LESSON #1: Forests

Focus Question:
What is a forest?

Vermont Standards addressed:

2.1	Students ask a variety of questions.

Length of time needed to complete:
60-90 minutes

Resources/Materials:
Clipboards, paper, pencils, chart paper, nature journals

Procedure:

1.	Before the lesson, write each of the following questions on separate pieces of 8x10 paper: (a) What do we know about forests? (b) Why do we need forests? (c) What is in a forest? (d) What words describe how you feel when you visit a forest?
2.	In the classroom, pass out paper to complete a pre-assessment. Tell students: describe a forest in writing or draw and label a picture of a forest. Include what you would find in a forest. Collect pre-assessment with names and dates.
3.	Walk out into woods, taking four clipboards with paper and questions, pencils and nature journals. Place clipboards in different spots in a wooded area close enough to rotate to different spots easily.
4.	Put students into four groups. Tell them: brainstorm answers to the question on the clipboard. Take turns recording answers with a different person recording for each question. Accept all answers. Assign each group to a question and begin. Allow two to four minutes per question depending on focus.
5.	When they have responded to all the questions, heave each group share the responses on the paper they responded to last.
6.	As a group, brainstorm questions about what we want to know about forests. (This can be typed and copied for each student and reflected upon occasionally throughout the study of forests.)
7.	Tell students: In nature journal, do a free-focus write on forest. Write whatever comes into your mind about forests, including thoughts, feelings, facts and questions. This can be the beginning of entries throughout the study and perhaps year, made when visiting the forest.
8.	In groups, write a definition of forest and share. If time, write a class definition drawn from all the groups.
9.	Read aloud Your Best Place by Byrd Baylor

Assessment:

	Students will:
		Complete a pre-assessment about knowledge of forests
		Participate in the carousel (cooperative) activity, answering questions about the forest
		Ask questions about the forest
		Make a journal entry
		Write a definition of a forest
	Teacher will:
		Anecdotal notes written on the students' engagement in the activities, level of understanding, depth of questions (what level of Bloom's taxonomy are the questions-knowledge, analysis, synthesis) and on what level does each student demonstrate a knowledge of the forest, communicate a response/inquiry to learning about it an a sense of wonder about the forest.

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