Grow Up Great
Note: Children will need to bring in photos from home, or you can have children draw pictures of various people in their families.
Note: Prior to the start of the lesson, cut out one tree trunk and several leaves to use for your demonstration.
A tree is a large plant that has a long stem, or trunk, that support the leaves or needles and the branches. A tree also has roots that dig deep into the ground and provide the tree with nutrients and water that it absorbs upward. Some trees always have green leaves or needles and keep most of their leaves and needles all of the time; they are called evergreen trees. Other trees lose their leaves or needles every year, typically during the winter season. These trees are called deciduous trees.
These lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards ("CCSS"). The CCSS provide a consistent, clear understanding of the concepts and skills children are expected to learn and guide teachers to provide their students with opportunities to gain these important skills and foundational knowledge.**
A tree is a large plant that has a long stem, or trunk, that support the leaves or needles and the branches. A tree also has roots that dig deep into the ground and provide the tree with nutrients and water that it absorbs upward. Some trees always have green leaves or needles and keep most of their leaves and needles all of the time; they are called evergreen trees. Other trees lose their leaves or needles every year, typically during the winter season. These trees are called deciduous trees.
A family tree is typically a chart representing family relationships on a tree structure. Family trees are often presented with the oldest generations at the top and the newer generations at the bottom. An ancestry chart, which is also a tree, shows an individual’s ancestors. Family trees can vary in who they include. They can include only immediate family members, or they can show many generations of family members.
- Talking about families to young children can be a sensitive topic. Make sure to be aware of differences in families.
- If you have a digital camera, you can take pictures of children’s family members when they come to pick up or drop off their children at school and print them for this activity.
- Me and My Family Tree by Paul Showers
- Your Family Tree by Nuria Roca
- The Family Book by Todd Parr
- My Family Tree by Margaret Wang
While we believe that the books and resources recommended may be of value to you, keep in mind that these are suggestions only and you must do your own due diligence to determine whether the materials are appropriate and suitable for your use. PNC has no sponsorship or endorsement agreement with the authors or publishers of the materials listed.
There are currently no Common Core Standards for pre-k, but these lessons are aligned as closely as possible to capture the requirements and meet the goals of Common Core Standards. However, these lessons were neither reviewed or approved by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices or the Council of Chief State School Officers, which together are the owners and developers of the Common Core State Standards.
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