Lesson Plan
Minnesota Department of Natural Resoures

Getting to Know Trees

For Teachers K Standards
Celebrate the beauty of trees with a packet full of activities designed to help kindergarteners get to know about their leafy nature friends. Covering a variety of subjects, scholars go on a nature hike, read Shel Silverstein's The...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Giving Tree

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore wants and needs. In this ecology and economics lesson, students listen to the story The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and compile a class list of what the boy got from the tree. Students categorize these items as...
Activity
PBS

Reading Adventure Pack: The Lorax

For Teachers K - 6th Standards
Accompany a reading of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and Tell Me, Tree by Gail Gibbons with an activity packet designed to bring awareness to nature, specifically trees. Scholars take to the outside, draw lines to create trees reminiscent of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Trees and Wood

For Teachers K
Students examine samples from various types of trees. In this trees and wood lesson, students review The Giving Tree and complete a KWL chart on trees.  Students brainstorm what we get from trees and view wood samples with hand...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Giving Tree

For Teachers K - 5th
Students investigate the virtue of kindness and giving by conducting a children's literature study of "The Giving Tree". They make a list of words to describe emotions in the story and write a journal daily while looking at the virtues...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gifts of Trees

For Teachers K - 5th
Students examine the various things trees give us. They read the book, "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, cook a food using a tree fruit, create notepads using unused paper, construct a picture frame with twigs, and write a poem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Tree is a Tree and a Lot More

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students listen as the teacher reads "The Giving Tree." they discuss all the things the tree gave the boy throughout his life. They discuss ways they benefit from trees. This studying culminates with a tree walk and planting a tree in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Speaking for the Trees

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students present a play based on The Lorax.In this environmental issues lesson, students read and discuss literature and complete activities pertaining to environmental stewardship.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants are Growing and Changing

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore living things. In this agriculture lesson, students read the book A Tree is a Plant and participate in an experiment to explore the patterns of change in living things. Students continue to observe the plant throughout...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Talking Trees

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate the ecosystem. In this environmental lesson, students read the book The Tree by Dana Lyons and list ways to save the trees. Students create a poster about saving the trees.
PPT
Positively Autism

"What to Expect at Christmas" Social Skill Story

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Holidays are less stressful if we know what to expect. Here's a social skills story that prepares learners with autism for the change in routines that holidays bring.
PPT
Positively Autism

"Visiting Family at Christmas" Social Skill Story

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Holidays bring their own special joys and stresses. Prepare learners on the autism spectrum for Christmas family get togethers using this social story that not only lets them know what may happen, but also details how they should...
Worksheet
1 plus 1 plus 1 equals 1

12 Days of Christmas 12 days of Christmas, Christmas, number sequence, numbers

For Students Pre-K - 1st
It's time to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with this fun set of full-color printables that would be ideal for early readers and counters during the holidays.
PPT
Positively Autism

"Getting Presents at Christmas" Social Skill Story

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Here's a social skills story about getting presents at Christmas. Not only does the story explain what to expect, but also details appropriate behaviors when opening and receiving gifts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Shredding We Will Go

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students take charge of a recycling project . In this environmental issues lesson, students manage a paper recycling project and use compost made from the recycled paper to beautify trees.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Talking Trees: Earth Day

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students complete a tree poster activity to learn about Earth Day, stewardship, and the environment. In this environmental stewardship instructional activity, students read The Story of the Tree and discuss stewardship with trees....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Apple a Day

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the Johnny Appleseed story. In this service learning lesson, students sequence the life cycle of apple trees and recognize how Johnny Appleseed worked as a philanthropist.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go, Johnny, Go!

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars become familiar with the story of Johnny Appleseed by reading, singing and creating a Johnny Appleseed hat. In this Johnny Appleseed instructional activity, students understand that Johnny Appleseed was a philanthropist...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tree-mendous Trees

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars become aware of the importance of trees in the natural world. Students are shown 2 filmstrips - Special Things About Trees and Tree Magic. Young scholars plants seeds. They, students predict the growing chart of tree...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Christmas Around the World

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students 'travel' around the world gathering Christmas traditions. In this Christmas tradition lesson students sing songs, listen to stories and legends, and make crafts associated with different Christmas traditions around the world....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Land is Your Land: Volunteering in the Community

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students discover what a Relief Office does. In this volunteer lesson, students investigate what a Relief Office does, and who helps run it. Students discuss ways he/she could become a volunteer.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Uses of Trees

For Teachers K
Students read and show how to perform leaf rubbing's as a class and individually. Students artistic sides are demonstrated within this instructional activity. Students correlate a variety of learning styles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Philanthropists

For Teachers K - 2nd
Pupils demonstrate how Native Americans were philanthropic. In this philanthropy lesson, students read Squanto's Journey and brainstorm ways that the Native Americans were helpful towards the Pilgrims. Pupils reflect on the long-term...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Giving an Outdoor Play

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students reenact a popular book while using their outdoor playground as the stage. In this dramatic interpretation lesson, students follow oral narration to act out events in a story. They use monkey bars as the setting for the story,...