The Oak Tree
Years 4 / 5
Theme: Habitats / environmental changes.
Overview of learning: Science: The micro environment of an oak tree; the parts and life cycle of an oak tree. A science investigation. History: Different periods in British history; how a village changes through time. Geography: Human and physical geography of a village; how physical and human characteristics change over time; the impact of humans on the environment. PSHE: Communities / culture. British values.
Interesting aspects: The longevity and cultural importance of oak trees in Britain. The far reaching effect a single event can have on a community. How human and natural environments are inter-connected.
Inquiry questions: What part has the tree played in the life of the village over 1000 years? Why is this tree so important? How is human activity affecting our environment? Why is it important for us to protect our natural environment?
Narrative: A bough from an ancient oak tree has fallen due to heavy snow / a lightning strike. The villagers respond to the falling of the bough and decide what to do next.
Expert Team: The village conservation group. Client: The village council. Commission: To survey the bough and the tree and report back on what wildlife is there. To advise the council on what should be done with the bough and the tree.
Tasks: Co-create the tree with its rings. Create past events from the life of the tree. Create a plaque naming the tree and the most significant event linked to its history. Create things around the village that are linked with the tree. Explore the moment that the bough fell. Begin to look at the points of view of various people from the village, including the conservation team.
Links to curriculum:
Science: Scientific enquiries to answer questions; living things in local and wider environment; environments that can change; potential dangers to living things; common conductors and insulators. History: Periods in British History; changes in Britain. Geography: Human and physical characteristics of a specific place; types of settlement and land use. English: Writing of different texts: stories; legends; poetry; reports; letters.
Steps: (The aim of these first steps is for the students to develop concern and investment in the oak tree, its history and its importance to the village before the falling of the bough. It also introduces the points of view that can be further as the inquiry develops, particularly that of the conservation team)
1. Students sitting in circle. Give them a long piece of rope and ask them to make it into a circle. What could the circle represent? Then, with a piece of chalk, begin to draw concentric circles within the main circle – while you do this ask the children to talk to someone next to them about what is happening. (If it isn’t possible to draw on floor, ask the children to imagine the circles as you describe them.)
2. Tell the students that these are the rings inside an ancient oak tree. Talk about how each ring represents a year in the life of the oak (obviously we have just represented some of the rings ….) ‘This oak is in a village in England. It is on common ground (explain what common ground is) – a village green at the centre of the village. Scientists have worked out that it is nearly 800 years old. People in the village have always told that it was planted by one of the first inhabitants of the village in the time of Henry III. The tree is very important to the villagers as it has played a central part in village life for hundreds of year. There are many stories and legends about it. It has resisted many great storms. There is a huge, strong bough near the bottom of the tree upon which children have played on for as long as anyone can remember.’
Many families have lived in the village for hundreds of years. In role as someone from the village – think about the role the tree has played in your life / your family’s life. In which ring would your story be - recent past or long ago? In small groups create a moment when your family’s life was linked with the oak tree e.g. ‘my grandparents were married beneath the tree’, ‘100 years ago my family used to touch the tree for good luck’. Choose some / all of these to show as a frozen moment to the rest of the group. Talk about what is happening in each representation.
3. Tell the students that all around England there are oak trees in forests and villages. They have played a big part in English history – ancient tribes used to worship them - they believed the mistletoe in the trees in winter was a gift from heaven; ; King Charles 2nd hid in an oak tree to escape the Roundheads who wanted to kill him; ; they were used to build great houses and ships in Tudor times: people used to be married under them.
In many villages oaks are given a name e.g. ‘The Mighty Oak’ or ‘The King’s Oak’. There is a plaque by our tree, specially made so that visitors will know its name (show eg on slide). Think of a name for this oak and create the plaque for our tree. Write down the most important event in the oak’s life on the plaque (teacher could model writing a plaque: ‘The Oak of Remembrance’. Under this oak a brave soldier died after coming home from battle in 1345’).
4. Look at slide of a coat of arms. (It shows an oak twig with 3 leaves and two acorns.) What are we noticing? Tell students that the oak stands for strength, survival, resilience, courage and long life Show on slide. Discuss. Why these things? What sort of people have coats of arms? Why would the oak twig be on the coat of arms? Where might this coat of arms be in the village? (Could be the coats of arms of the family who live in the great hall, or even the village parish coat of arms or the church).
There might be many other places in the village where you can find something to do with the tree e.g. acorns carved in the church pews; a photograph of a birthday party held beneath the tree. On a small piece of paper draw / write one of these and write where it is in the village. Back in circle share these with rest of group.
th 5. Narrate: ‘It is the night of February 28 , 2018. Through the day the temperature has dropped. It has become colder the colder. At midnight large flakes of snow begin to drift down from the black sky, settling on the branches of the oak tree.(Use dramatic imagination for students to add detail to the scene. ‘By 3’clock in the morning the great bough at the bottom of the tree has a pile of freezing snow weighing it down. In the silence of the night a faint creaking, straining sound is heard. The bough begins to bend under the weight of the snow. It shudders for a moment, sending a flurry of snow up into the air before it drifts onto the ground. The suddenly an almighty crack is heard as the bough breaks and crashes to the ground.’
NB For Year 5 the narrative is different (relating to electricity) :
‘The year is 2018. All through the day the wind has been rising and the sky growing darker by the moment. Just before midnight people in the village hear the first drops of rain on their windows as they lay in bed. The rain quickly grows heavier, lashing against the window panes that rattle in the angry wind. From the distance a low rumble of thunder rolls across the fields. Then a sudden deafening roar shakes the whole village and a bolt of lightning forks out of the clouds, hitting the oak tree. The great bough seems to sigh, thrown up by the wind for a brief moment, before it comes smashing to the ground, hissing and steaming and blackened from the electric force that it has absorbed.’
6. The scene next day – people of the village form a circle around the broken bough (could be represented on a big piece of paper). Talk in role about what has happened – who heard it? Did anyone see it happen? What are we feeling? The tree has survived many storms and never broken – why now? Is it beginning to die? Will any other branches fall?
Ask students to split up into (roughly) groups of 3. Each group to be given a small slip of paper on which is written a role and a concern that that person / group of people has:
The village council: the bough might be dangerous for children to play on; other branches might fall and hurt people; it should be cleared away.
The tree surgeon: the tree might be at the end of its life – it is showing signs that it is starting to die. How do I tell this to the villagers? (Has anyone else seen any signs that the tree is dying?)
The conservation group: what about all the wildlife that lives in the tree and the bough? If the bough and tree are cleared away what will happen to the creatures that live there?
The children: we love playing on the bough and now we might not be allowed to climb on the tree anymore.
The sculptor: I might be able to use the bough to carve something beautiful. My business is not going well and this could give good fortune to me.
The local newspaper: this could make a great story - lots of people would buy our newspaper.
The owner of the great hall: I have an ancient oak chest that needs repairing – maybe I can use the wood from the bough.
The vicar: Every Christmas we sing carols under the tree. It is the tradition of our church. What if it is too dangerous now and the custom will disappear forever?
The villagers: What about the big celebration we are organising for the tree’s th 800 birthday? It is meant to take place this summer? The tree might be there no longer?
Groups to read and talk about the implications of their concern / interest in the bough / tree. They can be given the option of either speaking or thinking their concern (e.g. the reporters might not want to speak at the moment - signal for thinking). Back in circle, standing round bough. groups to state or think their concerns. They could simply read what is on the slip or expand on it / invent new concerns if they like.
Futher planning ideas:
What will happen to the bough and the tree Village meetings to hear all the different points of view. Minutes of meetings.
Conservation team to survey the bough and the tree to find out about the wildlife that depend on it’s environment. They state their case at the meeting. Present their findings through reports / photographs. At this point parallels can be drawn between out story and the oak trees in Old Catton. Students can go to photograph / draw / survey the tree for wildlife / make fact files etc Devise a fair test to show how important this micro environment is compared to other micro environments nearby.
What is the final decision? If the tree has to be cut down, how will it be commemorated?
Planning the celebration (or commemoration) of the tree. Students can plan the special day – create artefacts / posters / list or events etc.
For hundreds of years the children of the village have been taught a poem about the tree. (See below) Talk about the meaning of the poem. The local children are learning the poem to recite at the celebration. Students to read out the poem together. They can learn the poem off by heart / write their own poems for the celebration.
Sing for the Oak Tree, The monarch of the wood;
Sing for the Oak Tree,
That groweth green and good;
That groweth broad and branching
Within the forest shade;
That groweth now, and yet shall grow
When we are lowly laid.
Further information about English oaks:
In England the oak has for centuries been a national symbol of strength and survival. It has played an important part in our culture – couples were wed under ancient oaks in Oliver Cromwell’s time, the festive Yule Log was traditionally cut from oak, it features on the 1987 pound coin and is the inspiration for the emblem of many environmentally focused organisations, including the Woodland Trust. There are oaks in england today said to be over 1000 years old.
Oaks produce one of the hardest and most durable timbers on the planet, even its Latin name, Quercus robur, means strength. However, it takes up to 150 years before an oak is ready to use in construction. It has been a prized hardwood timber for thousands of years, was the primary ship building material until the mid-19th century and remains a popular wood for architectural beams. Modern uses of English oak include flooring, wine barrels and firewood. Traditionally the leaves, bark and acorns were believed to heal many medical ailments including diarrhoea, inflammation and kidney stones.
Historically humans also collected acorns and processed them into flour for bread making. These culinary techniques have mostly died out following the domestication of wheat production 10,000 years ago, leaving the harvest for wild birds and mammals.
Tannin found in the bark has been used to tan leather since at least Roman times.
Acute oak decline (AOD) and chronic oak decline (COD) are serious conditions affecting Britain’s oaks, several contributing factors are linked to the diseases. Decline of mature oaks first aroused concern in the 1920s, today most cases are in central, southern and eastern England. Key symptoms include canopy thinning, branch dieback and black weeping patches on stems and lesions underlying the bleed spots.
284 insect species have been found living in oaks. Jays and Squirrels, which both feed on them, spread the acorn by carrying them away and burying them in the ground. The Purple Hairstreak and Purple Emperor butterflies rely on oak. Most British bats roost in the crevices and hollows, and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Spotted Flycatchers, Nuthatches and Treecreepers find food and nest holes on oaks. Wild Primroses, Bluebells and wild garlic and wild violets all rely on the rich soil beneath oaks to thrive. Some ecologists argue individual oaks should be designated nature reserves in their own right!
Almost universally, the Oak is highly revered – it is known variously as “King of the forest” or ” King of the Greenwood” and nearly always as the “Mighty Oak” largely due to its stubborn resistance to Nature’s storms. Symbolically, the Oak characterises strength and courage, Throughout history, oak’s strength and resilience has leant itself to both structural purposes, and for furniture. Its bark was used for tanning, and also renders a dye that was used in the manufacture of ink
Druids have a long association with the oak tree, with the word DRUID most likely being derived from the ancient Celtic word for oak, and in part meaning “knower of oak trees” Mistletoe, which can grow on oak trees was also worshipped by the druids, as they believed it to have fallen from heaven, and was blessed with healing properties. Because of this, many ancient forests house oaks that became known as DRUID OAKS.
The Oak has become a great symbol of strength, longevity, honesty and fidelity throughout its global range, and especially in England, where it is considered by many, the very essence of England itself.
https://www.tigtagworld.co.uk/film/life-cycle-of-an-oak-tree-PRM00013/
(Video of life cycle of oak tree). https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/n ative-trees/english-oak/
(info plus video – a year in the life of an oak)