Lesson Sketch for EDT 313

Individual completing this lesson plan:

Kathryn Dahlhausen

Lesson title: Tree Rings and Ages

Date that lesson was taught: April 14, 2015

Standards in 2 Domains:
Cognition and General Knowledge: Science: Make inferences, generalizations and explanations based on
evidence.
Language and Literacy: Expressive Language: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings and ideas
clearly.
Instructional objectives: list 2observable/measurable objectives for this lesson. Use precise language w/ action verbs.
The student will be able to:
1. Express observations about how a tree grows.
2.

Determine the age of a tree by counting the rings.

Experiences: Describe authentic (real life, hands-on not representational) materials and enticing/ creative experiences in
which children are actively engaged. Safety should be addressed if warranted.

The students will be presented with a tree cross section and will be asked to make observations. The
teacher will elicit a discussion about the students ages and birthdays. They will discuss how they know
when people are growing (ex. they get taller). The students will explain how they can tell when a tree is
growing. The teacher will then explain that you can count the rings on a tree cross section to find out how
old a tree is. They will count the rings together on a small tree cross section and determine the age of the
tree.

Evidence of student learning:

The students learning will be documented through listening to their responses during discussion and
observation of which students are able to count the rings on the tree cross section.