Lesson Overview:
Students will learn about leaves, forests, and seasonal changes, then apply their understanding to create group collages of forests.
Length of Lesson:
Two 45-minute class periods
Notes:
This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 3-4.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- identify basic parts of a leaf and understand how leaves are important to plants and trees in the forest.
- learn about the seasonal changes that change the appearance of leaves.
- create collages, in small groups, that depict the seasonal changes of leaves in the forest.
Supplies:
- Blue roll paper, cut into four 24" or 36"-inch pieces
- Masking tape
- Assorted colored construction paper (including several shades of green
- Glue or paste
- White cotton
- Pencils and water-based markers
- Leaves, pine cones, etc. collected from local trees
Instructional Plan:
Warm Up
Leaves on trees and plants are the elements that change the most when the seasons change. Ask students leading questions about leaves; you may wish to have a KWL chart or terms written on the board to spark the discussion. Write most of students' responses on the board, and have students write down their responses in their science notebooks.
Directed Instruction
Review the different characteristics about leaves listed during the warm up, then distribute the forest information sheet to the class. Use the information on the handout and the following focus questions to develop students’ responses and discussion of the characteristics of leaves:
- Are all leaves the same shape? If not, describe the types of leaf shapes.
- What color are leaves? Do they stay the same color all year?
- What other living things have leaves?
- Are all leaves the same size? Describe the sizes of different leaves.
- Are all leaves the same texture (rough, smooth, scratchy, etc.)?
- What types of leaves are on Christmas trees or evergreens?
- Do leaves stay on trees all year? What happens to old leaves from trees and plants?
Allow students time to record their responses to these questions and the overall discussion in their science journal. (Note: For Grades 3 and 4, you may wish to have students collect leaves from local areas trees, trace them in their journals and label the parts of the leaves.) Students may use the Internet to find pictures of many different types of tree and leaves; a good resource is this online Leaf Guide.
Divide students into groups of four. Assign jobs to students in each group; example of jobs are materials manager, gluer, layout artist, and cleanup. Each group will be given one of the large sheets of paper and assigned a season. Explain to students that they will create a collage of a forest during their assigned season of the year. Students should look at their notes, review the large sheet on the board, and highlight the characteristics of their assigned season on the information sheet. The layout artist will discuss with his/her group what colors are needed to create their collage. The materials manager will collect scissors, paste, construction paper, pencils and markers for his/her group.
Independent Activity
Have the layout artist and other students begin to work drawing and cutting out the tree shapes, leaves and plants for their forest. As the shapes are being cut, other students in the group can begin to place them on their paper. The whole group should look at the placement before the gluer begins to glue the elements down on the paper. During the process, remind students that they need to create a forest that defines the season. Once students complete their collage of the forest, tape the four collages together on the back of the papers to make a mural. Place the mural in a hallway or large area where all the seasonal collages may be seen as a single mural.
Assessment:
Tell students to look carefully at the whole mural. Create a compare and contrast chart on the board or give students a compare/contrast chart for their notebooks. Have students find the similarities and differences in all four sections of the mural, then have them discuss their findings. Discuss the way the forest changes its’ looks during the seasonal changes. You may also use the Assessment Rubric to individually evaluate students’ participation.
Extensions:
Students can look up birds and animals that live in the forest, then create images and habitats during each of the seasons to add to the collage. You may wish to have students compare and contrast a North American forest with a South American forest, such as a a rain forest or tropical jungle. Students can also research the yearly cycle of growth in trees and plants in the forest.
Sources:
Print:
- Howard, C. The Adventure Book of Leaves. New York: Capitol Pub. Co., 1962 reprinted 2002.
- Taylor, B. Weather and Climate. New York: Kingfisher Books, 1993.
Web:
Authors:
-
Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
Kingsford Elementary School
Mitchellville, MD
