Lesson Title:

Who Are the Trees in Your Neighborhood?

Grade(s):

3

Prepared by:

Maria Campbell

Appropriate Science Areas:

Environmental

Science Concept(s):

• plants

• growth

• trees native to your area

Lesson Objective:

Students will measure tree heights, diameter, identify the tree, and graph the results.

Georgia QCC Standards:

Grade 3

Science Inquiry, Process Skills and Problem Solving: Asks questions, classifies objects and events, communicates with others, makes inferences and predictions, uses estimation and measurement, uses evidence to construct explanations, makes sketches and diagrams to explain ideas, and organizes data into tables and charts to interpret and formulate simple hypotheses.

Background:

Trees are an important asset to our environment. Through awareness of surrounding trees in our community and discussing their size we can form environmental plans to protect our trees.

Materials:

• Rulers

• Tape measure

• paper

• clipboard

• pencil

• crayons

• empty graph

• tree i.d. book

Preparation Time:

Time to gather materials.

Teaching Time:

Approximately 2-20 minute sessions, depending on number of trees measured.

Procedures:

Instruct student to measure the trees’ height and diameter. Model how to do this telling them that trees larger than two yard sticks will be marked as above six feet and they can only have one or two of these.

Instruct them to record both measurements on their sheet. Next they will identify the tree they measured and record this on their sheet. After completing the above information they will move to another tree and do the same thing. Specify how many trees you want them to measure/identify and a location to meet when they finish. After they have completed information on the trees ask the students to tell the type of tree and its measurements. Write these on the board.

Discuss the findings with them: What are the tallest trees, what are the most common we measured, is this the most common tree in the surrounding area?

Have students graph the results on the board on a bar graph format. You may need to group them so that it will be easier for them to graph.

Using key questions have the students interpret the graph by answering questions.

Key Questions:

1. What is the largest tree diameter?

2. What is the tallest tree?

3. What type of trees were the largest?

4. Which tree did we measure the most? Is this actually the most common tree in the area?

5. What is the smallest tree?

6. Which tree is the least commonly measured?

Student Evaluation:

Individual data sheets and completed graphs, teacher observations, and student participation.

Helpful Hints:

Make sure the students have a clear understanding of how to measure, and the measuring tapes need to be flexible (seamstress) to bend around the trees.

Related Activities:

• Adopt-a-tree

• Duplication

Suggested Extensions into

Other Curriculum Areas:

Have students pick a tree and write its life story and the history of the tree and ways to help preserve and ensure its long life.