Seasonal Changes and Leaves' Source for Food

Big Idea: What helps leaves make their own food?      

Focus question: By observing the changes that take place to our adopted tree during the fall season, what helps leaves make their own food?

Prediction: 

·        If the season turns to fall, the leaves on the tree will change color from green to yellow, orange, and/or red because they get less sunlight.

·        If the season is fall, the wind may blow hard and the leaves will start falling off the tree.

·        If fall turns to winter, the leaves on the tree will turn brown because they get even less sunlight.

·        If fall turns to winter, the leaves will soon all fall off the trees because the leaves are not getting enough food and cold weather.

·        If observe these seasonal changes take place during fall, we will know that sunlight, temperature, and weather help leaves make their own food.

Planning: 

Materials:  tree, journal, pencil

First, we adopted a tree at the start of October to observe the effects of the seasonal change to the tree’s leaves over four weeks. Next, we observed the tree and its surroundings using our senses each week to determine what helps leaves make their own food. Last, we compared the data we took about our tree over the course of four weeks to come to a consensus about what helps leaves make their own food.

  

Data : Starting October-November: Observation of Adopted Tree

Senses	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Sight	Green leaves Sunlight shining through tree No water source near tree Large tree trunk Tree blocked by large building from sun at one point of the day	Some leaves have turned from green to yellow, red, and orange A couple of brown leaves Some leaves on the ground that have turned yellowish-brown Sunlight coming through tree-less than last time—	Can see more bare parts of branches Leaves are still turning same colors on tree More brown leaves on tree Lots of leaves on the ground Sunlight bright and beaming through tree-shady in other area of tree	Leaves have turned bright orange, red, and brown Ground is covered with brown leaves Even more bare parts of branches and some completely bare Tree and leaves look dry Sunlight beaming through tree and a lot more of the tree is shaded from sun
Sound	Cars Sirens People	Cars passing People talking	Hear the leaves rustling in the wind Cars People	Hear the leaves rustling still Cars People
Touch	Breeze-slightly cool	Cooler air	Cold air Windy	Very cold air Windy
Smell	Fresh air	No smell	Earthy smells	Earthy smell

Claims and evidence:

We claim that during fall, the leaves begin to change color from green to red, yellow, orange, and brown and eventually fall off the tree. We know this to be true because we observed these changes take place over the course of four weeks during October. We claim that during fall, the temperature gets cooler and has something to do with the leaves source of food. We know this to be true because we felt the temperature drop each week as the leaves changed colors each week. We claim that in the fall it is windy and forces the leaves to fall off the tree. We also claim the leaves fall off the tree easier because they are weaker and more brittle. We claim this because the weather got colder and there was no rain. We know this because over the four weeks the wind picked up, many leaves fell off the tree to the ground, and the leaves changed color. We claim the leaves were changing color because they were dying slowly. We believe this to be true because the leaves would slowly change colors and eventually fall off the tree to the ground. We claim that the days get shorter in the fall and that this has something to do with the trees making their food. We believe this to be true because each week at the same time we observed the sun beam brighter as a sunset and go down earlier. We also know this to be true because the tree had significantly more shade each week.

Conclusion:

We learned that the leaves change color in the fall because they are dying as a result from not producing enough food. We learned that the weather gets windier, the temperature gets colder, and the days get shorter producing less sunlight in the fall. We noticed each week that there was no rainfall. We believe this had something to do with the leaves being weak and brittle and falling off the tree. In spring, we know it rains a lot and the leaves do not fall off the trees then. Based on our data from observing the seasonal changes of our adopted tree over four weeks starting in October, we learned from these seasonal changes what helps leaves make its own food. We conclude that water, sunlight, and warmer temperatures help the leaves make its own food. We believe this to be true because during the times we observed the tree having the alternative of these sources, the leaves began to change colors and fall off the tree. These conclusions confirm our hypothesis for what helps leaves make its own food.

Reflection/ Questions:

We learned that the tree we adopted has leaves that need sunlight, water, and warmer weather to produce its own food.

·       What type of tree did we adopt?

·       Are all trees the same regarding whether its leaves fall off during seasonal changes?

·       What helps different leaves produce its own food or all the same?

Literacy Connections:

Tree finder:  A manual for identification of trees by their leaves (Eastern US) (Nature study guides) by Mary Theilgaard Watts

What tree is that?:  A guide to the more common trees found in North America (Mom’s choice awards recipient) by Arbor Day Foundation

Why do leaves change color (Let’s-read-and-find-out science, stage 2) by Betsy Maestro

Zero is the leaves on the tree by Betsy Franco