
death
increase in size by natural process
a leaf is an above ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis.
underground organ of a plant; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually
anchors the plant to the ground and stores sugar for future food needs
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark
light and heat energy given off by the Sun - total frequency spectrum of
electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun.
protective part of the tree – covering the tree’s stem or trunk
brings sugar down from the leaves
brings the minerals, water and nutrients up from the roots below the ground
thin layer of living tissue that makes new tree wood – between phloem and
xylem
center of the tree trunk – dead wood
the area in which something exists or lives
top of the tree – everything that is not the trunk – branches, leaves etc – has a
characteristic shape
large stems that grow off and out away from the trunk that holds the fruit,
leaves, flowers, buds
the process in which leaves produce food for the tree
FYI
Coniferous Trees: Conifer or cone bearing trees. Examples are Fur, White Pine, Spruce, Hem Lock, and
Cedar. Although most cone bearing trees are evergreen trees there are the following exceptions larch,
cypress and sequoia. Coniferous Leaves: scale leaf, needle leaf, or awls
Evergreen Trees - trees that experience a gradual shed of their leaves – like humans lose their hair over time
Deciduous Trees: Drop their leaves in a year’s time. Examples found in Needham are Maple, Oak, Tulip,
Beech, Walnut, Birch, Elm, and Willow. Fruit/Flowering Trees: Cherry Tree, Apple Tree, & Dogwood
Deciduous Leaves: compound leaf, simple lobed, simple toothed, simple un-toothed
Mary Rizzuto, Science Curriculum Specialist, Needham Science Center
June 2012