In Level C of the Treemendous Science! unit, students will explore trees and collect data to develop understandings about how trees grow, the roles trees play in ecological systems, and the ways in which trees and humans interact.
Performance Expectations
Level C is built on the following two Grade 2 Performance Expectations for Life Science and Physical Science, included in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
2-LS4-1 – Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
2-PS1-1 – Matter and Its Interactions. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
Essential Questions
The following essential questions articulate big-picture concepts that allow Level C students to connect knowledge across academic standards, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas:
- How do observations help us tell how different materials are alike and not alike?
- What patterns do we see as we classify objects?
- What living and non-living materials make up a habitat?
- How are different habitats alike and not alike?
Learner Outcomes
- Students will plan and carry out investigations to answer questions (or test solutions), beginning with their own prior experiences and advancing to simple investigations (based on fair testing).
- Students will observe, collect, and organize data that support scientific explanations (or design solutions).
- Students will collaboratively plan and conduct investigations to produce data that serve as the basis for evidence to answer scientific questions.
Science Concepts
Level C activities support student understanding of the following science concepts, which are derived from NGSS’s crosscutting concepts, disciplinary core ideas, and scientific and engineering practices:
- There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
- Different kinds of matter can be described and classified by their observable properties.
- Patterns in the natural and human-designed world can be observed.
- Different trees, plants, and even habitats have unique and observable characteristics.
- Those characteristics can be used to better understand plants, animals, and habitats.
- Classification helps scientists to better understand and make sense of observations.
Assessing Student Learning
The Evaluate tab for Level C includes suggestions for:
- Pre-Assessment, through the sorting photographs exercise in Engage: Tree Sort, which provides a baseline pre-assessment of students’ classification skills.
- Formative Assessment, which can help you gauge student understanding midway through Level C lessons.
- Performance Assessment, which should be conducted at the completion of the lessons, and includes a rubric for assessing student learning.
Getting Ready
Each Level C activity includes a Getting Ready section, which describes how to prepare for teaching that activity.
For Level C as a whole, we recommend finding an area with several trees on or near the school grounds that your class can visit over the course of the year. Be sure to check the site for any hazards such as deep holes, sharp objects, or poisonous or irritating plants.
See Literature Connections to find other resources for teaching this level.
Time Considerations
| Lesson | Time |
|---|---|
| Engage: Tree Sort | Getting Ready: 15 Minutes Class Time: 30 Minutes |
| 1: Adopt a Tree | Getting Ready: 15 Minutes Class Time: Parts A and B 50 Minutes, Part C 50 Minutes |
| 2: Get in Touch with Trees | Getting Ready: 25 Minutes Class Time: 50 Minutes |
| 3: Trees as Habitats | Getting Ready: 20 Minutes Class Time: 50 Minutes |
| 4: Schoolyard Safari | Getting Ready: 15 Minutes Class Time: 50 Minutes |
| 5: Habitat Pen Pals | Getting Ready: 20 Minutes Class Time: One or more 50 minute period(s) |
Key Vocabulary
You may use the Key Vocabulary: Level C student page to introduce students to the following vocabulary terms or to review or assess their mastery of these terms. Note that the definitions below are geared for students, while the definitions that “pop up” within the activity text online are geared for the teacher.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | The air that surrounds the Earth. |
| Organism | A living thing. |
| Product | Something made or grown to be used by people. |
| Safari | A special trip taken to see animals. |
| Season | One of the four parts of the year. |
| Temperature | The measurement of how hot or cold something is. |
| Wood | The hard material that forms the trunk and branches of a tree. |
PLT Conceptual Framework
| Lesson | Conceptual Framework Connection |
|---|---|
| Engage: Tree Sort | 1.4 Humans use environments and resources to meet a variety of physical, social, and cultural needs. |
| 1: Adopt a Tree | 2.1 Organisms are interdependent and depend on nonliving components of the Earth. 5.3 Ecosystems change over time through patterns of growth and succession. They are also affected by other phenomena such as disease, insects, fire, weather, climate, and human intervention. |
| 2: Get in Touch with Trees | 1.1 Living components of the environment interact in predictable ways with nonliving components, such as air, water, and geologic features. |
| 3: Trees as Habitats | 1.1 Living components of the environment interact in predictable ways with nonliving components, such as air, water, and geologic features. 1.2 The arrangement of living and nonliving components within a habitat determines the organisms it can support. 2.1 Organisms are interdependent and depend on nonliving components of the Earth. |
| 4: Schoolyard Safari | 2.1 Organisms are interdependent and depend on nonliving components of the Earth. |
| 5: Habitat Pen Pals | 1.1 Living components of the environment interact in predictable ways with nonliving components, such as air, water, and geologic features. 1.2 The arrangement of living and nonliving components within a habitat determines the organisms it can support. 1.3 Patterns of variation from region to region in the Earth’s atmosphere, water, soil, climate, and geology create a wide diversity of biological communities. |
Standards Connections
See Standards Connections in the Appendices for a list of standards addressed in Treemendous Science! Level C activities.
