Topic

Program of
Studies

Life in the
Forest

Science 6-10
-Describe
characteristics of
trees and the
interaction of trees
with other living
things in the
environment
1. Identify reasons why
trees and forests are
valued. Students
meeting this
expectation
should be aware that
forests serve as habitat
for a variety of living
things
2.Describekindsof
plantsandanimals
foundlivingon,under
andamongtrees;and
identifyhowtrees
affectandareaffected
bythoselivingthings
4.Identifygeneral
characteristicsthat
distinguishtreesfrom
otherplants,and
characteristicsthat
distinguishdeciduous
fromconiferoustrees.
6.Describeandclassify
leafshapes

Science 6-9
Applyknowledge
oftheproperties
andinteractionsof

Student Activity
Activity 1:
-Over the course of two lessons,
the class will explore a
deciduous and coniferous forest
within walking distance from the
school
-They will begin by sitting
silently for 5 minutes at each site
to observe (smell, see and hear)
the life that exists within these
forests
-They will gather information
about these trees using leaf
rubbing, tree coring, plant counts
and bark rubbing.
-This information will contribute
to the evidence that will allow
them to differentiate between
conifer and deciduous forests
-They will also gather evidence
of other life by taking plaster
molds of footprints, rubbing
other shrubs and plants, looking
for habitats, collecting scat and
hair samples

Resources

Duration

Assessment

-Tree corer
-Measuring tape
-Worksheet
-Crayons
-Plaster of Paris
-Collection Bag
-Binoculars

3 hours in
each forest
(6 hours)

Formative Assessment: At the end of

each forest activity students will hand
in an exit card with a personal reflection
of their time in the forest. This will
include anything that touched them
personally, intellectually or a question
they came up with while exploring.
Summative Assessment: Worksheets
will be glued into the forest fire journals
and they will be marked for their
completeness.

materialstothe
investigationand
identificationofa
materialsample.

1.Recognizeevidence
ofrecenthuman
activity,andrecognize
evidenceofanimal
activityinanatural
outdoorsetting.
2.Observeasetof
footprints,andinferthe
directionandspeedof
travel.

Art(5/6)
Component1
ANALYSIS:
Studentswillstudy
andanalyzethe
individual
characterof
naturalobjectsor
forms
A
representation
of life in the
forest

Art(5/6)
Component1
ANALYSIS:
Studentswillstudy
andanalyzethe
individual
characterof
naturalobjectsor
forms

A Deeper

Science 6-10

-Upon their return to the class,

students will create a collage
representation with their
rubbings for each individual
forest
-These representations will be
individual and represent their
observations and feelings from
each individual forest
Activity 3

-Thick Paper
-Paint
-Different texture
materials
-Glue

1 hour

Summative Assessment: The art

project will be included in the forest fire
journal and lightly weighted for
summative assessment. The teacher will
look for evidence of each forest within
the appropritate forest representation
and the inclusion of more than one
piece of evidence.

-1 or 2 GPS units per

3 hours

Formative Assessment: Students will

Understanding
of Forest Life

-Describe
characteristics of
trees and the
interaction of trees
with other living
things in the
environment
1. Identify reasons why
trees and forests are
valued. Students
meeting this
expectation
should be aware that
forests serve as habitat
for a variety of living
things
2.Describekindsof
plantsandanimals
foundlivingon,under
andamongtrees;and
identifyhowtrees
affectandareaffected
bythoselivingthings
4.Identifygeneral
characteristicsthat
distinguishtreesfrom
otherplants,and
characteristicsthat
distinguishdeciduous
fromconiferoustrees.
7.Interpretthegrowth
patternofayoungtree,
distinguishingthis
yearsgrowthfromthat
ofthepreviousyearand
fromtheyearbefore
that.Studentsmeeting
thisexpectationshould
recognizedifferencesin
colourationandtexture
ofnewgrowthandold
growth,andlocatescars
thatseparateoldand

-Students will form groups

-They will be given a quick lesson
on how to use personal GPS units
and an opportunity to practice
-They will be given worksheets
with questions regarding life in the
forest (e.g. lightning scars on
trees, fungus, squirrel nests etc.)
-The answers to these questions
will be hidden within a small
forest close to the school
-The answers will be marked on
the map with GPS coordinates.
-Groups will be responsible for
locating each answer and
completing the worksheet
-Once every group has completed
the GPS hunt, the group will come
together to ensure everyone found
the correct answers and to reflect
on their time in the forest.

group
-1 radio per group and
1 for each adult
-Set up scavenger hunt
answers before the
class, plug the
coordinates into each
personal GPS unit
-Create a map that has
the GPS locations of all
the answer sheets
-There should be at
least one copy of the
map per group
-Each individual
student should have a
copy of the question
sheet

go over the worksheet in class to ensure

everyone is on the same page. This will
be glued in the forest fire journal. Also,
students will hand in an exit card with a
reflection of the most interesting thing
they learned during the GPS scavenger
hunt.

newgrowth
9.Identifyhuman
actionsthatenhanceor
threatentheexistence
offorests.

SocialStudies5
5.1.1value
Canadasphysical
geographyand
natural
environment:
appreciatehowthe
landsustains
communitiesandthe
diversewaysthat
peoplehaveofliving
withtheland(GC,
LPP)
demonstratecareand
concernforthe
environmentthrough
theirchoicesand
actions(GC,LPP)