Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

25 minutes	Tune In - What is a tree?
35 minutes	Find Out - Select your story tree
45 minutes	Take Action - Grow your story tree
15 minutes	Reflection and next steps

Tune In - What is a tree?

Step 1.

Begin this lesson by sketching a large, simple line-drawing of a tree on a large sheet of paper (see example below). Invite students to identify it and suggest what’s missing. Label key parts of the tree: trunk, branches, leaves, roots.

Step 2.

Ask students to create their own line-drawing of a tree. Ask them to keep it as simple lines and shapes. Hold them up - What do you notice about everyone’s trees? Reinforce students’ skills in observation, pattern-finding, and uniqueness. Share some information about Schools Tree Day and the importance of connecting with our environment.

Step 3.

Propose a question to students - How might this drawing of a tree actually be the secret to writing stories? Wait for some responses. Ask students to take their drawing and turn it to the right, on its side. The drawings now symbolise a story pathway!

Roots - are your ideas and inspiration for growing your story
Trunk - is the core focus of your story
Branches and wildlife - are the events and characters of your story
Leaves - are the little descriptions and details of your story

Stories commonly have three elements: the plot, character(s), and setting.

Stories also usually have three stages: the orientation (a scenario), the complication (a problem or challenge), and the resolution (an ending or outcome).

Close out this part of the lesson by announcing to students that we’re going to choose a tree in our local environment to make into a story, using this knowledge and our skills with storytelling and writing. Students should take a copy of the Student Worksheet and a pen/pencil.

Take your students outside to a predetermined location, and once settled, brief them on their next task.

Find Out - Select your story tree

Step 1.

Remind students that stories and trees are about finding a connection. Ask students to look at our trees and consider the stories they could tell. Suggest it could also be about native wildlife and how they connect with a tree. Some useful reference points to guide student thinking are:

An average tree grows roughly one metre per year. Looking at the tree’s height, can you get a sense of a tree’s age? How big might your tree or story be?
A tree’s root system roughly spreads 1.5 times the size of the tree. Looking at the size of your tree upwards and outwards, can you imagine what’s below the ground? This idea can link to the students’ stories: the hard work of gathering nutrients from the tree is like gathering ideas to grow a story.

Step 2.

Invite students to begin using their observational skills – looking, thinking, finding patterns and unique qualities – to find a tree that speaks to their ideas for a story. Consider

The tree’s height, age, size: does it have a story from a long time ago to tell? Is it still growing and adapting?
The tree’s texture, branches, features and the wildlife that connects to it: look for scratch marks, spider webs, and animal droppings around the tree.
The tree’s relationship to its environment and elements: other trees, structures, and the seasons. The role of water, earth, and sunlight.

Students capture their ideas and descriptions on the Student Worksheet. They might also sketch the tree or take a photo (if they have accessible devices). Encourage students to take time to observe and reflect on what they see and sense about their tree. You may suggest they use some controlled breathing to help relax and focus. Have students help each other out with ideas and observations.

Differentiation:

‘A place to grow’ You may extend some students by having them look for a space for a tree that’s not growing yet. What kind of tree would it be, and what kind of future might it have if it were to grow in that spot? Considering future growth would connect well with any tree planting activities the school might be engaging in as part of Schools Tree Day.

OPTION:

Return to your classroom or continue working outside in prompting students to now begin crafting the elements of their Story Tree. See Part C.

Take Action - Grow your story tree

Step 1.

Having gathered some ‘roots’ and made a series of observations and descriptions, and generated some story ideas, shift your students’ attention to beginning to craft their story. Remind them of the story structure elements used earlier and the key elements and stages of a story. They can use the scaffold in the Student Worksheet.

For example, prompt students to consider

What’s your tree’s central story? What was here when your tree started growing? What are your tree’s key characteristics?
What’s your tree’s relationship to other plants and animals? What kinds of wildlife rely on your tree? Might they only be visible at night?
How does your tree ‘feel’ based on what you’ve observed? What emotions and physical textures can you use about your tree?

Step 2.

Students can work individually or in pairs (if they have some ‘big’ stories). They can also use photos or illustrations to help narrate their story.

Explain to students that each year in Australia, Planet Ark holds a National Tree Day to raise awareness about the value of trees and get involved in planting and caring for trees.

You may want to submit student stories to the Schools Tree Day competition. You can also share your experiences using the hashtag #nationaltreeday

Reflection and next steps

Invite students to work independently to respond to the following - available on the Student Worksheet:

Three things I found out about trees from this lesson that I find interesting:
Two questions I have about trees:
One hope for trees in the future:

Extension: Students could write up their stories in an online document to share with others, including peers. You might extend the impact of students’ stories by linking them to a QR code and pinning it to the tree itself.

One suggestion is to use QR-Code Monkey (https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/) to convert the online document address to a QR code. You might also use these stories as chapters that ‘grow’ as the next group of students builds on the story and adds to it.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Schools Tree Day - Australian Story Trees Explained

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