Create maps of where the leaves are changing colors in the state. Hypothesize why those changes occur by researching the weather of the different regions of the state.
In what part of the state do leaves change color first? Last?
Which "weather map" looks most like your "leaf map"?
Compare when leaves change colors by generating a map from data collected either from your class or from using The Leaves Are Changing - I Wonder Why activity.
Hypothesize why the leaves change colors at different times in the state by comparing and contrasting the weather in the different areas of the state.
First use The Leaves Are Changing - I Wonder Why? form to obtain information about why, where, and when leaves change color.
County map of your state.
This site is the Perry-Castaeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin, Library OnLine. Click on the name of your state, then select "outline map.
The Weather Channel web site can be used to obtain weather information on specific locations. Type the zip code of the area being studied in the box at the top left of the page, click "Go," then click "Averages and Records" under the current weather conditions for the area.
Colored pencils, or crayons, or markers.
Use this rubric as a student checklist and/or a teacher assessment tool. The teacher should assign point values to each Activity Task.
Use this with I Wonder Where the Leaves Are Changing lesson.
For those in Oklahoma, maps of different weather phenomena for the state are available at this site. Listed below.
Obtain three county maps of the state by using the appropriate resource listed in the Required Resources.
Obtain the data for the dates that leaves change colors. Data are available from the Aurora activity listed in the Required Resources. Or, data can be generated by following this procedure:
On the county map of the state, write the dates in each county when most students report that leaves are changing colors. This can be done by county or by writting the date at the location of the towns in the counties.
Choose a different color of crayon or marker for each different date. Make a legend (chart) to show the color that represents each date.
On a fresh county map, color each county (or the approximate location of each town) the correct color according to the color coding scheme you created in the preceding step. Then, use a matching crayon to draw a line connecting the counties (or towns) that have the same the same color.
On the third map, record the mean temperature and precipitation data for each county.
Compare times of change, temperatures, rainfall
After comparing the data, decide why you think leaves change colors at specific times (this is your hypothesis). Present your hypothesis in an essay.The essay must also include your maps, data, and an explanation to support the hypothesis.
Preview the lesson, web sites, and data. Consider obtaining and printing the information before assigning the activity.
Make sure you can observe trees in your neighborhood from a safe place. If you are not sure leaves are changing colors, bring some to class and decide as a group if they are changing.
You can assist your daughter or son simply by helping him or her notice how high the sun is in the sky during the day and by encouraging her or him to notice from which direction the sun rises and sets every day. He or she will be surprised to learn that the sun does not always rise straight east or set straight west; it varies during the year!
Student Notes
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