Kristin Joivell Juniata Valley Elementary School

Tree Growth Study

2016-2017 and 2017-2018

In this study over two school years, the kindergarten students monitored the changes in a sugar maple tree.  The students focused on making observations of the sugar maple tree during each seasonal change as phenophases changed throughout the year.  Additionally, the time lapse camera took a daily photo of the sugar maple tree to be used in a time lapse video to be viewed at the end of each school year so that students could see all of the changes over the entire school year compiled together.

We took a single photograph of the sugar maple tree during each season to showcase the phenophases.  For fall, leaf color change was the prominent phenophase.  For winter, leaves dropped was the prominent phenophase.  For spring, blooming flowers was the prominent phenophase.  And for summer, seed development was the prominent phenophase.

Here is the sugar maple tree for fall, winter, spring, and summer in 2016-2017:

Here is the sugar maple tree for fall, winter, spring, and summer in 2017-2018:

Students wrote and drew pictures of observations about the sugar maple tree once during each season in their journals.  As you can see from their work, they noticed the features of each of the phenophases the sugar maple tree was going through during the year.

The time lapse camera took daily photos of the sugar maple tree throughout the school year.  Then, those photos were used to create a time lapse movie of the changes to the sugar maple tree.  Students each school year viewed the time lapse movies to compare and contrast sugar maple tree growth over the school year.