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Cherry Blossom Time

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Subjects Educational Technology Science Social Studies Civics, Geography, U.S. History

Grades 3-5, 6-8

Brief Description

Objectives

• investigate the history of the cherry trees of Washington, D.C.
• complete the Cherry Blossom Time work sheet.

Keywords

Materials Needed

• computers with Internet access (or other sources of information about the cherry trees of Washington, D.C.)
• Cherry Blossom Time work sheet

Lesson Plan

Begin this activity by discussing the signs of spring in your area and talk about the change of seasons as reflected in trees. Flowering trees are a common sign of the approach of warmer weather, especially the blooming cherry trees of Washington, D.C. Point out to the students that a festival is held each year to mark this event. Examine the pictures of the Smithsonian Institution's Washington's Spring Means Cherry Blossoms page or other photos of the cherry blossoms. Why, do your students believe, do so many people visit the nation's capital during the festival to see the cherry trees in bloom?

Now distribute to students copies of the Cherry Blossom Time work sheet. (Younger students may benefit from group work, but older students may complete the sheet independently.) Direct students to the Cherry Trees of Washington page from the National Park Service or other resources you have gathered about the topic. Have them record the appropriate answers to the questions by touring the pages of the Web site.

For the bonus question, students can use two sites to make more accurate predictions: When Will They Bloom? and The Weather Channel: Washington, D.C. Hold a class discussion about when the students expect peak bloom this year and why.

Extension Activities There are many ways to expand this activity! Check out the following three suggestions.

• Have your students graph the results of the bonus question from the work sheet to see the number of students who chose each day in March or April. Follow the progress of the trees to discover the most accurate horticulturists in your classroom.
• Organize a project to raise money to buy and care for a cherry tree in Washington, D.C. Information can be found through the National Park Service at Blossoms in Our Future.
• The cherry trees in Washington were a gift from Japan. Have your students learn about the Japanese tea ceremony and hold one in the classroom. You will find background about the ceremony at Tea in Japan.

Assessment

Students should correctly answer seven of ten questions on the work sheet and make an appropriate guess for the bonus question.

Answer Key:

1. Mrs. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. They were infested with insects, nematodes (roundworms), and other diseases.
4. Yoshino cherry; 2,763
5. Ten days before peak bloom; weather -- unusually warm weather causes an early bloom, and unusually cold weather causes a late bloom.
6. 1.Green color in buds, 2. Florets visible, 3. Extension of florets, 4. Peduncle elongation, 5. Puffy white. Drawings should be similar to photos found by clicking on the title of each stage on the "Peak Bloom" page of Cherry Trees of Washington.
7. Daffodils; star, saucer, and kobus magnolias; weeping and Yoshino cherries; forsythia; shadblow serviceberry; flowering quince
8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
9. Pruning, watering, wound treatment, insect and disease control, fertilization, aeration/vertical mulching, and replacement
10. Citizens may donate funds to Blossoms in Our Future, a program from the National Park Service. The cost for one tree and its care is $250.
    Bonus: Answers will vary, but days in March or April are appropriate.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Cara Bafile

National Standards

SCIENCE

• GRADES K - 4
  NS.K-4.3 Life Science

• GRADES 5 - 8
  NS.5-8.3 Life Science