Trees

As we have been learning in class, trees are a very important part of our environment. My grandmother used to call trees nature's air conditioner because trees provide shade and relief from the sun's heat and harmful rays. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide, and in turn, replenish the atmosphere with oxygen for us to breathe. In addition, trees beautify nature with their different colored leaves, flowers, fruits and shapes. Trees have been in existence for over 400 million years and are the world's largest living creatures. Pretty cool, wouldn't you agree? Trees come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. There are an abundance of tree species around the world. Some 70,000 species of trees have been identified! There are two major types of trees: conifers and deciduous. As you may remember conifers trees are cone bearing, with most leaves being long, thin and needle-like and deciduous trees are those that lose their leaves for part of the year.

RESEARCH PROJECT As a way to report on your research of trees you will be completing a project incorporating a Web 2.0 application that will allow you to create a trading card. It is important that you follow all of the safety rules when using computers to both complete your research and when creating the final projects.Click here to navigate to the project page. WEBSITES The websites below will help to reinforce, enhance and challenge your study of trees. [|A Walk in the Woods]- a fun interactive exploration of what you can find taking a walk in the woods. This site is maintained by the University of Illinois Extension. [|Exploring the Secret Life of Trees]- another fun interactive exploration about the life of a tree. This site is maintained by the University of Illinois Extension. [|The Tree Game]- an interactive, fun, informative game from Wonderville.ca that will challenge your knowledge about trees. See first-hand how environmental conditions such as drought, infestation, competition, slope and fire affect the growth of trees. [|The Life of a Tree-] a wonderful interactive learning tool from the National Arbor Day Foundation explaining the different stages and parts of a tree. [|Majestic Trees]- another wonderful interactive learning tool from the National Arbor Day Foundation that highlights some of the most majestic trees found in the United States. [|What Tree is That?-]put your tree idenitifcation skills to the test by launching this interactive animation. There also is a printed version of this activity available. This site is maintained by the National Arbor Day Foundation. [|What Tree Is It?-] a fun website that will help you identify trees by the leaf, fruit or name. This site is maintained by the Ohio Division of Forestry. [|Web Rangers-] see what scientists can learn by studying the rings inside a tree. [|Massachusetts State Tree-] learn about the state tree of Massachusetts. [|USNA-State Trees & Flowers]- a list of all the state trees and flowers in the United States. [|Forest Layers-] take an interactive walk though a forest to see the connection between the trees and other parts of nature. A great resource to remind us about the chain of life! [|Where is the Wood]?- a fun interactive acitivty that asks you to identify objects in a picture that are made from wood. Click on the tag and learn more about the origin of the item. [|The Lorax Game]- a fun game found on the Suessville website. I wonder how many trees you can save? [|What is a Tree]- an interactive book that shares basic information about trees. [|The Wishing Tree]- a fun interactive book from the BBC.