Students will complete an Academic Service-Learning project by planting trees in their community.

Anticipatory Set:

Ask students to recall details about the Civilian Conservation Corp. Have students recall these details by either drawing a picture or writing down details on a sheet of notebook paper. Have students share their ideas and illustrations with the whole group.

• Ask students to get into small groups and discuss how the activities of the Civilian Conservation Corp positively affected the environment. Have one member of each group share what was discussed.
  
  
• Next, have groups discuss ways in which they can positively affect the environment they live in. Have one member of each group share what was discussed.
  
  
• Explain to students that they will have the opportunity to have a positive effect on their environment by planting trees in a nearby area.
  
  
• The following day, give each student a sheet of notebook paper and have students reflect by journaling about how they feel about doing a tree-planting project. Ask students to share what they have written.
  
  
• Then, model for students how to create a map of a given area. Take students to the designated planting area and give them a sheet of paper to create their own maps of the planting area. They may work in teams. Have students save their maps for later use.
  
  
• On Day Three, teach the functions of the various parts of a tree. (Tree anatomy picture with an explanation of tree part functions is available from EnchantedLearning.com.)
  
  
• Give each student a sheet of notebook paper and show them how to fold the paper into three vertical columns. On a diagram of a tree, point to one specific part. Have students sketch the tree part at the top of the first column. (They will be drawing several parts down this column.) In the next column, have the students write down their best guesses of the function of that tree part. Point to other parts one-by-one and repeat the two steps for each. Next, teach the functions of each tree part, and have students write this information in the third column. Have students compare what they thought they knew about the function of the plant part to the actual function.
  
  
• Then have students take out their maps. Discuss possible planting areas and assign planting areas for groups.
  
  
• The following day, explain to students how to plant their trees. (Use information from the Arbor Foundation on planting.) Then, take students to the designated planting area. Have students work in groups to plant trees.
  
  
• On Day Five, give students a sheet of notebook paper to reflect on their experiences of planting trees. Use the following questions as a guide.
  
  
  • How do you feel after completing this project?
    
    
  • How did you affect your environment by planting a tree?
    
    
  • How did you affect your community by planting a tree?
    
    
  • Compare and contrast your experience of planting a tree to the experiences of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

• "Label Tree Anatomy Printout," Enchanted Learning Homepage, 3 June 2002. <http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/subjects/
  plants/label/labeltree/> (August 18 2002).
  
  
• "Join or Support the National Arbor Day," The National Arbor Foundation Homepage, 14 May 2002. <http://www.arborday.org/join/support.cfm> (August 18, 2002)