S e ed t o
l
i
n
d
g
e
e
S
TTeeaacchheerr’’ss GGuuiiddee
“The creation of
a thousand forests
is in one acorn”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
This educational
resource was developed
by the Sacramento Tree
Foundation.
2006
Introduction
The native oaks of Sacramento County are the most visible
icons that connect us to our natural heritage; grand oaks arch
above suburban homes and shopping centers, and groves cling
to the waterways that course through our communities. They
are reminders of our natural history. Today we can help ensure a
new legacy of oaks for future generations to enjoy.
“Introductions? Hi, I’m Archie
the Acorn!
The Sacramento Tree Foundation is a national leader in education
and advocacy for the urban forest and has taken on the massive goal
of doubling the tree canopy in our region. Together, we know we
can improve the health and quality of life in our neighborhoods by
cleaning and cooling the air, saving energy, keeping property values
strong, protecting wildlife habitat and increasing the scenic values
of our communities by planting trees. By participating in Seed to
Seedling you will be growing trees to count towards the doubling
of our region’s tree canopy. Most importantly, you are helping your
students understand and appreciate the importance of trees.
We couldn’t do it without you!
Thank you for jumping in to help raise the next generation of
trees and tree advocates. You will help your students appreciate
oaks in the best way possible – growing their own trees! They will
join thousands of children around the county in this campaign to perpetualize the mighty oaks of
Sacramento County for generations to come. Since 1985, Seed to Seedling participants have planted
thousands of oak seedlings to restore our native landscape.
The Sacramento Tree Foundation thanks the wonderful contributions of the people who worked on
this new curriculum package. The activities and teacher guide were written by Diane Kannenberg
of Kannenberg Consulting. Illustrations were created by Stan Meek Design and the layout was
completed by Phil Tretheway of Tretheway Design. The project draws heavily on previous editions of
Seed to Seedling that were written by Kay Antunez de Mayolo of California Department of Forestry,
who also helped us review this edition. Jenny Kaspar was very helpful in developing the ideas behind
the curriculum and getting her fellow student teachers to review it for us. And of course we thank
all the Seed to Seedling teachers who reviewed the curriculum and evaluated past programs so that
we can improve each year. The Sacramento Tree Foundation also acknowledges the support of the
National Tree Trust grant that enabled us to revise and update this curriculum package.
Seed to Seedling
Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Around the House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Around the House Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Oak Forests of California. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Getting to Know Sacramento Oaks . . . . . . . . . 7
Shrinking Forests Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Heritage Oaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Shrinking Forests Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Heritage Oaks Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ringing in Another Year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Heritage Oaks Detective Worksheet. . . . . . . . 12
Tree Ring Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Word Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Tree Ring Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Word Search Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Urban Forests and the Air We Breathe. . . . . . 34
Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Pollution Solution Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Vocabulary Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Tree Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Woods and Wildlife PoeTREE. . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Tree Cycle Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Poetree Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Tree Cycle Answer Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
KWL Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Essay and Photo Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Oak KWL Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Book List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Oak Seedling Adoption Certificate. . . . . . . . . 21
Websites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Seedling Measurement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Measurement Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Oaks and California Indians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Acorn Flour Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Seed to Seedling
Background
This curriculum was specifically designed for your students to get the most
of the Seed to Seedling experience. While there are many great activities
included, you can use your imagination to think of new ways for your
students to explore the urban forest and our native oak heritage. Please
share your stories and new activities with us so we can include them in
future versions of this guide.
This teacher guide is part of a three-part package that includes the Teacher
Guide, Student Workbook, and the Seed to Seedling Resource Curriculum.
Seed to Seedling Teacher Guide – Contains descriptions of activities, student worksheets, and
answer keys for the activities contained in the Student Oakbook.
Student Oakbook – Contains student pages for all activities in this guide.
Seed to Seedling Resource Curriculum – Contains detailed information on all California
oaks, collecting and sorting acorns, planting the seedlings, and additional activities that can
supplement your class activities. This curriculum is the complete second edition of Seed to
Seedling that was printed in 1991.
We encourage you to contact the Sacramento Tree Foundation if you have any questions about the
curricula. All of the materials are also available for download as PDF files on the Sacramento Tree
Foundation Website at http://www.sactree.com/aboutUs/publications.html
As part of the Seed to Seedling Program, Sacramento Tree Foundation staff and docents conduct
three classroom presentations and bring special games and native tree expertise to your class. The
presentations focus on the following topics:
Presentation 1 Discussion of native oak trees and acorns
What an acorn is and how it works
What an acorn needs to be successful
Students plant their acorns
Presentation 2 Discussion of the growth of the trees
Activity showing what trees give us
Skin Cancer prevention and health benefits from trees
Seed to Seedling
Presentation 3 Students summarize their experiences
Discussion on the proper planting and care of trees
Students return their seedlings to the Tree Foundation or
arrange to plant them
Students turn in their posters and essays for the contest
The activities in this Teacher Guide will help you prepare for presentations and guide student
involvement throughout the project as they follow the semester. For timing of the project,
we recommend the following:
• Activities 1-5 could be completed prior to the first Tree Foundation presentation so that
students are familiar with what oaks are, have exposure to the vocabulary, and have prepared
mentally for the significance of planting their acorns.
• Activity 6 (KWL) would work well with Presentation 1 where students complete the K and
W sections prior to the presentation and complete the
L section after the presentation.
• Activities 7 and 8 work well after Presentation 1
• Activity 9 is good preparation for Presentation 2
• Activities 10-13 are recommended between Presentations 2 and 3
• The Essay or Poster Contest can be completed at the end of the semester or between
Presentations 2 and 3
Seed to Seedling
Getting to Know Sacramento Oaks
While there are 20 species of oak trees native to California, three native oak species dominate
Sacramento County landscapes – the valley, interior live, and blue oaks. This page will give you a
brief background on Sacramento’s native oaks to prepare you for student questions. If you would
like to know more about other California oaks you can refer to the Seed to Seedling Resource
Curriculum. An excellent reference is Oaks of California by Bruce M. Pavlik...[et al], co-published by
Cachuma Press & the California Oak Foundation.
• Valley oak – the king of all the California oaks because of its great size and beauty. The valley
oak may be the largest oak tree in North America and can reach up to 100 feet tall and wide.
Mature trees typically live 150-250 years. In areas where they grow slower they may live up
to 400-600 years. Valley oaks grow best in valley areas where their deep roots
have access to ground water and there is rich, deep soil - near year round
creeks and rivers. Because these areas are also prime farmland, most of the
extensive valley oak woodlands and riparian forests that spread through
California’s central valley and coastal valleys were cleared early in the 1900s
for farming. Valley oaks are deciduous and the leaves are shaped with deep
lobes that give them the scientific name Quercus lobata. One conspicuous
valley oak feature is the round, hard, ball shaped galls that hang from the branches.
Often called ‘oak apples,’ these galls are created by the tree in response to a small wasp.
• Interior live oak – an adaptable tree that grows in many soils and conditions. It was the
dominant tree growing along rivers flowing from the Sierra to the Central Valley. It is
evergreen and the leaves are prickly along the margins, which help to identify it. These trees
often have a multi trunk form where they have resprouted from the base and are often wider
than they are tall. The trunk is another good way to identify this tree because it has smooth
gray bark that looks similar to the leg of an elephant!
• Blue oak – the amazing ability to grow on dry hillsides through the heat of summer allows
the blue oak to range through 39 counties in California! This tree grows throughout
Sacramento in the higher and drier locations that valley oaks cannot endure.
One adaptation that allows them to withstand summer drought is leaves
that have a waxy blue layer to prevent water loss. If conditions become
dry enough, they may even drop their leaves in the summer and
become dormant. The blue oak leaves are a favorite to discover
small galls that look like saucers, urchins, and stars.
Seed to Seedling
Native oaks that are more than 6 inches in diameter are
protected in Sacramento County and cannot be cut down or
pruned without a permit.
In addition to the three species of native oak in Sacramento,
there is a native oak named oracle oak that is a hybrid between
black oaks from the foothills and the interior live oak. Many
oaks from the Eastern US and around the world such as cork,
red, scarlet, and pin oak are common in landscaped areas
around Sacramento. Sacramento is a great place for oak trees!
Seed to Seedling
Activity 1 - Heritage Oaks
Teacher idea:
Use the
completed essays
and drawings for
a bulletin board.
Resources:
You can use paper
maps or internet
search engines
and maps to find
places that have
oak in their
names. Current
conservation
issues are also
on California
Oak Foundation’s
website.
Standards:
Language Arts:
Reading 1, 2;
Writing 1;
Social Science 3
Heritage oaks are silent witnesses to how people and animals around them live out
their lives. They commemorate important events in their rings and on their bark.
People celebrate in and around these beautiful old trees. Heritage oaks are known to
be home to over 330 different types of birds and animals and thousands of insects.
Heritage oaks in Sacramento County are protected and it is illegal to cut them
down or prune them without getting permission from the County. A heritage oak is
generally 100 years old or more and 60 inches in diameter or greater.
One way people honor these silent sentinels is by naming cities, towns, and other
places after them.
Use a map or atlas of the area where you live to complete the activity below.
Make a list of places that are named for oak trees. An example is the city of Fair
Oaks. Do some research to determine why the names were chosen. If the tree or trees
that inspired the name are still there, take a photo or make drawings of them. Write a
short essay describing the significance of the tree or trees. Be sure to include the tree’s
age and other facts that contribute to its importance to the community.
Note: Encino is Spanish for live oak and Roble is deciduous oak.
Choose one place name and prepare a report for your class on what is being done
to preserve that particular tree or trees. List the dangers
that may be facing the trees. Tell how you can
help care for the trees.
An oak tree can produce
its first crop of acorns
within ten years.
Seed to Seedling
Activity 1 - Heritage Oaks
worksheet
Place Name
Type of Place
Explanation for Name
(city, town, park, etc.)
(use back if needed)
Use a separate sheet of paper to draw a map showing the locations of the places you found.
10
Seed to Seedling
Activity 1 - Heritage Oaks - part 2
Seed to Seedling
11
Activity 2 - Heritage Oak Detective
Worksheet
Find a large native oak tree to complete this activity
Draw a picture of your Tree’s circumference is: Name a bird living in
Heritage Oak on a
the tree.
separate piece of paper
Name an insect you
found on the tree.
Make a bark
rubbing here
Trace a leaf here
Are there any other
plants growing under
the tree? Can you
name them?
Find a gall. Describe
its shape.
Find an acorn and
draw its shape
What do you like
about the tree?
About how tall is
the tree?
Do you see any dead
branches?
What historical event
may have happened
under this tree?
What kind of oak is it? Give directions on how Who owns and takes
Write its name here:
to find this tree.
care of this tree?
12
Seed to Seedling
Activity 3 - Seed to Seedling
Word Search
After all of the
words are found,
the letters
that are not
used reveal a
hidden message.
Standards:
Language Arts:
Reading 1
P R O T E C T T O S S U R T C B O S A K S S E A K W A T E R H P R N L O B Y O O K I P E G E L F R N T R H R G N C A E M R P A O M R X R L E C V I Z B B F A U J K I R O E O I K R P G I G D A R A L O Q W A O I C D R Q J N F B J P O X N L W S N T D L S L R Y W N I D O A E S O F A S N I C E D T T L P I D D Q I U W O C N H Y A U T T N Z D Z W S M I M D P Y H Q C J A O B C K K C N G U S H T T Y I W N I A H S E T S I T T N W G C R D I G U T S E R O F G W H O X L T Y K E A C T S H A A S A N Q T E L D B C K F T U C C J M R P W Q H K M T N B L U C N O V M Z N L O E E V P B C U Z R E Z E I A P I A U G U T V L R D S B H E D R I P L I N E N O T P G V B G B O P L H N Y T R B S T C E L L H A T N I W H U L P A T R B I A N A Y T I L A U Q R I A O Y V R T G U D C O M T V N T O A K S Y I M F N V Y A O E A Y Y R P O I A V B U H P Q E I S E I R U C D D E C R X M M B R C I O R R E L N B M T G O V Q R W V Z R P Q A S G N I R E X L S H Y E S L F M V O Q M J L G H B A R K O K S A S Q I D D Y Y I I W B J L A D L L A G R V J H V V M G A S P N Y L O V R E P Q W V V I S S H A Z G W X H U R H U N A M I A T Y T Y R X Q E A Y V J O D S U A A O I B C I V Y T O T X G Z Y E D N D D Y R Q D V V E X R T E T R U N K G M R S N I L U N C C J M L P J E I S I M G E X P O ACORN
AIR QUALITY
ARBOR DAY
BARK
BIRDS
BRANCH
CALIFORNIA
CANOPY
COMPOST
DRIPLINE
DROUGHT
FOREST
GALL
HABITAT
INDIANS
INSECTS
LEAVES
NATIVE
OAKS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PLANTING
POLLUTION
RAINWATER
RINGS
SACRAMENTO
SEEDLING
SHADE
SOIL
SQUIRRELS
STEM
SUNLIGHT
TAPROOT
TEMPERATURE
TREE FOUNDATION
TREES
TRUNK
URBAN
VALLEY
WATER
WILDLIFE
Hidden Message: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Seed to Seedling
13
Word Search Answer Key
Word
Acorn
Air Quality
Arbor Day
Bark
Birds
Branch
California
Canopy
Compost
Dripline
Drought
Forest
Gall
Habitat
Indians
Insects
Leaves
Native
Oaks
Photosynthesis
OverDownDirection
2
19
22
3
16
10
18
8
15
10
1
24
4
2
4
6
23
18
10
1
15
15
22
20
1
12
23
7
1
13
7
9
21
20
7
15
20
11
16
8
SE
W
N
E
SE
N
N
NE
S
E
NE
W
W
NE
NE
N
SW
SE
E
SE
Word
OverDownDirection
Planting
18
Pollution
1
Rainwater
2
Rings
8
Sacramento
11
Seedling
22
Shade
11
Soil
25
Squirrels
3
Stem
19
Sunlight
17
Taproot
14
Temperature
9
Tree Foundation 7
Trees
22
Trunk
20
Urban
12
Valley
9
Water
1
Wildlife
23
2
15
3
19
6
1
23
5
9
19
8
7
9
1
5
24
12
21
2
8
SE
NE
SE
W
SE
SW
NE
NW
NE
N
SE
N
S
SE
NW
E
SW
NE
E
N
Hidden Message: Protect Our Oaks
Location: Unused letters in top line of puzzle (all but last two – A and K)
14
Seed to Seedling
Activity 4 - Vocabulary Match
Standards:
Name:______________________________________________________
Language Arts:
Reading 2
Match the words in the first column to the best available answer in the second column.
_____ acorn (noun)
_____ taproot (noun)
_____ canopy (noun)
1) process in green plants and certain other
organisms by which carbohydrates are
synthesized from carbon dioxide and water
using light as an energy source.
_____ biochemical (noun)
2) a mixture of decaying organic matter, as
from leaves and manure, used to improve soil
structure and provide nutrients.
_____ gall (noun)
3) a young plant that is grown from a seed.
_____ photosynthesis (noun)
_____ habitat (noun)
4) the main root of a plant, usually stouter
than the lateral roots and growing straight
downward from the stem.
_____ seedling (noun)
5) to begin to sprout or grow.
_____ germinate (verb)
6) the area or environment where an organism
or ecological community normally lives or
occurs.
_____ compost (noun)
_____ organism (noun)
_____ carbon dioxide (noun)
Coal is formed from
trees that lived during
prehistoric times.
7) involving chemical processes in living
organisms.
8) a colorless, odorless, gas formed during
respiration, combustion, and organic
decomposition. CO2
9) the crown of a tree.
10)the fruit of an oak, consisting of a singleseeded, thick-walled nut set in a woody,
cuplike base.
11)a swelling of plant tissue caused by insects,
microorganisms, or external injury.
12)an individual form of life, such as a plant,
animal, bacterium, or fungus.
Seed to Seedling
15
Vocabulary Match Answer Key
Acorn – 10
Taproot – 4
Canopy – 9
Photosynthesis – 1
Biochemical – 7
Gall – 11
Compost – 2
Habitat – 6
Seedling – 3
Germinate – 5
Organisms – 12
Carbon Dioxide – 8
16
Seed to Seedling
Activity 5 - Woods and Wildlife
PoeTREE
Standards:
Language
Arts: Writing
Applications 2
Oak trees are not only indispensable to people, animals rely on them too. Animals
from birds to insects live in these trees. Some animals depend on oaks to keep them
safe from predators, while others use the trees as a food source. Insects and birds eat
acorns and many birds also eat the insects. Other birds and small animals, such as
owls and squirrels live in cavities, or holes, in the trees.
There are many poems written about the beauty of nature, including trees, the sky
and animals. One famous poem is Trees written by Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918).
Just about everyone has heard the often quoted first lines of this famous poem
“I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree…”
You don’t have to be a famous writer to write a beautiful poem.
Use the formula below for a Found Poem to write your
own poem. Illustrate your poem and share it with
your classmates, friends and family.
Found Poems
The average American consumes
enough wood and paper in one year
to make up a tree 100 feet tall
and 16 inches in diameter.
This type of poetry is created from words and
phrases written by someone else. Words for these poems
are “found” in existing text such as newspapers, magazines, and
advertisements. Write your own found poem by selecting and combining words and
phrases to create a poem about trees and animals living in or around them.
Some rules for creating your poem
• Don’t get all the words from one page or article.
• Don't add any words.
• It’s OK to delete words.
• It’s OK to change the tense of some words.
• It’s OK to repeat words, phrases, sentences.
• List the sources of where you found your words or phrases.
Source: Meredith
Hines-Dochterman
• Try to write or paste the words or phrases for your poem
in the shape of a tree.
Seed to Seedling
17
Activity 5 - PoeTREE Worksheet
18
Seed to Seedling
Activity 6 - KWL Worksheet
Standards:
Language Arts:
Reading 2
The KWL student worksheet on the next page provides a method for eliciting prior
knowledge, inviting student input and summarizing what was learned. A completed
KWL chart can help students evaluate their learning experience while serving as a
useful assessment for you.
The following list of tips will help your students get the most from this
learning experience.
• Introduce the KWL and model how to use it.
• Individually, in pairs, or in small groups brainstorm what they already know
about the topic. Display this information for the whole class.
• Encourage reluctant students to remember what they think they know.
• Lead the class to generate a list of what they want to know about the topic.
• Explain how to gather and organize the information they gather.
• Encourage students to discuss why they are interested in the information.
• Add extension activities
a. Add an N category to let students think about what they need to know
(possibly for a test)
b. Add an H for how they will learn what they need to know.
c. Add S or L for what they still want to learn.
d. Add a U for how they will use the information learned.
Seed to Seedling
19
Activity 6 - Oak KWL Worksheet
Name:_________________________________________________________________
What I know
What I want to know
Finding out
What I learned
20
When tree leaves turn upside
down in a fresh breeze you
can expect rain.
Seed to Seedling
___________________
Date
_______________________________________
Signature of a witness
______________________________________
Signature
I will always remember how special my oak seedling is for my community.
I will learn about trees in my community and help them to be as healthy as possible.
Furthermore,
I will ask questions if I am concerned about my oak seedling.
I will track its growth so that I can see that it is doing well.
I will help it get water and sunshine so that it starts its life with a burst of growth.
I will plant it with the best of care and check on it regularly.
I, _________________________ promise to care for my native oak seedling.
Oak Seedling Adoption Certificate
O f f i c i a l
Activity 7 - Seedling
Measurement
An important part of growing oak seedlings is measuring their progress to assure that
they continue growing in a steady manner. Have your students measure the growth of
their seedlings on a regular basis – probably weekly. Choose the units you would like
them to use and whether you want them to make a line or bar graph. Since some
acorns will fail to sprout you may want to measure them in groups so they always
have a seedling to measure.
Extensions: There are a host of extensions you can use with this activity by
comparing the seedlings across your classroom.
• If you have planted different species you can average the growth of each
species and compare to see which have grown faster. If you are experimenting
with the amount of water, sun, or exposure the seedlings are getting you can
draw conclusions from graphs of these different growing conditions.
• You can also make a “water watcher” from clay. The students should shape
the clay into a shape that can be stuck into the growing container. Form a
hook on one side to hang over the outside of the container. An animal face
can be added to the “watcher” who will let you know when the seedling is
drying out. After the “water watcher” dries out stick it in the container. When
the “water watcher” is dry, so is the soil. When the “water watcher” is moist,
so is the soil.
• Keep a rainfall record. Does the amount of rain
influence how much you need to water your
seedlings?
• You can collect rainwater for watering acorns.
Find out why rainwater is better than tap water.
• Measure the amount of water given to seedlings and
include on the graph.
• Keep a visual record of seedling growth changes
with drawings or photos.
• Try Project Learning Tree activities “Graph
Growth,” “Fertilizers,” “Nature’s Air Conditioner.”
• Try Project Wild activity “Graphananimal.”
22
Seed to Seedling
Standards:
Mathematics Measurement &
Geometry 1;
Statistics, Data
Analysis and
Probability 1
Activity 7 Measurement worksheet My Oak Seedling’s growth
Graph the growth of your oak seedling below:
Seedling
Height
Time
Seed to Seedling
23
Activity 8 - Oaks and
California Indians
The main tribes located in and around the Sacramento area, the Maidu Indian
People, valued oak trees for a diet staple – the acorn. Some oaks produced 200-300
pounds of acorn on a single tree. Acorns were harvested and used to make soup,
bread, cakes, flour, and more.
The whole village would gather the acorns in the fall. The acorns would first be dried
in the sun then stored in baskets and granaries. The nuts were ground into meal on
grinding rocks (many examples of these rocks still exist in the area). After grinding,
the meal was sifted then leached by pouring water over it several times to remove the
tannin, which made the meal bitter. The finished meal would then be used to make
cereal and bread. Some meal was rolled into hard balls for food on a journey.
The Maidu Indian People would celebrate the acorn harvest with a tribal gathering
every year. This gathering was called a Big Time and is still celebrated today at several
locations in the valley.
Complete the “flour” chart by comparing acorn flour to another type of flour used
today. Based on the results, determine which type offers the best nutritional value.
24
Seed to Seedling
Standards:
Social Science
4.1, 4.2
Language Arts,
Writing 2
Activity 8 - California Indians
Acorn Flour Worksheet
Acorn Flour
Other type of Flour
Nutritional facts
Serving size: 100 g
(Name of flour) ____________________
Nutritional facts
Serving size: 100 g
Calories
501
Calories
Total Fat
9.736g
Total Fat
Sodium
0mg
Sodium
Cholesterol
0mg
Cholesterol
Total Carbohydrate
54.65g
Total Carbohydrate
Potassium
712
Potassium
Dietary Fiber
Dietary Fiber
Sugar
Sugar
Protein
7.49
Protein
Water
6
Water
Use the space below to write a summary of your findings.
Seed to Seedling
25
Activity 9 - Around the House
Many products used in and around our homes began as a tree. Some are obvious
like a wooden table, paper (did you know it used to be made from cotton and linen
rags?), or construction materials used to build the house itself. Others, such as spices
like cinnamon and medicines like aspirin, are not so obvious.
Other products that were once made from wood may now be made from other
materials. These items include water pipes, wheel chairs, piano keys, and spruce gum
– it was used to make chewing gum! Can you imagine chewing a spruce tree?
This activity will give you a chance to be a wood detective.
Search in and around your house for items made from wood. You will have to
think beyond the obvious and do some research to get as many items as possible.
Remember, not all products started out as the wood from a tree, some use the sap
(maple syrup and rubber), bark (medicine and cosmetics), leaves (wax), and other
parts of the tree (paint). Even some of the kitchen dishes began as wood flour and
melamine resins!
Make a list of all the wood and wood-related items you find. Classify them under the
part of the tree where they originated. Get your family involved in the search. You
will be surprised.
Here are some hints to help get you started.
❍ Cough medicine
❍ Toys
❍ Sporting goods
❍ Nuts
❍ Suntan lotion
❍ Birdhouses
❍ Fruit
❍ Baskets
❍ Post-it notes
❍ Textiles
❍ Tools
❍ Coasters
❍ Clothing
❍ Disposable
diapers
❍ Adhesives
❍ Vanilla flavoring
(artificial)
❍ Musical
instruments
❍ Newspapers and
magazines
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❍ Vitamins
❍ Polishes
Seed to Seedling
Standards:
Language Arts:
Reading 2
Activity 9 Around the House
What I Found
Seed to Seedling
Where I Found It
Cellulose, the material that makes
up the walls of tree cells, is used
as a thickener in snack foods - like
Twinkies, milk shakes, and ice cream.
How It Is Used
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Activity 10 - Oak Forests
of California
California Indians were much more than hunters and gatherers. They were land
managers who tended the land on a sustainable basis. Prior to the mid-nineteenth
century the valleys and plains along rivers of central coastal and interior California
were covered with natural forests of oaks. These forests played a vital role in the daily
lives and spiritual beliefs of the people living in them; and the fruit (the acorns) of
these trees was essential to their diet.
Standards:
Mathematics
- Measurement
and Geometry,
Social Science
Use the map worksheets to chart the oak forests now and from 150 years ago. Have
students use different colors to show where different species of trees are found, or
select just one species to investigate. Show current woodlands on one map and
historical forests on the other. Use the oak woodlands poster, Internet, and library to
conduct further research on Sacramento forests. Alternatively you can use a map of
Sacramento County only to do this exercise.
Host a class discussion to share the results of the research. Tell what changes, if any,
have occurred and how they came about. Discuss what effect these changes had on
the California Indians’ way of life. Be sure to include any major events that brought
about any changes (e.g. the Gold Rush, agriculture, and suburban growth had a
huge impact). Finally brainstorm what is being done today, if anything, to preserve
oak trees. Have students share what they can do, individually and collectively, to
safeguard today’s forests.
Have students write an essay summarizing their findings.
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The evaporation from a large
oak tree is from 10 to 25
gallons in 24 hours.
Seed to Seedling
Activity 10 Forest worksheet
1850
Today
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Oak Forest Worksheet Answer Key
This activity is challenging because there is little information about the original
extent of oak ranges before the 1850s to use as a baseline. However, we do know
that most of the land used for agriculture, ranching, and urban uses has been cleared
of native oak trees at some point in the last 150 years. Our best estimates are that
less than 10% of the riparian valley oak forests remain as isolated fragments of
what existed in 1850. 99% of the valley oak woodlands that existed prior to 1850
have been lost. The interior live oaks that grew along the rivers in the foothills were
impacted by mining and dam construction, which resulted in the conversion of live
oak forestland to agriculture downstream and drown the forests under reservoirs.
Increasing suburban growth in the foothill areas has impacted interior live and blue
oaks. The accompanying maps are our best estimates of what the forest used to be
like in 1850 and now.
1850
Today
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Seed to Seedling
Activity 11 - Ringing in
Another Year
Standards:
Science Life Sciences
Tree rings tell us much more than just a tree’s age. They basically tell the tree’s
life story.
Every year a tree adds another layer of wood to the trunk. This layer tells everything
that happened to the tree during that year. It can tell us if the tree got enough water,
if it was in a fire or flood, if it was under attack from a disease or insects, and more.
The tree rings consist of six parts.
• Outer bark – protects the tree from insects, disease, extreme temperatures,
and other injuries.
• Cambium – a thin layer of growing cells just inside the bark. It’s the only part
of the tree trunk that is alive.
• Phloem – the inner bark which carries sugar made in the leaves and needles
down to the branches, trunks, and roots where it’s converted into food for the
tree.
• Xylem or sapwood – the layer that carries the sap (water, nitrogen, and
mineral nutrients) back up from the roots to the leaves. Sapwood gives a tree
its strength.
• Growth ring – the lighter part is called the early wood (because it grows in
the spring) and the darker portion called late wood (this grows in summer).
Together they represent one year of growth. This shows the tree’s age.
• Heartwood – this layer develops as the tree ages. It contains sapwood that no
longer carries sap. It gives the tree trunk support and stiffness.
The study of tree rings to discover natural history is called dendrochronology.
There are several resources you can use to get deeper into the study of tree rings that
are teacher and student friendly. They even have example tree rings that you can
experiment with online! We recommend starting out with these web sites:
• University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree Ring Research –
http://tree.ltrr.arizona.edu/
• Ultimate Tree Ring Web Pages – http://web.utk.edu/%7Egrissino/
Seed to Seedling
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Activity 11 Tree Ring Worksheet
Name:______________________________________________________
Label the parts of the tree ring below.
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Seed to Seedling
Tree Ring Answer Key
Sapwood (Xylem)
Phloem
Heartwood
Cambim
Outer bark
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Activity 12 - Urban Forests and
the Air We Breathe
The collective tree canopy in cities and towns is called the urban forest. This canopy
our communities by offering shade, lowering the heat index, protecting us from the
sun’s harmful rays, and cleaning up air and water pollution.
Pollution is one of the most harmful things humans inflict on trees, and ourselves.
People create air pollution through the use of automobiles, incinerators, fireplaces
and wood burning stoves, products containing chlorofluorocarbons (used in
refrigerators and air conditioners), agriculture burning, factories, and processing
plants. They all contribute to what we call smog.
Standards:
Science Life Science,
Physical Science,
Investigation and
Experimentation
Despite being harmed by smog, trees help clean the air that we breathe. They make
the air under and around them healthier for all living creatures by filtering dust and
other particles from the air. Trees also use the carbon dioxide produced by cars and
industry in the photosynthetic* process (the process used by plants to turn sugar into
food for growth.)
We can do a lot to help reduce air pollution and make the air healthier for all
living things. The trees are doing their part, we should too. We’ll all
breathe easier.
A couple of things to keep in mind when you are thinking
about going outside on days when the air quality index
(AQI) is in the 101 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) to
250 (very unhealthy) range.
Two of the important benefits
of the urban forest is energy
conservation and clean air.
101 – Limit intense exercise for asthmatics.
151 – All kids should be outdoors
less, asthmatics should stay
indoors.
201 – Restrict outdoor activity or
cancel sporting events for all.
Make a list of ways you, your
family, classmates, and friends can
help reduce pollution of all kinds.
Use the list to complete a chart
on what needs to be done, what
you did, and how you did it.
34
*The chemical equation for photosynthesis
6H2O + 6CO2 --> C6H12O6+ 6O2
(Translation - six molecules of water plus
six molecules of carbon dioxide produce
one molecule of sugar plus six molecules
of oxygen.)
Seed to Seedling
Activity 12 Pollution Solution Chart
Name:_________________________________________________________________
Problem
Seed to Seedling
Solution
Method Used
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Activity 13 - TreeCycle
Trees seem so permanent that sometimes we forget they all started out small as seeds
and will someday die. Trees, like all living things, go through this life cycle in which
they sprout, grow, reproduce, age, undergo injury and disease, and die.
Hold a class discussion about life cycles, using a person as an example. Discuss the
types of events that happen and the roles the person plays over their life.
Then have the students label the tree life cycle diagram with the different stages in
a tree’s life. Have them write events that happen to each tree as it moves from one
stage to another. You may also have them add the roles the tree plays in the forest
ecosystem at each stage of its life.
Seed – The seed is the fruit of a tree that contains the energy to get a sprout
established with leaves and roots. Many types of wildlife depend on seeds as a large
part of their diets. Few of the seeds produced ever survive to become mature trees.
Seedling – The seedling is a small tree that has just sprouted and is usually less than
one year old and less than three feet tall. Some seedlings are eaten by meadow mice,
deer, rabbits, and other rodents.
Sapling – The sapling is a young tree. The time it takes a tree to reach maturity
depends on the growing conditions and species of the tree. Many oaks will reach
maturity in 40-120 years from the time they sprout. Young trees provide some shade
and produce oxygen and food for wildlife.
Mature Oak – The mature oak is the king of the forest, providing shade, beauty,
shelter, and oxygen for the community. They produce the seeds that feed wildlife.
The leaves, bark, flowers, and roots also provide food for many animals. After the tree
matures, it starts to decline and slowly is impacted by diseases, pests, and injuries.
Dead Tree – The dead tree still provides homes, shelter, and food storage for wildlife.
Birds roost on the branches to see their prey in the fields below. Fungi and insects
also begin to break down the tree as they begin the decay process.
Rotting Log – After the tree falls, its wood is returned to the soil by fungi and insects.
The nutrients are then used by new seeds to grow into another generation of oak tree.
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Seed to Seedling
Standards:
Life Sciences: 3c
Extensions:
Compare and
contrast the
tree life cycle to
other types of
cycles (animal life
cycles, human life
cycle, water cycle).
See Project
Learning Tree
activity 79 for
more activities
about life cycles.
Have students
write an
autobiography from
a tree’s point of
view.
Activity 13 - TreeCycle Worksheet
Name:_________________________________________________________________
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TreeCycle Answer Key
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Seed to Seedling
Poster/Essay Contest
Each year the Sacramento Tree Foundation has a poster and essay contest for the
Seed to Seedling participants to capture what they learned. The winning entries are
published in the Sacramento Tree Foundation newsletter and prizes are awarded in
several categories.
Tree Foundation staff select a theme for the contest and a panel of judges to pick
the winners. We recommend that 1st and 2nd grade classes do drawings for the poster
contest and 3rd and 4th grades do essays for the essay contest.
Poster Content rules
Only 1 entry per participant
Posters and essays must relate to
the theme of the contest
Posters and essays should be
turned in at the end of the final
presentation to the classes
All entries must be created by
a student who is currently in a
Seed to Seedling class
Seed to Seedling
All entries must be signed in
the lower right-hand corner of
the front with the student’s first
and last name.
Entries may be done in marker,
crayon, watercolor, ink, acrylic,
colored pencil, or tempera
paint. No collages, computer
generated, or computer printed
artwork.
Entries must be no smaller than
8 1/2” x 11” and no larger than
14” x 18”.
Entries must be done on paper
that will allow for duplication
and display
Entries must be flat, and should
not be matted, mounted,
framed, or folded.
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Resources
Books
Primary- elementary
The Oak Tree by Laura Jane Coats
Picturing events that take place near an oak tree, in time intervals of two hours, from
6 a.m. one day to 6 a.m. the next.
The Oak Tree by Gordon Morrison
This narrative describes the white oak, its growth, and the animals that live in and
feed off it. It describes the tree’s inhabitants and its full life cycle.
The Acorn and the Oak by Lori C. Froeb
Readers follow an acorn as it falls off the old oak tree, takes root, goes through some
hard times, and becomes a big, strong oak.
A Log’s Life by E. Wendy Pfeffer
An introduction to the life, death, and decay of an oak tree. The simple text presents
a complex cast of characters: woodpeckers, squirrels, and porcupines to carpenter
ants, millipedes, slugs, and fungi residing in or on the living tree as well as the
decomposing log.
The Gift of the Tree by Alvin R. Tresselt (originally published as The Dead Tree)
A tribute to the mighty oak tree, focusing on its majesty in maturity, through gradual
decline to final decay. The interdependence of plant and animal life is clearly evident,
including both those that seek its shelter and those that hasten the decaying process
to prepare the soil for new life.
Are Trees Alive? By Debbie S. Miller
The author uses comparison to the human body to describe the characteristics of
trees. She compares the veins of a leaf to those in a person’s hand, tree trunks support
the tree as our legs support us, and that “Bark is dark or light, rough or smooth, thick
or thin, just like people’s skin.”
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Seed to Seedling
Resources
Pedro y su roble by Claude Levert - Pedro learns about the seasons as he spends them
with his tree.
Marcie the Marvelous Tree by Tree Musketeers - A story by kids for kids who want to
change the world.
In a Nutshell by Joeseph Anthony - A beautiful book about the life of an oak tree.
Older students-adult
Oak: The Frame of Civilization by William Bryant Logan
Oaks of California by Bruce Pavlik, Pamela Muick, and Sharon Johnson
The Natural History of the Oak Tree by Richard Lewington and David Streeter
The Man who Planted Trees by Jean Giono
Websites
Sacramento Tree Foundation - www.sactree.com
Info on trees that do well in Sacramento, games, publications, and tree care information
Project Learning Tree - www.plt.org
A host of activities for teachers and classes to learn about trees
California Oak Foundation - www.californiaoaks.org
Info on the current status of oaks in California
Natural Inquirer - www.naturalinquirer.usda.gov
Great games and activities for kids to learn about the urban forest
National Arbor Day Foundation Kid’s Pages - http://www.arborday.org/kids/carly/
Interactive site with games and more
Treelink - http://www.treelink.org/
Excellent resource for research and current events
Center for Urban Forest Research - http://cufr.ucdavis.edu/
Technical articles and studies on the benefits of trees
Seed to Seedling
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Websites continued
Tree Musketeers - http://www.treemusketeers.org
An organization to motivate kids to change the world!
University of Illinois Kids Tree Pages - http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kids/
Fun presentations all about trees
California Digital Conservation Atlas - http://atlas.resources.ca.gov/atlas/app.asp
Create interactive maps of habitats and much more!
This project made possible
by a generous grant from:
Sacramento Tree Foundation
201 Lathrop Way, Suite F
Sacramento, California 95815
Telephone: (916) 924-TREE (8733)
Fax:
(916) 924-3803
E-Mail:
[email protected]