Magic Tree House? Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Children will explore different kinds of tree houses and evaluate which ones they’d like to visit.

 

Science Focus:

Trees

 

CCSS:

SL.1.2 Discuss a video; L.1.4 Clarify words and phrases; RI.1.1 Key details; L.1.6 Use words acquired by responding to texts; RI.1.7 Use visuals; W.1.1 Opinion writing; RI.1.10 Read and discuss first-grade texts; L.1.1 Conventions of English when writing

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  • Watch our video Trees, Glorious Trees.
  • After watching, ask each child to tell a partner one new thing they learned. (SKILL: SL.1.2 Discuss a video)
  • Play the vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are camouflage, flexible, forest, and reflect. (SKILL: L.1.4 Clarify words and phrases)
  • Read the issue together.
  • Get kids up and moving with the Dance Break video.
  • Then project and discuss the reading checkpoint skill sheet. Later, children can fill in their own copies. (SKILL: RI.1.1 Key details)

Kids can build their own plant while learning plant parts in this fun game. (SKILL: L.1.6 Use words acquired by responding to texts)

  • Kids label the parts of a tree with this skill sheet. (SKILL: RI.1.7 Use visuals)
  • Kids write whether they would like to live in a tree house with this writing activity. (SKILL: W.1.1 Opinion writing)
Example of a completed skill sheet

Objective: Children will use their creativity and knowledge of engineering to plan a design for a tree house.

Materials: Design a Tree House skill sheet, pencils, crayons

  • Pass out the skill sheets. Before children begin their design plans, have a discussion to spark ideas. You can start by discussing the tree houses children saw in the magazine. What did each one look like? What was it made from?
  • Then discuss ideas for more tree houses and materials. For instance, you might use glass to build a see-through tree house, cloth to make a tent in a tree, or even tiles and a lot of water to make a tree house swimming pool!
  • Finally, have children use the skill sheet to describe their tree house, tell what they’d need to build it, and draw what the tree house would look like. (SKILLS: L.1.1 Conventions of English when writing)