Kamloops/Thompson
The Trees
Print out
Activities
My Tree Book activity booklet in pdf format. Just print out the three sheets and use the photos on this page for reference.
Tree Planting at McQueen
| Teacher's Guide |
| Pre-trip Activities |
Teacher’s Guide
Introduction & Goals
The primary goal of these activities is to give students a better understanding of why certain climactic conditions exist and how organisms (tree species in this case) are specifically adapted to such environments. Through these investigations it will also be expected that students will gain a better understanding of responsible resource management. The students will be given four different tree species to plant up at the McQueen facility – lodgepole pine, douglas fir, western larch, and spruce. Students will attempt to find the best possible locations for their seedlings based on what they have learned about that particular tree.
Materials
Each class teacher participating in the tree planting will be sent:- a package of tree, cone, and seed samples.
- A 'My Tree Book' booklet master for photocopying and making into little booklets - student activity.
IRP (new) Relevance includes:
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Grade 4
- Habitats and communities…compare the structures and behaviours of local plants.
- Renewable resources – methods of extracting that are responsible.
- Diversity of life – analyze how different organisms adapt to their environment.
- Ecosystems – assess survival needs and interactions between organisms and their environment. Assess the requirements for sustaining local healthy ecosystems.
Main Concepts
The main ideas that underlie the lessons are:-
Adaptation – how the different species of trees are ‘built’ and ‘behave’ to enable them to survive in a particular location.
Tilt of the Earth’s axis (23.5 °) – in the northern hemisphere above the tropic of cancer, the sun always appears to the south.
Aspect - the direction and angle of a slope influences the amount of solar radiation that is received, which increases the rate of water loss through evaporation. Where we live, the southerly slopes receive the most direct solar radiation – they have a south aspect.
Topography - the ‘lay of the land’ can influence the amount of water present in the soil. Water will more readily drain off a slope and collect in hollows beneath them. This seems rather simple, but is essential nonetheless.
Elevation – usually an increase in elevation results in lower temperatures. This results in less moisture loss due to evaporation.
The Big Factor
There are definitely more reasons as to why different species grow in one area and not another (soil pH, presence of other organisms…), but the main reason where we live is the amount of moisture available. For this reason, we will focus on elements that influence the presence or lack of water.
Pre-Trip Activities
‘My Tree Book’
Included in the package sent to the class is a ‘My Tree Book’ (don’t confuse with the Ministry of Forests’ tree book) template as well as an example of what they look like when folded properly. Please follow the instructions at the top of this page. The tree samples can be set out by the corresponding Ministry tree book sheets as a station for working on their books.The last page – ‘My Key’ This is where the students create their own classification key for the four different species. They don’t have to be technically correct, so long as they function to successfully differentiate the species. Hints It is best if students do not make a key based on colour or small variations in the length of the leaves (needles).
Angle of Attack
Click here to see this activity/demonstration. It seems really simple and may be best as a demonstration by the teacher, but it helps to illustrate the significance of the angle of light as it hits a surface. This makes an enormous impact on our climate, both macro and micro.
The large scale result, is that we receive less solar energy as we move away from the equator, especially in winter:
Slope and Aspect
View and print this worksheet under the 'Activities' heading.This worksheet appears simple, but requires some guidance within the introduction. The basic idea is that students need to be able to identify the relative presence of moisture on different parts of the cross-section.
Notes South facing slopes ( in northern hemisphere above the tropic of cancer) will lose more moisture because of increased solar energy (flashlight activity). Higher elevation will lose less due to generally lower temperatures. The bottom of a slope or dip in the land will usually collect more water from the surrounding area.
Adaptation Artistry
This activity is from Project Wild and is one of the best ways to get students thinking about adaptation. It does rely on some introduction of the other concepts in order to have the most impact, so it shouldn’t be the first activity. The basics of what a tree needs to survive should be reviewed: light, food, and space. The abbreviated instructions are as follows:Materials:
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Large paper
Pencils
Markers or pencil crayons
Students can work in small groups to create a new tree that has never existed.
They draw their tree within a habitat and illustrate how it is adapted to survive in a particular area. They can choose the climate or it could be assigned by the teacher. Examples would be dry and rocky, swampy, windy, very hot, or very cold.
The name of the tree should say something about how it is adapted. For example, the ‘Deep Rooted Rock Driller’ could be a tree that grows in a dry and rocky area with its main adaptation being the tough roots that drill down to get water.
After they are finished, the group should present their new tree to the rest of the class.
Caution the students that there are always trade-offs for having an adaptation. The ‘Deep Rooted Rock Driller’ would most likely die if planted in a marshy area, as its roots would probably rot in the muck with little or no oxygen – poor guy! Needles are just a type of leaf. Needles are very good at conserving water, as they have a waxy coating and don’t have a lot of surface area.