This activity is an indoor/outdoor activity that incorporates both literacy and scientific observation to make an ABC book based on Antler, Bear, Canoe by Betsy Bowen. Family participation is encouraged.

In this lesson, students are introduced to trees and the many things we commonly use that come from trees. Includes introductory movement activity, guided discussion, a matching game, and fun facts.

NGSS: Partially meets 1-LS1-1, 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2

Common Core: W.2.7, W.2.8

Time: 30 minutes

Materials: "Apples to Oregon" book and three paper lunch bags labled: wood, food, cellulose.

    During this lesson, students will learn more about their favorite authors by researching them on the Internet and presenting to the class, school, and community. Students will learn biographical information about their authors, the inspiration behind their stories and identify their authors’ different styles of writing.   

Want to know a secret? Flowers actually ‘talk’ to animals! This beautifully written and illustrated informational text is a delightful way to introduce the symbiotic relationship between plants and pollinators. Full of interesting facts and told from the perspective of a “prickly” cactus, this book will enlighten and entertain your audience.Grade Level: 2nd-5th Lexile Level: 570L Guided Reading Level: Q Genre: Informational Text

Tremendous Trees or Tree-mendous Trees encourages students to use inquisitive and creative behaviors, to think like a scientist. The module extends the Essential Strategies of Attributes and Questioning introduced in Kindergarten and First Grade. Students use questions to approach problems and identify attributes to sort, classify, and make inferences to create analogies on observational data about our world using this module for all students. The classroom teacher should work with a specialist or special educator to find or develop alternate activities or resources for visually impaired students, where appropriate.

In this lesson, students will investigate seeds and the process of seeds growing to become the food we eat. Includes activity instructions, extension activities, songs, and a vocabulary list.

NGSS: Partially meets 2-LS2-1, Extension activities meet 4-LS1-1, 5-LS-1

Common Core: W.2.7, W.2.8, Extension activities meet MD.K, MD.1, MD.2.1, MD.3.3, MD, 4.4, MD.5

Social Sciences: 3.12, 4.12

Time: 45 minutes

Materials: "Seed, Soil, Sun" or other book about seed germination and plant growth, clear plastic cups, paper cups, paper towels, seeds, water

In this lesson, students will investigate the miraculous process of air and water combining with seeds, soil, and sunlight to create nearly all the food we eat. Extension activities can take this a step further by encouraging kids to track growth rates of different seeds in an observation journal. Includes place-based connection, activity instructions, extension activities, songs, and vobaulary list.

NGSS: Partially meets 2-LS2-1, 1-LS1-1

Common Core: W.2.7, W.2.8, and MD.K, MD.1, MD.2.1, MD.3.3, MD.4.4, MD.5 with extension activities.

Time: 45 minutes

Materials: "One Bean" book or other book about plant germination, clear plastic cups, paper cups, paper towels, seeds, and water.

Students are seperated into three groups, and over the course of 3 weeks will feel first hand what it felt like to be segregated against

This unique book is a love letter written as a poem from the author, Shabazz Larkin, to his two sons. This artist, author, and activist is learning to overcome his fear of our most amazing pollinators --bees! With careful research and experiences with his sons, Larkin is learning to be fearless and wants to teach kids to be brave when facing their fears.Lexile Level: Not availableGuided Reading Level: Not availableGenre: FictionPre-Reading

In this lesson, students will investigate how trees change by the season. Includes discussion of techniques for identifying trees, journaling changes that take place over time for the same tree throughout the school year, a list of vocabulary, a field guid to identifying trees, and a tree journal worksheet for students.

NGSS: Partially meets 2-LS4-1

Common Core: W.2.7, W.2.8, 2.MD.D.10

Social Sciences: 3.12, 4.12

Time: 1 hour initially, then 30-40 minute lessons through the seasons

Materials: "The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree" book, My Tree Journal pages (included), pencils, colored pencils, and clipboards.

FreeReading is an open source instructional program that helps educators teach early literacy. Because it is open source, it represents the collective wisdom of a wide community of teachers and researchers. FreeReading contains Writing Activities, a page of activities to address important writing skills and strategies.