This lesson has students determine the age and growing conditions of different trees by looking at representations of tree rings on a worksheet to help them estimate what the climate was like in the past.
Students will learn about historic climate and environmental conditions by analyzing the patterns of the tree rings.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The resource can be downloaded and used offline or printed.
This activity could be implemented with real tree cores or disks as well.
Additional Prerequisites
Ensure that students read the background information provided in the worksheet, as it will guide them in finishing the work.
To have students cut the strips out, you will need to print out the worksheet and provide scissors.
Differentiation
Consider an excursion to a location where trees have been felled to actually count the rings of the tree trunks.
This activity can help engage students and provide a hands-on activity for learning about weather and climate.
This activity introduces students to the topic of dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, to recreate past climate information. Dendrochronology is an important tool when studying past climates. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
English Language Arts
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
9-10.RST.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
Mathematics
Data Reasoning and Probability (9-12)
HS.DR.A.2 Formulate summative, comparative, and associative statistical investigative questions for surveys, observational studies, and experiments using primary or secondary data.
