KS2 - English - Tree Tales

Download our KS2 English - Tree Tales Worksheet Here

Learning Objectives

Writing:

- Composition: writing about real events

Resources

- Field Studies Council Tree id guide, Collins Tree Guide, the Forestry Commission Tree Stories publication.

- Pens, pencils, paper.

NB – if none of the tree species are found in the school grounds, a sapling can easily and cheaply be purchased to plant by the class as part of the lesson. Blankets to sit on for creative writing exercise.

Introduction

Show the class the Tree Stories publication and pictures of the species featured.

Ask if the children can recall if any of the trees that are written about in their school grounds – if they do, ask the children to discuss its characteristics, height, size, leaf shapes and colours, if they know of the fruit of the tree.

Suggest to the class they make their own tree stories, based on a tree found in their school grounds.

In order to do so, explain they will need to know more about that tree and have a closer look.

Activity - Leaf Man Leaves School

Divide the class into two groups.

Take the groups around the school grounds, and see if the class can identify one of the species. One group should use the flow chart on the Field Studies Council guide to correctly identify the tree.

The second group should then locate the tree in the Collins Tree Guide, and select and read facts about the tree to the class.

Read aloud the corresponding story from the collection of stories. Ask the children to discuss the story, specifically if they recognised any of the facts from the Collins Tree Guide occurring within the story.

Discuss together how each of the books are describing the same topic, but in different ways, and explain the meaning of the word ‘genre’. Ask the class to discuss and identify other genres and types of literature.

Distribute pens and pencils and ask the children to write their own short tree story. It should include a character, a description of the tree and a fact, real or imagined, about the tree, and be no longer than a page.

Allow the children to write creatively.

Extension Activity

Looking at the illustrations, pictures and diagrams within the books, on a separate page, ask the children to create an illustration of the tree, the leaf and the fruit of the tree to include with their story, specifically referencing the chosen fact that was mentioned within their story.