Have you ever wondered why leaves change their colors during the fall?  We have all seen the wonders of nature during the autumn season.  The trees of the elm, oak, maple and gingko have leaves that turn yellow, red, brown and orange.  We will search the internet to discover the reason why leaves change their colors in the fall.

back to the top

The Task

Your task is to find out the scientific reasons why leaves change their colors in the fall. Learning how to work the internet will obtain a great amount of information & help you understand this process.  You will be able to identify leaves from the elm, oak, maple and gingko trees that are in your community.  The final product involves your proficiency in using the World Wide Web to explain the driving quest of why leaves change colors in the fall.

back to the top

The Process

• You will be divided into four groups
• You will be introduced to the
•    
• maple,elm oak, and gingko leaves.
• You will be introduced to the internet.
• You will be given a set of questions for your internet research. (Activity Sheet)
• Questions(main question) WHY DO LEAVES CHANGE COLORS IN THE FALL?

Research Note Taking Guide
Directions:

• Read the question.
• Find information about it on the Internet.
• Discuss your ideas with your group.
• Then write your answer for each question on paper.

How Complete is My Research?
Directions:

• Place your website visits and your research note -taking guide on your desk.
• Count the number of websites visited.
• Then write the number in the blank space on your worksheet.
• Count the number of questions you answered in your research note taking guide and write the number in the blank space on your worksheet.
• Tell something about your Internet research.
• Complete one of the sentence starters or use your own ideas.

Project - Science Experiment - when you get to this page, scroll to Project #3.

back to the top

The Evaluation

Children will be assessed using the following two rubrics:

Rubric for the Children's Research Guide:

Capable - 3 points:	Developing - 2 points	Beginning - 1 point
The student records accurate information for all the questions in the research guide.	The student answers 5 - 6 questions on the research guide.  Most of the information is accurate.	The student answers 2 - 3 questions on the research guide.  Few statements are accurate.
The notes are legible and logical.	The notes are fairly legible.	There is little evidence of logical order.  The notes are not legible.
The student researched many websites  (6 - 8)	The student researched some websites  (3 - 4)	The student researched a few websites  (1 - 2)

Rubric for Oral Presentations:
 

Capable - 3 points	Developing - 2 points	Beginning - 1 point
The oral presentation indicates a very good understanding of the subject.	The oral presentation indicates a fairly good understanding of the subject, but may omit important facts or include an inaccurate comment.	The oral presentation provides a few facts about the subject.  Some statements may be inaccurate.
The information is presented in a clear, straightforward way.	The information can be understood, but the order may not always be logical or sequential.	The information presented may be confusing.
The child looks at the audience and speaks clearly.	The child makes some eye contact with the audience.	The child rarely looks at the audience while speaking.

back to the top

The Conclusion

You will be able to give an oral presentation to tell
the scientific reasons why leaves change colors in the fall. You will summarize what you have learned as a result of this process. You might want to search other leaves on the internet and categorize them to determine which leaves turn yellow, red, orange and brown. You can further research our state leaf, the white oak, and describe what color it changes to during the fall, draw the shape of the leaf, determine if the tree is deciduous or not. You might want to collect more leaves and preserve them in a folder identifying and labeling each. Further research can tell you which leaves are medicinal and which leaves are used for teas.

back to the top

Credits: Many thanks to all who have provided web site information.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/fallcolor/trees.html
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/FieldOps/Cgs/leaves
                Found under: /groups/FieldOps/Cgs/leaves.htm
http://www.accuweather.com/iwxpage/paws/fallfaq.htm#top
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/autumnleaves
http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm
http://www.dictionary.com/
http://www.ask.com/index.asp

back to the top