MIDDLE SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

Students will practice journaling through periodic observations of a nearby oak and its surroundings. They will take basic tree measurements, conduct a soil analysis, and learn about species utilization in order to study both abiotic and biotic factors influencing their tree. They will learn that observation is one of the key steps to the scientific process.

Learning Objectives: Using written clues students will sequence some of the major climatic and geological events that have influenced the distribution pattern of the oaks in California over the last 20,000 years. They will be able to identify and describe some of the adaptations oaks have developed to live in a Mediterranean climate.

Students will use a dichotomous key to identify up to 12 different hardwood species found in the North Coast. As an extension activity, they will press leaves or use cut-out drawings to make an identification booklet useful in the field or future identification needs.

Students will read about acorn masting and will identify some of the main theories attempting to explain this phenomenon. They will interpret several figures from a scientific study attempting to find significant contributing factors for yearly acorn productivity across varying scales. Comparisons include yearly acorn abundance per species, versus average monthly temperature, and between individual trees within the same species.

Students will interpret data regarding how oak seedlings respond to various levels of light. In doing so they will learn about life history tradeoffs, competitive advantages, and potential reasons for poor oak regeneration. They will compare results of shoot and root mass and overall biomass of seedlings from three different oak species after exposure to three different light levels.

Students will research and compare the interdependent relationships between two bird species (acorn woodpecker and western scrub jay) and oak trees. Both species rely heavily on acorns and have different methods of caching them for winter food. Students will apply systems thinking by designing a model that shows an outcome related to these animal-plant interactions.

Students will be able to define what a keystone species is and will identify interconnected ecological relationships relative to an oak woodland. They will reveal and apply their knowledge by developing a food web that highlights oaks as the dominant producer after filling out a graphic organizer.

Students will identify the cause and effects of fire suppression particularly overtopping by Douglas-fir in Oregon white oak habitat. They will analyze data from a thinning project and will determine how oaks respond to different treatment levels. In this study, changes in acorn productivity, dbh, and epicormic sprouting were measured over five years.

Through an online investigation students will learn about Sudden Oak Death (SOD) and will be able to identify the pathogen, symptoms, and vectors of this disease. They will also be able to describe some of the precautions people can take to limit the spread of this oak tree disease.

Students will compare past and present land management practices in the Bald Hills of Redwood National Park. The will read a scientific paper in groups and will describe structural and compositional changes in vegetation caused by the use and suppression of fire. They will be able to explain the advantages of using fire as a tool for restoration.