Teacher instructions

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Tune in: Why are trees important?

20 minutes

Find out: Natural resources

20 minutes

Take action: Conveying ideas about conservation

Tune in: Why are trees important?

Step 1.

If you aren't already outside, take the class to your outdoor learning space. Review outdoor learning rules and the benefits of outdoor learning with students, including potential hazards and actions to take in the event of hazards.

Step 2. Discuss:

Why are trees so important to nature?
Why are trees so important to people?

Step 3.

Read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

Step 4. Discuss:

How do you feel after hearing the story?
Was it fair to use some of the tree?
Was it fair for the boy to use the whole tree?
What could the boy have done instead of using the tree?

Find out: Natural resources

Step 1. Discuss:

What are some uses for trees? Students might be able to talk about how wood can be used for building. Wood is also a great source of fuel.
Are trees useful just as trees? Lead students to the idea that there are many different ways to determine the value of something.
- Trees have aesthetic beauty. They are nice to sit beneath, and to look at. They make us happy.
- Trees are good for our mental health.
- Trees keep our environments cool due to the shade they provide.
- Both living and dead (fallen) trees are important habitats for animals.
- Kids enjoying playing in trees, like in The Giving Tree.
- Some types of trees can provide food such as apples.

Step 2. Discuss:

What is the difference between a renewable and non-renewable resource?
Are trees renewable or non-renewable? Because we can grow more trees, wood would be considered a renewable resource. However, it's worth noting that trees are great at absorbing a lot of carbon emissions from the air, and that when we burn wood, we release those carbon emissions back into the atmosphere.

Step 3. Discuss:

Are some trees more valuable than other trees? Explain to students that deforestation is the process of clearing a large area of trees. Usually these trees are pulped or turned into wood. Unfortunately, in many ancient forests, the trees are hundreds of years old, so simply replanting the trees would not be an adequate replacement for these trees. Furthermore, the wide variety of trees, vines, undergrowth, and moss, forms a very complex biodiversity. So a new plantation of trees is not the same as an old growth forest.
Do you think there is more value to a tree beyond the value of its wood and what that wood can be turned into?

Take action: Conveying ideas about conservation

Step 1.

Explain to students that they have an opportunity to express their beliefs on the importance of trees by writing a poem that will then be shared with others.

Step 2.

Before students begin writing, assess their understanding of nouns, verbs and adjectives. For revision, you may wish to teach the rap below:

Word Rap

A noun is a person, place or thing,
Like Boy or House or Playground Swing,

An adjective describes nouns well,
a small smile, blue sky or beautiful shell.

A verb is an action or being kind of thing,
eat, run, were, be, shout and sing!

Step 3.

Spread out six pieces of cardboard and markers/textas in the learning space to form a large circle. Ask students to form six equal groups, with each group sitting next to a different piece of cardboard. Groups write “noun”, “-ing verb” or “adjective” as a heading on their cardboard (two groups per word type). Students work together in their groups to brainstorm nouns, verbs and adjectives that could relate to trees, the importance of trees or our uses for trees.

Give each group of students 2-3 minutes before they rotate to the next word type. Monitor student attention and behaviour, and shorten the time at each word type, if necessary. If students are given too much time at each station, they may loose interest and focus.

Gather the pieces of cardboard, and quickly review the words and phrases written to check their suitability while students begin the next activity. This is an important step, as you may need to cross out words that don’t fit the given category, so students don’t use them in their poems later on.

Step 4.

Provide each group with a copy of the Nature Diamond Poem worksheet and ask students to work with their group to identify the nouns, -ing verbs and adjectives in each poem and the commonalities between the two poems (you may need to give the class a hint about counting the number of words).

Step 5.

Reconvene the class and discuss their findings. Students should be able to note that both poems follow a pattern: one noun, two adjectives, three -ing verbs, four words, three -ing verbs, two adjectives and one noun.

Step 6.

Provide each student with a copy of the Tree Diamond Poem worksheet and place the pieces of cardboard back into the large circle formation.

Discuss the worksheet and emphasise that the final word for the poem needs to be written first.

Point out that the first adjectives and -ing verbs describe the tree, and the second lot of adjectives and -ing verbs need to describe whatever noun they write at the bottom.

Step 7.

Have students spread out across the learning space to write their poems. Encourage students to use the words on the pieces of cardboard if they need help thinking of ideas.

Step 8.

Encourage ‘fast finishers’ to whisper their poem aloud and check they have described the tree in the first part of their poem, and their chosen noun in the second part of the poem.

Reflection

Invite students to engage in the ‘Two Stars and a Wish’ thinking routine. Encourage students to reflect on two things they have learnt regarding why we should value trees, and ask them to write a ‘wish’ regarding how the poems could be used to encourage others to also value trees.

Students’ ‘wishes’ can then be used as a guide for your next lessons. Students may wish to: publish the poems in a class eBook, add them to the class website, create posters for display around the school, turn their poems into inspirational artworks by typing their poem on a photo background, or create an interactive gallery display using published poems and QR codes linked to students reciting the poems.

Differentiated Learning

Extension: Students could research poems about trees written by other authors and create a short anthology of tree poems. Students could perform their poem as a monologue, choosing accompanying background music that reflects the theme. Students could perform their poem using movement to reflect and enhance the language used in their poem. Students could explore additional forms of poetry by researching and writing their own cinquain about trees, applying what they have already learnt about nouns and verbs.

Provisional Learning Support: Teachers may need to assist individual students to write their poem by prompting them with key words or writing words that students dictate. If several students require additional assistance, teachers could help a small group of students write a poem together. Alternatively, the poetry-writing component could become a paired activity.

Outdoor Learning - The Giving Tree

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