Literary Showcase: Literature is TREE-mendous!

Take your students on an adventure through time and watch as nature changes from season to season! This two-part bulletin board will show you that Science and Literature can come together to create a beautiful lesson!

Standards:

SCI.1.3.4 2010

Describe how animals’ habitats, including plants, meet their needs for food, water, shelter and an environment in which they can live.

SCI.2.3.1 2010

Observe closely over a period of time and then record in pictures and words the changes in plants and animals throughout their life cycles-including details of their body plan, structure and timing of growth, reproduction and death.

Objective:

Students will understand the different environment plants and animals live in and describe how those environments change over time.

This interactive bulletin board focuses on the book, "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" by Lois Ehlert

Activities:

Watch Plants Bloom and Grow! In this hands-on activity, students will have a chance to plant their own flower, and watch it grow and change over time. As the plants grows, students will keep a running log, including pictures, of their plants development over an eight week span. (Materials needed: Potting soil, flower seeds, cups, water, construction paper, scissors, and coloring utensils)
Find a Home for your Furry Friends! In this activity students will go inside the trunk of the tree to find all of the hiding animals that belong on our Maple Tree and match them to their correct homes. This activity can lead to discussions of which season would be the best for each animal and why. (Animals included: a Squirrel, a Monarch Butterfly, a Snowy Owl, a Red Fox, a Rabbit, a Woodpecker, and more!) (Materials needed: Images of animals, and Velcro circles)
Plant a Poem! In our final activity students will create their own acrostic poem. In the story, "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" we hear all about a child's beloved Maple Tree, but in this activity, the students get to share about their favorite plants! Poetry can be written on paper leaves found in a pocket on the bulletin board. (Materials needed: Writing utensils, paper leaves, and staples)