Measuring Circumferences & Befriend a Tree

Math: I can name and select a metric unit of measurement. I can measure accurately (start at 0, keep my tape in position, etc).
Science: I can use scientific observation skills. I can develop my understanding of plants and ecosystems. 
Social Studies: I can make a personal connection to the land.
Art: I can draw realistic shapes.


This week, we completed a 3-Part cross-curricular lesson series on the land. We have broken down our learning into subject areas to better explain the skills we were working on: 







Science
Part One was to do an activity called "Befriend a Tree." We partnered up and took turns closing our eyes. Our partner guided us to a nearby tree and we used our scientific observation skills to gather information about the tree. We felt the texture of the trunk and how big the trunk was. We felt the branches and leaves/needles and how soft or pokey they were and if the edges felt wiggly or straight. We noticed how long the branches were and estimated how tall it was. We even sniffed the trees!

"This year's book theme is 'The Tree In Me' so this relates to that." ~ Leo
"It was like we were plants and we communicated in a different way than using our eyes, just like we learned trees do." ~ Iggy
"I think we did this activity because it was a trust-building activity because you had to close your eyes." ~ Sebastian K
"When I was closing my eyes, I felt like I was going to fall off the hill." ~ Maria
"This activity was to connect with the nature around us." ~ Iggy

Social Studies & Art
During Parts One and Two, we developed a relationship with "our" tree. We learned more about it by our observations. "We either stood up and drew the leaf or found one from the tree that was on the ground. We did a bark rubbing where we put the paper on the bark and rubbed with the side of our pencil. We also made the outline of the tree and then described what it looked like and felt like." (SC) 

Using our science observation skills, we were able to notice the actual shape of the tree, not just draw a tree using the shape we had in our mind. The artist in us tried to capture for realistic details.

Here are some thoughts on this exercise:
"From far away, a tree looks like any tree. But once you get into the details of it, it's one of a kind." ~ Leo
"It was very hard to do bark rubbing." ~ Lawrence
"It was cool to really zoom in on the leaf and focus on the design. I didn't know it looked like that from far away." ~ Lillian
"We observed the tree. We got close up to the tree and found things that were there that hadn't been there before." ~ Iggy
"It was cool to learn about the tree. It's like you're falling into the world and life of that tree. I felt really calm; trees make me feel calm, in general." ~ H
"I really liked this project!" ~ SC
"When I was working on this project, I felt I was paying more attention to nature." ~ V
"When I was on top of the hill doing this project, I felt really peaceful." ~ S
"When I was doing this project, it made me feel good and calm." ~ Callie
"I really liked this activity because it was peaceful when you were drawing your tree. It was also a reminder that it's ok to make mistakes." ~ Sebastian K


Math
For Part Three of this lesson series, we went back up the hill again. We reviewed tips for how to measure accurately and discussed the difference between metric and imperial units. Ms Elder partnered us up and gave us a measuring tape. Then, we found 3 different trees and measured their circumferences. Circumference is the distance around the outside of a circle. We will continue learning about Measurement next week.

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