Classifying Leaf Shapes

Big Idea: What shapes are leaves?      

Focus question: How can we classify our leaves by shapes?

Prediction: 

·        If leaves are compared to shape cutouts, we may see that leaves match different shapes.

·        If we can match leaves to different shape cutouts, then we can classify leaves by shapes.

·        If leaves have different shapes, then we can group them.

Planning: 

Materials:  different types of leaves, journal, pencil

First, we collected leaves. Next, we observed each leaf and its shape. Then, we compared the cut out shapes to the leaves’ shapes. Finally, we matched or grouped our leaves by the shapes.

Data : Grouping Leaves by Shape

 

Shape	Week 4
Heart	3
Oval	1
Rectangle	0
Diamond	6
Triangle	4

Claims and evidence:

I claim that leaves can be different shapes including heart-shaped, oval-shaped, diamond-shaped, and triangular-shaped. I know this because I compared leaves that I had collected with shape cutouts. I was able to group the leaves by all shapes but rectangle. Therefore, I claim my hypothesis to be true that we can classify leaves by shapes because we were able to group our leaves by shapes.

Conclusion:

I learned that leaves can have different shapes. I learned that there are possibly more diamond-shaped leaves than any other shaped leaves. I learned that there are not a lot of rectangular-shaped leaves. My hypothesis proved to be true that we can classify leaves by different shapes.

Reflection/ Questions:

We learned that leaves have many different shapes after grouping and classifying them.

·       Are there really more diamond-shaped leaves than any other leaves, or is that data that we collected based on the trees we collected leaves?

·       Are there rectangular-shaped leaves?

·       What do the shapes of leaves mean?

Literacy Connections:

We’re going on a leaf hunt by Steve Metzger

Leaves (Spot the difference:  Plants) by Charlotte Guillain

Catching sunlight:  A book about leaves (Growing things) by Susan Blackaby

Leaf jumpers by Carole Gerber