Purpose: Students will learn about the unique characteristics of Oregon's coastal forests, and compare these to other types of forests throughout the world.

Time needed: 20-30 mins

Materials: Copies of student worksheet (see "Engage" section below); computer and projector

ENGAGE: Tell students Oregon's coastal forests are a type of rainforest, called a temperate rainforest. They're similar to tropical rainforests in some ways, but also very different. Tell students that they are going to learn about both types of rainforests and discover the ways that they are the same and the ways they are different. Distribute the Tropical Vs Temperate Rainforest worksheet to each student. Provide instructions: students should circle the correct answer for each type of rainforest as they learn it through the next series of activities.

EXPLORE: 

• First, we will get to know our local temperate rainforests that exist in Oregon and Pacific Northwest coasts. Play the following video about temperate rainforests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZMIpHYzSWs&ab_channel=InspireEducation (1.5 mins).  You may wish to pause after the narrator shares information relevant to the worksheet so students can record it. 

• Then, watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcqBuNxcOCo&ab_channel=InspireEducation (1.5 mins) to learn about tropical rainforests.

• Finally, explore the following websites with students to conduct additional research to answer the questions on the worksheet: https://www.sidmartinbio.org/how-is-a-temperate-rainforest-different-from-a-tropical-rainforest/ and https://sciencing.com/difference-between-the-temperate-forest-rainforest-12507773.html 

EXPLAIN: Ask students: what things were the same for both types of rainforests? What things were different? Why do you think that is?

EXPAND: Take a "virtual field trip" of Oregon's own rainforest at Valley of the Giants by walking through the pictures and text at this site: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/oregon/secret-rainforest-valley-of-the-giants-or/ 

EVALUATE: Can students compare and contrast temperate and tropical rainforests, including 2-3 specific characteristics for each?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: https://www.treehugger.com/facts-about-north-americas-temperate-rain-forests-4869747, https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/niche-and-habitat/,  https://rainforests.pwnet.org/4teachers/lesson_plans.php 

Purpose: Students will create artwork and study images to learn about dendrochronology - the study of trees to learn about past climate and environmental conditions.

Time needed: 20-30 mins

Materials: teacher computer, projector, journals; for optional Extension activity: cross-cut sections of tree branches, ink pads (see below) 

ENGAGE: Ask students how they think somebody could learn about the history of an area. Answers may include looking at historical documents, conducting interviews, looking at past and current data, etc. These are all great ideas! Then, tell students that one way people learn about past weather and climate is called dendrochronology - the study of tree rings to learn about environmental conditions in the past. Did they know that you can actually tell what the climate was like hundreds of years ago just by looking inside a tree’s trunk? 

EXPLORE: Bring up the website https://climatekids.nasa.gov/tree-rings/ on the projector and read through this page with students. Observe that narrow rings generally mean slow growth during a dry period, while wider space between rings means faster growth during a wet period of time. 

Bring up https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/documents/tree-rings.pdf  on the projector (or print copies of this document) and go to page 10, where you’ll see a cartoon image of a tree cross-section. Using what they just learned, ask students to narrate aloud this tree’s history, pointing out where they think it was very rainy, where there might have been drought, and any other features.

Randomly distribute copies of the other three trees from the above link, one image per student. Ask students to study their image, and then write the story of their tree’s life in their journals. Encourage creativity - students can choose to write this as a poem, a first-person account, illustrated children’s story, etc.

EXPLAIN: Ask students how they think scientists could use this information to learn about changes in a forest's ecosystem over time. Remind them that weather (a short-term pattern in rainfall, temperature, etc) is different from climate (the pattern of changes that occur over a long time). Each individual tree can show both: the weather that occurred each year of the tree’s life, and the climate over time that all of the rings put together reveal. And when you put many dozens or hundreds of trees’ data together, all of that combined data can provide a really clear view of past climates.

EXPAND: Ask students to brainstorm what other environmental factors, besides rainfall, could impact tree growth from year to year. 

EVALUATE: Can students look at a real tree cross-section (either real wood or printed photographs, not illustrations) and describe climate conditions throughout that tree’s life?

EXTENSION: Bring in some cross-sections of tree branches and allow students to use ink pads to create prints of these in their journals. Have them study the rings and note what they tell them about that tree’s life. You can also share that fish have a special bone in their ear called an otolith that also grows in rings. Scientists can use these to determine not just that fish’s age, but also environmental conditions during that fish’s life - much like tree rings.

Purpose: Students will use man-made materials to mimic the body surfaces of various animals to determine what types of animals best capture seeds and pollen.

Time needed: 25-30 mins

Materials: Scraps of fabric/materials to mimic animal coats including faux fur, leather (or faux leather), velcro, feathers, and pipe cleaners; seeds of different sizes and shapes (i.e. packets of mixed seeds, some smaller and some larger); corn meal to represent pollen

ENGAGE: Ask students how plants make more of themselves (reproduce). Remind students that some plants make seeds, which must establish themselves in soil to grow into a new plant; and others, especially flowering plants, make pollen, which must be transported to another plant to make a new plant. Then, ask students how they think seeds and pollen get moved around, and allow them to hypothesize aloud. Correct answers include the wind; water; animals which may pick up seeds or pollen on their fur; and pollinators such as bees. In fact, many plants rely on animals to move their seeds to new locations in order to create new plants!

EXPLORE: Distribute a pile of animal-mimicking materials to each table group of 3-4 students. First, allow them to explore and touch everything, asking them to think about which items might be the best at picking up plant seeds or pollen. They can also think about what types of animals these faux materials might represent, i.e. furry animals like bears or caterpillars, scaly animals like snakes, feathered animals like birds, pipe cleaners being similar to insect antennae, etc. Then, distribute the seeds and "pollen" (cornmeal). Invite students to experiment with placing seeds and pollen on the different "animals" and seeing if they stick. They can also swipe the animal materials through piles of seeds/pollen to mimic the way animals might walk through plants.

EXPLAIN: After giving plentiful time to explore, ask students to share and explain their findings. Which "animals" were the best at capturing seeds, and why? They will likely find that the thickest "furs" were able to hold onto seeds the best, while the leather may not have had much success. The cornmeal was likely able to attach to some of the items more easily than the larger seeds. 

EXPAND: Watch the video Seed Dispersal By Animals, which provides information about other ways that animals help to move seeds around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGZHBBOU2yE&ab_channel=TatianaRobbins Then, engage in a discuss to reinforce why plants need animals to move their seeds around. If seeds are dropped right next to the parent plant, there often isn't room for them, and they would die! That's why they need animals to move them to new places where they can grow.

EVALUATE: Can students explain why plants need animals to survive, and name some types of animals that disperse seeds?

EXTENSION: Explore the importance of pollinators. Tell students that much of the food we eat - almost every fruit and vegetable - needs pollinators. Insects like bees serve the vital role of pollinating everywhere from backyard gardens to the agricultural farms which provide things we eat every day. But, bees are threatened, and need our help. Read the book Save The Bees by Bethany Stahl, or watch the read-aloud video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k24UiJmEjKY&ab_channel=BethanyStahl. Then, ask students to brainstorm how they can help the bees at their school and/or their homes.

Invite your students to get to know trees up close and personal with this outdoor activity you can do in the schoolyard.

Step 1: Find a space

Locate a place in your schoolyard or, if necessary, a nearby park, with enough trees for half the number of students in your class. Ensure that this place is clean and safe from any potential hazards such as thorns, poison oak, etc.

Step 2: Gather materials - you'll need one blindfold per student for half your class (they'll be working in pairs).

Step 3: Explain activity

Bring your students to the space you located. Tell them that they are going to be learning about trees, and that a great way to learn about them is to observe trees closely. Tell them that they'll be working in pairs and that one of them is going to be blindfolded while the other leads them to a nearby tree. The blindfolded student should try to learn as much as they can about their tree without using their sense of sight - by wrapping their arms around it to gauge the size, feeling the bark, smelling it, etc. After a given time the partner without the blindfold will lead them back to where they started. Then, the blindfolded student should remove their blindfold and try to find their tree. The student who wasn't blindfolded shouldn't give their partner any hints but should tell them when they've found their tree.

Step 4: Hug some trees

Assign each student a partner and distribute blindfolds. Remind students that the ones without blindfolds should be very careful when leading their blinded friend - move slowly, tell them where to step, etc. Also let students know that each pair should find their own special tree. Then, release students to go find their trees. Monitor their actions to ensure safety. After a few minutes, instruct them to return to their starting places and then to find their trees.

After everyone has found their trees, switch partners and start over again.

Step 5: Wrap up

Ask students: what did you like about this activity? What did you notice about your trees when you were blindfolded versus when you could see? Was it hard to find your trees?

From their leafy branches to their tangled roots, trees provide habitat for a host of plants and animals. In this activity students will inventory the plants and animals that live in, on, and around trees and discover how plants and animals depend on trees in many ways. 

Give each student a clipboard with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil (or, they can use their journals if that's a tool you use). Instruct each student to choose a tree and then document everything they can see living or growing in, on, or around that tree. They should keep a list of everything they see, even if they don't know what it is - they can describe it, or draw pictures too.

Once everyone has done a survey of their tree, regather and invite them to share their findings. Help them to identify some of the things they may not have recognized, such as lichen, mosses, fungi, etc. Explain that just one tree can be a host for thousands of species of all kinds, from bugs to mushrooms! Every tree - and off its associated wildlife - are important members of the larger forest.

Using a simple regional tree identification guide, such as this Mac's Field Guide or this guide book, walk around the area and help students to identify at least 3 different species of trees. Investigate different types of trees present, such as evergreens and deciduous trees. Are there more of some types of trees? How are they all different in size and shape? Are the different species found in different areas, such as wet spots versus dry spots?