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The Oak Tree Years 4 / 5 Theme:​Habitats / Environmental Changes

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The Oak Tree Years 4 / 5 Theme:​Habitats / Environmental Changes 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.
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