PBTIL - Marsh Team

Student Projects

Adopt-A-Tree
Grade four scientists are working on a year-long independent project which connects them with their environment and sharpens their skills of observation, measuring and making predictions. Each season brings changes to trees. Here are some activities that the children have been engaging in, to document the changes.
In September, students went into their yards and chose a deciduous tree to be the focus of their investigation. With the help of their parents, they identified their tree. They also drew a picture of their tree and began to predict when it would lose all of its leaves. Every week, the children would revisit their adopted tree and record their estimates of how many leaves had fallen. They also observed the color changes in the leaves of their trees, collected leaf samples, and made drawings of the leaves. They discovered that when deciduous trees lose their leaves, they are going through a process of adaptation which prepares the trees for winter. They learned that while we turn up the heat and add layers for warmth, deciduous trees shed their leaves so that they may conserve water for the winter months.
Later in the fall, our scientists worked on their literary skills by writing poems about their trees. Then they set about doing some measuring. First, they read a story called Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy to learn about measuring in standard and non-standard units. Then they chose a part of their tree, for example, a fallen branch, the trunk, or a leaf, and recorded its measurement in both standard and non-standard units.
We may have had lots of snow this year, but this did not deter our scientists from checking their trees during February vacation to find their winter buds. They made drawings showing how the buds looked in mid-February, and then predicted what they will look like again in the middle of April, two months later.

Heroes and Holidays
Throughout the school year our students will be working on projects that deal with various heroes and holidays. Click here to view some of our "Thanksgiving" writings and photos.

All About Me
Our students are involved in a project called "All About Me." This project is designed to integrate technology, writing and art activities.

This program is supported in part by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts, Lowell.