USER MANUAL
Annual Arbor Day Poster Contest Curriculum Packet Grade 5
An annual poster contest sponsored in Illinois by the IDNR, the accompanying curriculum is
designed to provide ideas, background information and hands-on activities that teach about
a different aspect of trees each year. The history of Arbor Day is included.
Conservation Education Catalog and Environmental Information Directory
Two directories that provide a wealth of information about other educational materials
that may be ordered.
About Project Project Learning Tree PreK-8
A national, award-vvinning environmental education program with a focus on "the
forest as a window on the world." Activity guides are available to educators and
youth-group leaders when attending a 4Y2 hour workshop. Sample activities are provided in
the trunk for classroom use.
Booklets
Expressions of Arbor and Bird Day
IDNR This booklet is designed to make the reader aware of, through the use of
literature, the beauty
of trees, the value of tree-planting, and the many ways in which the trees have and will
continue to serve humankind.
The True Story of Smokey Bear
A comic book describing the story of the orphan cub who grew up to become Smokey.
Guide
A guide to the Illinois Big Tree Register initiated in 1962 to discover and record
Illinois' largest living trees.
You and Forest Fires
A pamphlet providing a brief story about fire history. Fire can be destructive but it
can be used as a management tool to accomplish special needed results. This pamphlet
explains the history of fire control, the prevention drive, how fires start and who to
call for help to prevent them.
Activities
A series of activity books and pages, suitable for photocopying and using in the classroom
setting. Includes, five Outdoor Illinois NatureQuest pages, Beyond the Crack in the
Sidewalk, Conservation Quest, Smokey Bear activity sheets, Projects Activity Sampler, Illinois
State Symbols activity sheets, instructions for using topographic maps, tree clue sheet
and activities on fire ecology.
Common Illinois Trees/Leaf Identification Packet K-12
Also included in the Activities Section is a series of fact sheets on some of the most
common Illinois trees excerpted from Forest Trees of Illinois. These pages can be
used by educators and youth group leaders to assist children in the identification,
collection and preservation of leaves.
Articles
Reprinted articles from the Illinois Steward (Wood Composites), six articles from
the KIDS
FOR CONSERVATIONIST magazine and information about the Illinois Nursery Program.
EDUCATIONAL UNITS Grade Level Kids for Trees Education Kit K-3
Contains a closed-captioned videotape, audiotape, lesson plans, activities and two-sided
poster. Also included, the Ranger Rick Trees are Terrific activity guide.
The Life of a Forest Study Unit 5-8 Contains two video lessons, The Birth of a Forest
and A Forest Grows Old, lesson plans, black line masters, answer keys to student
activities and scripts for each video lesson. These materials have been prepared to help
students better understand the growth, aging and interconnectedness of forest life.
Urban Forestry Laboratory Exercises Elementary, Middle and High School Developed as a
supplemental activity guide that can be used in any science or interdisciplinary class.
The hands-on activities are designed to be data gathering exercises leading the student to
make judgments based on analysis and synthesis of the gathered data.
POSTERS
Thanks to the Trees K-adult From the IDNR Kids for Trees education kit. One side of
this two-sided poster shows tree and leaf shape and flower/fruits of 13 trees common to
Illinois. The second side challenges viewers to add a reason why they are thankful for
trees
Gypsy Moth
This Illinois Natural History Survey poster discusses the life cycle of the gypsy moth. A
teaching supplement to this poster is included in the User Manual.
U.S. Forest Service Smokey Bear Series (1 5, 8 % x I 1 " posters)
Subjects include: nocturnal animals, fungi, woodland flowers, edible plants, bird nests,
fish, trees, birds, insects, butterflies, lizards, mammal tracks, snakes, mammal young and
leaves.
Choose Your Future
From the IDNR Resource Conservation education kit, one side of this two-sided
poster shows resource use and abuse in an urban setting, the other side depicts a rural
setting. An identification sheet is provided for educator use in discussing various
management options.
Illinois Trees: Depicts leaves and fruit from 19 common Illinois
trees and provides charts identifying tree parts and the benefits of trees.
Woodland Products: Lists many benefits of trees.
Spring Woodland Wildflowers: Depicts 40 plants and animals found on
the forest floor in spring. Teaching supplement included in the POSTER section of the User
Manual.
Southern Illinois Wetlands: Depicts 44 plants and
animals found in a southern Illinois wetiand during the summer. Teaching supplement
included in the POSTER section of the User Manual.
Forest Cover of Illinois (size prohibited lamination; included in User
Manual): Depicts forest cover in Illinois from 1820-1980, with maps on forest
composition, volume,diversity and cover.
Woodland Birds: Depicts 18 permanent resident birds of Illinois
woodlands.
Fire in the Forest United Learning, grades 5-8 As the forest
ecosystem develops, the connections between its units become more complex. This complex
system must adapt and adjust itself to maintain a balanced subsistence for all life.
Materials are recycled and, with each stage of growth, new and different life forms enter
the system. 1 6 minute video lesson and 3:30 minute video quiz
HOUSE, Where, Why & How.- A Child's Guide to the Origins of Everyday Stuff
Odyssey Productions, Inc., grades 4-6 House is told from the tree's perspective
as it grows in the woods, travels to the mill and job site, and becomes part of a new
house. The story ends with seedlings being planted to replace those harvested. The video
is intended to help children understand the links between raw materials and the items in
their daily lives. 9 minutes
The Lorax Playhouse Video A Dr. Seuss story, the Lorax is a
loveable creature who speaks for the trees, trying to stop the profit-greedy Once-ler from
destroying the forest. Can be used with the Project Learning Tree activity Trees for
Many Reasons included in the Project Learning Tree Activities Section of the User
Manual.
What Exactly Does a Forester Do? Washington Forest Products
Association Provides an overview of the variety of tasks performed by forestry
professionals. 6 1/2 minutes
AUDIOTAPE
From Project Learning Tree, the song 'Oh, Learning Tree.'
BOOKS
Forest Trees of Illinois Robert H. Mahlenbrock Contains
information on more than 270 trees found in Illinois, including names, characteristics,
wood uses, preferred habitats, range, illustrations of leaf shape, seeds and twigs and
photographs of bark. Also contains a key to identifying the trees of Illinois.
Spring Woodland Wildflowers of Illinois Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Contains information on more than 200 spring woodland wildflowers of Illinois, including
characteristics, preferred habitat, range, time of flowering and full color photographs.
Important Forest Trees of the Eastern United States U.S. Forest
Service This booklet helps readers identify those forest trees of eastern United States
that they will most likely encounter during a woodland visit. The purpose of the booklet
is to: 1. acquaint the reader with the most common forest trees, 2. Help the reader
appreciate the fact that trees are useful as well as beautiful, and 3. inspire the reader
to further studies of the management, wise use and development of the forest resource.
The Grandpa Tree Mike Donahue An elementary tale of the life cycle
of a tree, from its beginning as a sapling to its demise an the forest floor, where it
decomposes and becomes 'a home for rabbits and food for flowers.
'The Man Who Planted Trees Jean Giona A source of inspiration for
reforestation programs around the world. The book features an unassuming character who
spent his life planting seedlings.
One Small Square-Woods Donald M. Silver Each book in this unique
series brings a closer look at one small square of Earth at a time. A hollow log ...
hundreds of butterflies resting on a tree ... a 'twig" that walks ... little bite
marks on a leaf. The woods are full of mysteries waiting to be solved, and clues to help
solve them.
Once Upon a Tree-Life From Treetop to Boor Tips James B. Nardi
Take an a walk through the woods to explore the extraordinary and celebrate the ordinary
life caught in the web of interactions in a tree community. Whether offered as a picture
book for beginning readers, a friendly guide for older students, or a handsome album for
naturalists of any age, this book is sure to enlighten and delight.
Adams
County Soil & Water Conservation District
