Day
Read Aloud
“How a Tree Makes Its Food” 7
Key Idea With the help of sunlight, water, minerals from soil, and chlorophyll,
a tree can make food for itself.
Learning Focus
RI.2.3
Students listen closely to describe the connection between a series of scientific ideas.
3 minutes
Previewing the Text
How a Tree Makes Its Food
A tree can make its own food. It makes its food in its leaves. This food helps the tree to grow
strong.
What a Tree Needs to Make Food
Who would like to share what this selection will teach us?
7 minutes
Close Listening to the Text
When I read about scientific ideas, I usually have some questions about how the ideas connect
to each other. I’m going to reread the beginning again, and then continue to read a bit more.
As I read, listen closely and think about the connections between the ideas. Ask yourself how
one idea leads to another.
A tree needs five things to make food. A tree needs soil. It needs water. It needs light from
the sun. A tree needs a gas called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is found in the air. As well as
carbon dioxide, a tree needs chlorophyll to make food. Chlorophyll is found in the leaves of trees.
Chlorophyll makes the leaves of the tree green.
A Tree in Fall
By fall, the chlorophyll in the leaves is used up. When there is no green chlorophyll in the tree’s
leaves, the leaves turn red, orange, yellow, and purple. Then these leaves turn brown. They fall off
the tree.
If the tree is an evergreen tree, it will keep its leaves all winter.
A Tree in Winter
In some places, the winter is very cold. It is so cold that the ground freezes. When the ground
is frozen, the tree’s roots cannot draw up water and minerals from the ground.
Mondo Bookshop Grade 2 • Theme 3 1
From what I just read, I understand that a tree needs certain things to make its own food: soil,
water, light, carbon dioxide, and chlorophyll. And I see the connection between sunlight and
chlorophyll in the green leaves and food for the tree. Now I’m wondering about the connection
with the seasons. I see that in the fall, the chlorophyll is used up in the leaves, and the leaves
turn brown, yellow, and other colors then fall from the tree. When we make connections
between scientific ideas, we can deepen our understanding of the text.
As you listen, keep thinking about the way in which a tree gets food. Remember to think about
the connection between food and the growth of a tree. Who can remind us what happened to
the tree in the winter when the ground was frozen?
In winter, the sun does not shine strongly. Without enough sunlight, water, minerals, or chlorophyll,
the tree cannot make food. Without food, the tree does not grow.
A Tree in Spring and Summer
In spring, the tree grows new roots. The roots draw up water and minerals into the tree. The tree
also grows new green leaves. The tree makes food in these new leaves. The tree grows bigger and
taller, with new branches.
All summer, the tree makes food in its new leaves.
What made the tree stop growing?
Yes, the tree can’t grow in a cold winter. What happens when the weather gets warmer in spring?
Can anyone else add to that?
Discussing the Text
10 minutes
As I read the text, I began to understand that there is a connection between the times when a
tree can make food for itself and the times when it can grow. Who can share what happens to a
tree in the spring and summer?
What happens when a tree loses its leaves in autumn?
Who can describe what a tree looks like when it is not making food?
How does a tree follow a cycle?
2 Plant Life Cycles
Day
Read Aloud
“How a Tree Makes Its Food” 8
LEARNING FOCUSES
RI.2.3, RI.2.6
Students listen closely to describe the connection between a series of scientific ideas or concepts.
They also identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain,
or describe.
3 minutes
Reflecting on the Text
Let’s review the way a tree gets food so it can grow. Think quietly about the things a tree needs
to make food. Who’d like to share their thinking?
What is the connection between a tree and sunlight?
7 minutes
Close Listening to the Text
As I reread “How a Tree Makes Its Food” for you today, think about what the author wanted
to express by writing the text. This is the main purpose. Pay attention to the details the author
includes as a way to understand the author’s purpose.
How a Tree Makes Its Food
A tree can make its own food. It makes its food in its leaves. This food helps the tree to grow
strong.
What a Tree Needs to Make Food
A tree needs five things to make food. A tree needs soil. It needs water. It needs light from
the sun. A tree needs a gas called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is found in the air. As well as
carbon dioxide, a tree needs chlorophyll to make food. Chlorophyll is found in the leaves of trees.
Chlorophyll makes the leaves of the tree green.
A Tree in Fall
By fall, the chlorophyll in the leaves is used up. When there is no green chlorophyll in the tree’s
leaves, the leaves turn red, orange, yellow, and purple. Then these leaves turn brown. They fall off
the tree.
If the tree is an evergreen tree, it will keep its leaves all winter.
Mondo Bookshop Grade 2 • Theme 3 1
I noticed a lot of interesting details the author included. For example, a tree makes food from
its leaves. In the spring, when new leaves grow, a tree makes lots of food for itself. But when
a tree’s supply of chlorophyll dries up, the leaves dry up and fall off the tree. I noticed how
the author is giving lots of details about how the tree goes through different steps in different
seasons. Maybe this is why the author wrote the piece.
As you listen, keep thinking about the author’s main purpose. Focus on the information the
author explains about a tree and its food supply.
A Tree in Winter
In some places, the winter is very cold. It is so cold that the ground freezes. When the ground
is frozen, the tree’s roots cannot draw up water and minerals from the ground.
In winter, the sun does not shine strongly. Without enough sunlight, water, minerals, or chlorophyll,
the tree cannot make food. Without food, the tree does not grow.
It sounds like winter is tough on trees. What explanation does the author give for why a tree
doesn’t get food in winter?
Who can tell about a connection between a tree’s leaves and the lack of water, sunlight, and
chlorophyll in fall and winter?
How does the author describe the difference between evergreen trees and other trees?
As I reread the last section, pay attention to the details the author shares and consider possible
connections between scientific ideas about the tree. What does the author explain about how a
tree uses water and minerals?
A Tree in Spring and Summer
In spring, the tree grows new roots. The roots draw up water and minerals into the tree. The tree
also grows new green leaves. The tree makes food in these new leaves. The tree grows bigger and
taller, with new branches.
All summer, the tree makes food in its new leaves.
What do the roots do?
What do the leaves do?
Why is chlorophyll important?
Discussing the Text
10 minutes
Who wants to share their ideas about the author’s purpose?
What details tell you this?
So it sounds like the author included a lot of information about how trees grow, how they use
things to grow, and how the changing seasons affect trees’ growth.
2 Plant Life Cycles