Trees and Forests

Unit Inquiry Project

Students,
All of you will be developing a project with a partner to represent your
understanding of the inquiry questions noted below.
Your inquiry will follow the structure of the 21st Century Fluencies 6Ds model.

Define
It all starts with an inquiry question or problem. This first stage involves
analyzing the question or problem from different viewpoints. It is important to begin
with a clear understanding of what it is you hope to learn.

1. Producers, Consumers and Decomposers

a. What kinds of plants and animals living on, under and among
trees? How do these things affect trees? How do trees affect
plants and animals around them? What is their relationship?
2. Roles of trees in food chains and the Oxygen cycle
a. What is a food chain? What is the role of trees in a variety of
food chains? What is the oxygen cycle? What is the role of trees
in the oxygen cycle?
3. What is a tree?
a. How are trees different from other plants? What are deciduous
trees? What are coniferous trees? How are the same or different?
4. Trees in our local environment
a. What are some trees you can find in Edmonton? What are some
trees you can find in Alberta? How can we identify them? Include
at least two coniferous and two deciduous trees. What does
native species mean? What does cultivated species mean?
5. Leaves and branches
a. How can we describe and classify leaf shapes? How are leaves
arranged on trees? What are the branching patterns of trees?
How can we use leaves and branch shapes and arrangement to
identify trees?
6. Tree Cookies and the History of a Tree
a. How can we find out about the life of a tree? What is a tree
cookie or cross-section? What are tree rings? What can tree rings
and tree cookies tell us about a trees life? What do patterns and
scars mean on a tree cookie? What can we learn about the
history of trees from their cross-sections?

Discover
This stage involves diving in and looking at what we already know, and all
possible sources of information to help answer the question. It is essentially the
research and exploration stage. What information has already been gathered? Is
there anything yet to discover?

I will explore the inquiry question and gather as much information

as possible. *I will site my sources using the bibliography form
found in Student Share.

Dream
This stage is when you dream of all of the creative possibilities in
representing your understanding. Reach for the stars on this one! This is a full
minded process. Explore the possibilities without focusing on a timeline. The time to
shape your dream to ensure that it fits a reasonable time frame will come in the
design stage. This stage is a great opportunity to examine your own personal style
and strengths in creative expression.

Will I use technology to represent my understanding? Am I good at

making three dimensional models? Can I combine an artistic
representation with technology? What creative expressions have I
seen with other concepts?

Design
This stage is the nitty gritty of developing a presentation or a project that
will represent your understanding. You will need to take into account the amount of
time that you have to complete the project.
What is my project idea for representing phases of the moon or
constellations? What materials will I need to gather to do this project?
How will I present my understanding/project?

Deliver
There are actually two parts to this stage: produce and publish. You will need
to make sure that the project is complete and well edited. In a real world context
you would have made all final adjustments to a product that you hope to market.
For this stage you will also need to rehearse and then present your project.

Is my project the best that it can be? Am I well prepared to present

my project and my understanding? When will I present?

Debrief
Whew! You have presented your project! Now it is time to self-reflect on your
work. This stage is actually the most important. It is when you take ownership of
your inquiry. It is also a reminder that you are accountable. You are in charge of your
own success.

How well did I do? Did I answer the inquiry question to the best of
my ability? Did I leave out any critical information? What feedback
did I receive from my peers? What can I do to improve in future
project work? What did I enjoy about this process? What was
difficult/less enjoyable?