Preview · the opening missionRead this to the class:
The parent council has raised money for one new tree. Trees take years to grow, so it has to go in the right place the first time. The principal asked our class a simple question: where would a tree's shade make the biggest difference? Your team's job: measure how much shade cools the schoolyard, and find the spot that needs it most.
Teams of three, with jobs that rotate at each spot: Holder (places the thermometer), Timer (times the wait), Recorder (writes readings and notes).
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
- Predict (5–10 min)
- Hunt (20 min)
- Reveal (10–15 min)
- Act (10 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- Our results
- Map of the schoolyard
- Our recommendation
- Exit ticket
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 / C$25 for all 4 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Measures fairly
- Compares data
- Recommends
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “Where would a new tree help most?” take?
50–60 min. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
15 minutes: on a sunny day, find four spots close together if you can: grass in sun, grass in shade, pavement in sun and pavement in shade (shade from a tree or a building both work). Mark them with chalk or cones. Check all the thermometers read the same indoors and note any that are off. Tape a small card above each bulb or sensor as a sun shade.
What materials do I need?
Thermometer (outdoor dial, liquid-in-glass with plastic backing, or cheap digital); small card taped as a sun shade over the bulb or sensor; paper cup or small box to tent over the thermometer on the ground; metre stick or string 1 m (3 ft) long; stopwatch or timer, clipboard and pencil; optional. Cost: about $25 for a class of 30 (10 cheap thermometers).
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
NGSS (US): 5-ESS3-1 (partly) and 3-5-ETS1-1 (partly).
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”, “Our results”, “Map of the schoolyard”, “Our recommendation” and “Exit ticket”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 (C$25) for all 4 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$79 (C$109) a year.