Why don't trees blow down in the wind?

Why don't trees blow down in the wind?

Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:

Why do you think the umbrellas blew away, but other things on the beach did not?

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DISCUSS:

Why do you think trees don’t get blown down by the wind, but umbrellas do?

To help us figure it out, let’s pretend to be trees blowing in the wind. Maybe that will give us some ideas! Go to the next slide to begin.

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DISCUSS:

What ideas do trees give you, for making an umbrella that won’t blow down in the wind?

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Slide Image
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Slide Image

tree


1 of 12

a type of plant that has a trunk and branches
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root


2 of 12

a part of a plant that is usually under the ground
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trunk


3 of 12

the thick middle part of a tree
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branch


4 of 12

a part of a tree the grows out from the trunk and usually has leaves
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leaf


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a part of a plant that is often flat and green
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shade


6 of 12

a dark, cool place that is not directly in the sunlight
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umbrella


7 of 12

a cover that protects from rain or sunlight
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wind


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moving air
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structure


9 of 12

the specific form and shape of something
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engineer


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a person who uses science to come up with solutions to problems
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design


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to make a plan for creating or doing something
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invent


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to create something new, often an object or a way of doing something
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Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students examine structures like roots, branches, and leaves that keep trees from blowing down. In the activity, Wind-Proof Umbrella, they use their observations to create their own tree-inspired umbrellas that stay up in the wind.

Preview activity

Exploration

18 mins

Wrap-Up

2 mins

Extend this lesson

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