Fall Activity Ideas
(Grades 5-6)
- Use the following essay as a reading exercise for students to interpret what they have learned: History of Iowa’s Forests.
- This essay is from Forest and Shade Trees of Iowa, second edition, by Peter J. Van Der Linden and Donald R. Farrar, Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA., page 3. The information on this Extension website was published with permission of the authors and publisher.
- Before the leaves are completely off the trees, use the leaf shape, arrangement and fall color to teach tree identification and the use and understanding of keys.
- An interactive key was developed to help identify the most common trees in Iowa. The key is based on vegetative characteristics such as leaves, fruits, and bark. It is not a complete key. It does not include all trees grown in Iowa. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/tree/
- Definition of terms for tree identification: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/tree/terms/terms.html
- Use trees and as the subject for individual or group reports. Students can use the following websites, Extension publications and books in their school libraries to research their favorite tree or a tree native to Iowa.
