Port Blakely Environmental Education

Parts of a Tree

Objectives

1. Students will read an informational sheet about tree parts.
2. Students will work in a group to make a physical representation of an assigned tree part.
3. Students will present their physical representation, and explain.
4. Students will act out an assigned tree part.

EALRS

• Science 1.1
  • Students will understand how properties are used to identify objects like tree parts.
• Science 1.2
• Students will understand how components and interconnections describe systems.
• Reading 3.2
• Students will read in order to perform a task.
• Communications 2.1
• Students will communicate clearly to their audience.
• Communications 3.2
• Students will work cooperatively as a member of a group.

Materials Needed

• Parts of a Tree Background Sheet (1 per student)
• Colored pens and large piece of paper (1 per group)
• Slips of paper (1 per student)

Procedure

• Distribute Parts of a Tree Background Sheet to each student. Read aloud and discuss important vocabulary.
• Divide the class into seven groups and assign each one of the following seven tree parts:
1. Leaves
2. Bark
3. Phloem
4. Cambium
5. Sapwood
6. Heartwood
7. Roots
• Give each group colored pens and a large piece of paper.
• Ask them to draw a picture or diagram to illustrate what their tree part does to help the tree grow.
• Then have each group share and explain their illustration to the rest of the class.
• Once all groups have shared, let the class know they will now each become a tree part and the class must work together to make a whole functioning tree. You will need a lot of room for this, so consider going outside.
• Copy the following words onto separate slips of paper and put them in a paper bag. Adjust the number of slips you make according to the size of your class. (The following is for a class of 30: Heartwood (1) Sapwood (2) Cambium (4) Phloem (8) Outer bark (12) Taproot (1) lateral roots. Have each student choose one slip of paper.
• Have the students practice any sounds or movements for their part before you begin to build your tree. The sounds and movements for each part are:
1. Have the student playing the part of the heartwood cross their arms and stand in the center of the play area.
2. Have the student playing the taproot sit down at the foot of the heartwood. Explain that this person represents the deep taproot.
3. Have the lateral roots lie on their backs, spreading out from the taproot with their feet toward the heartwood.  (Have lateral roots make slurping sounds).
4. Have the sapwood students join hands to make a ring around the heartwood. Position them so they stand between the lateral roots. They should face in toward the heartwood. (Have the sapwood pretend they are drawing water up from the roots by lowering their hands, still joined, and then raising them above their heads.)
5. Have the cambium students join hands and form a large circle around the sapwood. (Have the cambium chant, “we make new cells, we make new cells”.)
6. Next have the phloem students join hands and form a larger circle around the cambium. (Have the phloem pretend they are transporting food down from the leaves by holding their arms above their heads, then lowering them and raising them again, etc.)
7. Have the outer bark students form a circle around the entire tree, facing outwards and holding hands.
• Once everyone is in position, ask the students to go through their motions: the roots taking water up from the soil, the sapwood transporting the water up the trunk to the branches and leaves, the phloem carrying food down from the leaves to the trunk and roots, and the cambium chanting, “We make new cells”.
• Afterward, lead a short discussion about the different parts of the tree to make sure everyone understands what each part does.