Content Area Instructional Toolbox
First Grade Unit
Living Things: Trees
SPED 656
Fall 2014
Camille Boden
Informative Digital Tool
Nature Walk
Students will be engaged and immersed in the study of autumn and of trees. After reading the book Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (1991) by Lois Ehlert and brainstorming how to use our five senses when describing fall, students will have the opportunity to leave their classroom and go on a nature walk. During the nature walk, students will each notice different things about fall and the trees. The class should stop, discuss, and photograph these experiences as they occur. Each child will decide which experience he or she wants to capture digitally.
Back in class, the teacher will present the photos taken on the nature walk. As each child’s picture is shown, the child has the opportunity to verbally express the experience. Students will record their voices describing their experiences, and later the teacher will attach the recordings to the pictures to form a digital story on Adobe Voice. This activity will not only help students explore their five senses and develop descriptive language, it will excite them as they get to see themselves transformed into “movie starts” and can share their performances on the “big screen” with their family and friends.
Other Option: What do Trees Provide?
In class, students will be broken up into groups and given about 10 objects to explore. Groups will work together to determine which objects do and do not come from trees. The class will then discuss and list items that come from trees that they use in their daily lives.
At home, students will be instructed to explore one room in their house or apartment and create a list of all the items that come from trees. They will then take a picture of an item of their choice and bring it in with the list (or e-mail it to the teacher). Back in school, the teacher will present a slideshow of all the students’ items and each child will have the opportunity to talk about their item. Students will write a short script about their item and one by one, record their voices into Adobe Voice. The teacher will match students’ voices with their pictures and the outcome will be a video describing how trees are so valuable because they provide us with natural everyday products.