As an option, students can use their notebook to record other characteristics of each tree type, such as features of the trunk, seeds, or fruit. Ideally students take a digital picture of the tree to match the leaves they collect. Back in the classroom, students can use an identification key from the Arbor Foundation () to name each species they find. A booklet is also available on the site for a fee or students can download a tree identification app on a smartphone. Students can work in groups to help each other with identification, but they should keep their leaf samples separate. Have students make a list of all the trees they identified. Pool the lists of trees to get a comprehensive list of all the tree species in their study area. Ask students what they noticed about the different kinds of trees. Were some trees more common than others? Were some trees represented only by one or two individuals? Compiling the class data will quantify the samples collected by the students and indicate how rare or common different kinds of trees are. In the list of all trees, record how many students found a particular tree: Type of tree Number of students who found that tree Have students create a bar graph of the tree frequency data. The rarest trees are those with the fewest students who found that tree. Have students consider the shortcomings of this sampling method. Trees might be over or under-represented in the area students were working. What approaches might be taken to overcome these shortcomings? Answers might include that students could be assigned sections over a larger area of forest and that they might do preliminary online research to see if there is baseline information about trees in the area. Part 3: Explain Ensure students can articulate a basic understanding of sampling and why it’s used: Samples are limited representations of a complete group or system. Sampling allows
As an option, students can use their notebook to record other characteristics of each tree type, such as features of the trunk, seeds, or fruit. Ideally students take a digital picture of the tree to match the leaves they collect. Back in the classroom, students can use an identification key from the Arbor Foundation () to name each species they find. A booklet is also available on the site for a fee or students can download a tree identification app on a smartphone. Students can work in groups to help each other with identification, but they should keep their leaf samples separate. Have students make a list of all the trees they identified. Pool the lists of trees to get a comprehensive list of all the tree species in their study area. Ask students what they noticed about the different kinds of trees. Were some trees more common than others? Were some trees represented only by one or two individuals? Compiling the class data will quantify the samples collected by the students and indicate how rare or common different kinds of trees are. In the list of all trees, record how many students found a particular tree: Type of tree Number of students who found that tree Have students create a bar graph of the tree frequency data. The rarest trees are those with the fewest students who found that tree. Have students consider the shortcomings of this sampling method. Trees might be over or under-represented in the area students were working. What approaches might be taken to overcome these shortcomings? Answers might include that students could be assigned sections over a larger area of forest and that they might do preliminary online research to see if there is baseline information about trees in the area. Part 3: Explain Ensure students can articulate a basic understanding of sampling and why it’s used: Samples are limited representations of a complete group or system. Sampling allows
SeeingtheWood_v4_5_17_2018.docx