(Do You See the Trees?) Activity 2: “Tree Draw and Tell”

Materials:

White paper

Drawing materials

Children’s imaginations

Children will draw a picture of a tree. Teachers will provide minimal guidance in this activity, asking students to imagine a tree of their own liking. This simple activity will provide another opportunity for teachers to assess student’s current knowledge and feelings about trees.

To extend the drawing activity, at a level adapted to children’s abilities, teachers will ask students to generate text to accompany their tree picture. For younger children, this may be a simple sentence about the tree dictated to the teacher, or for older children, a short poem would be appropriate.  

This activity can be even further enhanced using a multi media approach to presentation. Children can record their statements and/or poems to be included in a multi-media class presentation of tree pictures and poems.  

A short poem that the teacher might use to inspire and guide the children in this process is this poem, available on line at http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/arborday/trees_poem.htm. There are many other poems written about trees that could be found be teachers or students.

Trees

by Harry Behn

Trees are the kindest things I know,
They do no harm, they simply grow
And spread a shade for sleepy cows,
And gather birds among their bows.

They give us fruit in leaves above,
And wood to make our houses of,
And leaves to burn on Halloween
And in the Spring new buds of green.

They are first when day's begun
To tough the beams of morning sun,
They are the last to hold the light
When evening changes into night.

And when a moon floats on the sky
They hum a drowsy lullaby
Of sleepy children long ago...
Trees are the kindest things I know.

By participating in this exchange you are supporting the following Common Core Standard(s) for Kindergarten and Grade 3 (See http://www.corestandards.org for additional standards, including Grades 1 &2):

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• SL.K.4. Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
• SL.K.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• SL.3.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
• SL.3.5. Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.