Language Arts Essay

This topic will provide students with an interactive method of learning numeracy, literacy, inquiry and responsibility within the environment in which we live (Rice & Wilson, 1999). It gives ample leeway for creating lessons within the subject areas of Science, Mathematics, Language Arts, and Social Studies. Such a unit will make students aware of the place and role of trees in the environment. It will also enhance their knowledge of the structure and function of trees as living things. Students will also understand how humans depend on trees in the environment and also how the activities of humans have adversely affected the environment in the past. Finally, it will make students aware of how their individual actions toward trees can improve the state of the environment. Overall Expectations: 1. Students will learn how trees grow. 2. Students will learn the uses that humans have for trees. 3. Students will explore what humans and trees have in common. 4. Students will learn size and texture comparisons from parts of trees. 5. Students will learn how to count using tree limbs, leaves, and other tree parts. 6. Students will learn numeracy and estimation by exploring how many more limbs are possessed by one tree over another. 7. Students will learn vocabulary and how to construct sentences about trees. 8. Students will learn about forests and how they have been harmed by humans in the past Specific Expectations Integrated Science Students will be expected to make connections between trees and the things in their lives made from trees. They will be expected to be able to tell the facts about trees. Such prompts will be given to allow them to name such characteristics as size, colour, and the different parts of a tree that they are familiar with. Student will also be expected to learn observation and note-taking skills as part of the scientific process. Mathematics Students should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of counting objects and of the fact that one number represents on object via counting branches, leaves, and other parts of trees. They are also expected to be able to perform arithmetic operations of adding and subtracting using tree icons as computational tools. Students are also expected to learn (or reinforce knowledge of) descriptors such as larger, longer, bigger, taller, thinner, and other comparisons. Language Arts Students are expected to learn vocabulary connected with trees and to recognize them as sight words. They are expected to make connections between trees, their parts, animals and humans, and should be able to construct simple sentences that explain facts about them. Students should also be able to recognize and properly use comparative adjectives such as tall and taller, thin and thinner, long and longer, etc. Specific Expectations Students will be expected to be able to understand the interactions of humans and animals with trees. They should be able to name such things that they have seen in trees, such as birds nests and squirrels. They will then be expected to understand whether trees are alive or dead and required to say why they have answered in a specific way.