Turn your students into young tree-tectives with this fun science investigation into the life of trees. To begin, a class volunteer gets dressed up in a tree costume as the different parts of trees are introduced. Then, the class learns how to identify different species of trees based on their seeds and leaves.

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science

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Instructional Ideas

• Include this lesson in a life science unit on the life cycles of plants
• Create a series numbered learning centers for students to rotate through as they try to identify the leaves and seeds of different tree species

Classroom Considerations

• Part of the lesson requires an outdoor space with a variety of tree species. If this is not available on your school grounds, then you may consider taking a field trip to a local park
• Requires significant time to prepare the different parts of the tree costume, but once finished, they can be used year after year
• Time will also need to be spent collecting samples or pictures of leaves and seeds of the trees included on the worksheet

Pros

• Includes diagrams that help students classify trees based on patterns in their leaves and needles
• Includes a graphic organizer for drawing pictures of the seeds and leaves of different types of trees

Cons

• None

Common Core

L.2.5.a L.2.6 L.3.5.a L.3.5.b L.3.6 L.4.6 L.5.6 L.6.6 L.7.6 L.8.6 RST.6-8.4 RST.6-8.7