The Story of a Tree

Learners will practice observing and analyzing a tree and its parts, strengthening their ability to identify factors that can affect its form and growth. Through storytelling, they will practice cultivating empathy for a tree as they consider its life and the challenges it faces as a living organism.

In small groups, learners create a model of a tree trunk using bark rubbings and drawings of tree rings to show how the tree grew over time. They gather observations and, from those, come up with ideas about obstacles the tree might have faced. Then they write a story about how the tree changed over time. During a group share, they use storytelling to explain their ideas.