Penn Alexander Students Make Observations of Urban Trees
In science class we will all be studying and learning more about trees. We will learn about how to classify trees, different types of trees, what trees need to survive in different environments, the life cycle of trees, benefits of trees for both natural ecosystems and human communities, threats that could impact trees/forests and how we can help protect these precious resources.
During this unit of study every student will be adopting a local tree to observe and learn from. This tree should ideally be a tree that you see every day. It could be in your yard, on the street in front of your house, in the park nearby, or just one you see everyday on your way to/from school.
Every week students are required to check in with their tree AT LEAST ONCE. You can take pictures of it but also students should take careful notes about the tree, what they observe in/on the tree, what may be happening to or around the tree at the time of observation. What we learn about in science class should be applied to the observations of your tree and may be reflected in your journal notes for that week. To submit your notes you can comment on the blog entry for that week after clicking the appropriate grade level page above. There will be a new prompt to jump start your journal each week although you may always discuss observations that extend beyond what was asked in the prompt.
When commenting, each student will have a username that is their room number and an assigned letter. For example: 208A, this is to prevent us from having to use student names on the site.
Please note: on this home page we will be collecting drawings and photographs of/related to our adopted trees. If you have a photograph/drawing to share, please turn it in to Mrs. Brubach in science class as soon as you can and it will be uploaded to the gallery!
During this unit of study every student will be adopting a local tree to observe and learn from. This tree should ideally be a tree that you see every day. It could be in your yard, on the street in front of your house, in the park nearby, or just one you see everyday on your way to/from school.
Every week students are required to check in with their tree AT LEAST ONCE. You can take pictures of it but also students should take careful notes about the tree, what they observe in/on the tree, what may be happening to or around the tree at the time of observation. What we learn about in science class should be applied to the observations of your tree and may be reflected in your journal notes for that week. To submit your notes you can comment on the blog entry for that week after clicking the appropriate grade level page above. There will be a new prompt to jump start your journal each week although you may always discuss observations that extend beyond what was asked in the prompt.
When commenting, each student will have a username that is their room number and an assigned letter. For example: 208A, this is to prevent us from having to use student names on the site.
Please note: on this home page we will be collecting drawings and photographs of/related to our adopted trees. If you have a photograph/drawing to share, please turn it in to Mrs. Brubach in science class as soon as you can and it will be uploaded to the gallery!
Below are the locations of some of our adopted trees around the neighborhood!
Click here to see a Slideshow of the First Grade Trip to Clark Park to Observe Urban Trees
We were inspired by the amazing organization called "Tree Tenders" that is part of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Check out the video below about them:
The "One Book" for PAS Science Grades 1-5 is Mama Miti written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The idea of a "One Book" is that everyone reads the same book and can share their reactions to and experiences with the story. It will be used at PAS as an inspiration and motivation for our units on trees and we can continue to come back to this story and make connections to it as we work our way through the planned lessons and activities.
The book tells the inspiring story of Wangari Maathai who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work with the Greenbelt Movement in Kenya. She helped the local people of Kenya plant over 30 million trees after major deforestation had destroyed many of Kenya's natural resources. If students and families are interested, there are many other picture books about Wangari Maathai and even a documentary called "Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai" that was featured on PBS. Watch the clip below to get a sense for Wangari and the work she did.
The book tells the inspiring story of Wangari Maathai who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work with the Greenbelt Movement in Kenya. She helped the local people of Kenya plant over 30 million trees after major deforestation had destroyed many of Kenya's natural resources. If students and families are interested, there are many other picture books about Wangari Maathai and even a documentary called "Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai" that was featured on PBS. Watch the clip below to get a sense for Wangari and the work she did.