How can we figure out which tree a large branch fell from?
A multi-age classroom of Grades 1 to 3 learners was out for their regular “notice and wonder walk” around their neighbourhood park when an exciting discovery was made. Learners found a large, felled branch roughly three metres in length in an open field. Where did this come from? How did it get here? What happened to the tree? What tree was it from? So many questions arose that Mrs. D thought it would be best to borrow this branch and take it to the school for further observation.
Learners originally did some guess work when the branch was first brought into the classroom. Some thought it was from an elm, maple, or fruit tree, and one student even thought that it may have come from a pine tree. Working together, they estimated the length of the branch and leaves, and measured them with standard and non-standard units, thinking this might be useful information in solving the mystery of which tree it came from. Learners were eager to solve their mystery but weren’t sure where to start when it came to searching for information.
Learners needed to ask specific, relevant, and clarifying questions that would lead to the discovery of the species of tree, but first they needed to explore what the features of a tree might be. So they started with Field Guide: Trees of Manitoba. They found that the description listed items such as bark texture, leaf shape or size, flowers or seeds, bud shape, and so on. They then looked for these features on their branch. After observing and comparing the features of their tree, they found that it did not match any of the tree descriptions in the field guide. This lead many of them to reconsider theirs and others’ thinking. Maybe it wasn’t from a tree after all!
Not having found their tree listed in the resource, the learners needed to brainstorm other sources of information that could help them identify it. They suggested looking at websites by looking for images of the flower found on their branch and building on each other’s ideas. They helped the teacher come up with descriptions for search criteria, such as “tree or shrub in Manitoba with a small, light pink flower.” Compiling all the learners’ ideas produced a list of possibilities, which eventually led them to narrow down their search to a honeysuckle bush. Learners could not believe that it was a bush! The branch was so large that it must have been from a tree! So they went back to the park and looked for the original tree or bush it had come from.
After some searching, the learners found the large bush, as well as the spot where the branch detached from the bush. It was at ground level! Using deductive reasoning, learners quickly re-evaluated their original ideas. It could not have been struck by lightning, and no one could have been swinging on it. In fact, it looked kind of rotten at the place where it broke. Perhaps it was just weak and the branch was so heavy it fell over. Learners had experienced evidence of how heavy this branch was, as they carried it to and from the school, and this seemed to be a likely explanation.
The mystery was solved, and they accomplished their goal! It was a large branch from a honeysuckle bush. In teams, the learners would go on to do research on this bush and its role in supporting pollinators in their area. They continued to observe it regularly and watch its flowers turn into some kind of fruit. Not only did these learners learn about a new plant, but they also learned how to solve a mystery!
Province of Manitoba. Field Guide: Trees of Manitoba. n.d.
