Autumn Is Un-be-LEAF-able! 

If you LOVE teaching your science curriculum through investigations and experiments...check out my new packet for the fall! Autumn lends itself to a lot of fun and engaging investigations from weather, to apples, to pumpkins, and fall leaves! 
I LOVE teaching science investigations with the scientific method. I've created some vocabulary cards to help the students to learn the scientific method: 

Scientific Method Cards

I know you've probably seen these cards before, but I like to match the borders around them to go with the science investigation... I know, silly right?

For the scientific method, the students can start with asking questions about fall leaves:
Where can I find fall leaves?
Where do they come from?
Why are they different colors when I find them?
How many different kinds of leaves can I find?
What kind of tree did these leaves come from?

Then, they can start filling out their foldable for their interactive notebook:

I've also created a lesson plan that shows what mentor text to read before investigating. This helps the students understand more about the leaves and where they come from. I've also included questions you can ask your students.

Lesson Plan 

After reading the mentor text, then students can hypothesize about what kind of leaves they will find, what colors they will find, and what shapes and sizes. 
Now, this is the fun part! The students get to go out to the playground and find as many leaves as they can! Just give them a baggie and turn them loose! It's so much fun to see them leaf hunting and getting so excited about science! I've created a step by step investigation process to follow with materials and directions.

Investigation Process

I LOVE taking pictures of my students hunting for their leaves.  This gives them a great opportunity to have class outside, and who doesn't like to have class outside in the fresh air????

After the students have found all their leaves, then we go back into the classroom and I show them how to do a leaf rubbing. They LOVE this activity and they draw it inside their science notebook. After rubbing the leaf, then we label the different parts.  I've created a template for your students to use for their leaf rubbing and labels that they can glue onto their picture. I've also created a diagram of the parts of a leaf so the students can have a visual. 

Diagram of a Leaf and Interactive Notebook Template

You can also have the students graph their leaves that they found. They can sort them on their desk, and count the different varieties. I've created a graphing template with problem solving questions. I've created both of these templates in color and black and white

Graphing and Problem Solving

Another extension of this investigation is writing about the leaves that the students found. I've created two writing templates: Autumn Leaves and Autumn is Un-be-LEAF-able. Both of these templates are also in color and black and white. Here, they can write about the changes that leaves go thru in the Autumn and what has to happen for these changes. They can also write about their experience leaf hunting. The possibilities are endless! 

Expository Writing

I hope you have gotten some great ideas about trying an investigation on fall leaves. It is so fun and the students get so excited to go outside and hunt for leaves. It allows for a hands-on, engaging experience that some students have never had before! If you are interested in checking out my Autumn Leaf packet, click below. Have a wonderful school year! 

Autumn is Un-be-LEAF-able: An Investigation with Fall Leaves


                                              Love, Kara

                                      Graphics Courtesy Of: