Why Do Leaves Change Their Clothes

Abigail Sledge

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Leafy Lessons Plan

Students will be able to identify key reasons why leaves change color in the fall and connect these changes to the broader natural world.

Understanding seasonal changes helps 1st graders develop an appreciation for nature and fosters scientific curiosity about the world around them.

Audience

1st Grade Students

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Through a story, presentation, and hands-on activity, students will discover the science behind fall leaves.

Materials

Autumn's Art Show Presentation, - The Leaf's Big Secret Story, - Color Me Fall Leaf Rubbings (with leaves and crayons), and - Our Favorite Fall Colors Chat

Prep

Gather Materials & Review Content

15 minutes

Review Autumn's Art Show Presentation to familiarize yourself with the slides.
* Print copies of The Leaf's Big Secret Story for each student or prepare to project it.
* Gather a variety of fallen leaves (if possible) for the Color Me Fall Leaf Rubbings activity. If real leaves are not available, printed leaf templates can be used.
* Ensure you have crayons (especially fall colors) for each student.
* Review the prompts for Our Favorite Fall Colors Chat.

Step 1

Warm-Up: What Do You Notice?

5 minutes

Ask students:

Step 2

Introduction: Why Do Leaves Change Their Clothes?

10 minutes

Show Autumn's Art Show Presentation slides 1-3.
* Read aloud The Leaf's Big Secret Story to the class. Pause to discuss key concepts like chlorophyll and the role of sunlight.

Step 3

Activity: Color Me Fall Leaf Rubbings

15 minutes

Distribute leaves and crayons to each student.
* Explain and demonstrate how to do a leaf rubbing by placing a leaf under a piece of paper and rubbing the side of a crayon over it.
* Encourage students to experiment with different leaf shapes and colors.

Step 4

Discussion: Our Favorite Fall Colors Chat

10 minutes

Lead a class discussion using prompts from Our Favorite Fall Colors Chat.
* Encourage students to share their leaf rubbings and talk about the colors they observed and created.

Step 5

Cool-Down: One New Thing

5 minutes

Ask students to share one new thing they learned today about why leaves change colors.
* Collect Color Me Fall Leaf Rubbings to display.

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Slide Deck

Why Do Leaves Change Their Clothes?

Get ready to discover the magic of autumn!

Welcome students and introduce the exciting topic of fall leaves.

What Do You Notice About Leaves?

Look outside! What colors do you see?

Ask students what they notice about leaves in the fall. Encourage them to share their observations.

Leaves Have a Secret!

They change their outfits for fall. But how?

Introduce the idea that leaves have a secret. This sets up the reading.

The Green Power (Chlorophyll)

In summer, leaves are green because of a special green stuff called chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll helps leaves eat sunlight to make their food!

Explain chlorophyll in simple terms – the 'green paint' that helps leaves make food when the sun is strong.

Green Says "Bye-Bye!"

When fall comes, the days get shorter and colder.
The green chlorophyll goes to sleep.
Then, we can see the other colors that were hiding!

Explain that as days get shorter and colder, the green chlorophyll goes away, revealing other colors.

Hello, Hidden Colors!

Underneath the green, leaves have secret colors like:
* Yellows
* Oranges
* Reds
They were there all along, just waiting for their turn to shine!

Introduce the hidden colors: yellow, orange, and red. Mention that these colors were always there, just covered by green.

Time for Winter Naps

After their big color show, leaves turn brown and fall off.
They are getting ready for a long winter nap!
This helps the tree rest too.

Briefly mention that some leaves turn brown when they are done with their fall show. This is a good segue into the activity.

Nature's Own Art Show!

Now you know the secret of why leaves change their clothes!
Isn't fall beautiful?

Conclude by encouraging students to look for these colors in nature and appreciate the beauty of fall.

Reading

The Leaf's Big Secret Story

Once upon a time, high up in the trees, lived many, many leaves. All summer long, these leaves were busy, busy, busy! They wore their favorite green outfits, shiny and bright.

Meet Chlorophyll, the Green Helper

Their green clothes were special because of a magical helper inside them called chlorophyll. Can you say that? Chlo-ro-phyll! Chlorophyll loved to eat sunlight. Just like you eat your yummy snacks to get energy, chlorophyll soaked up sunshine to help the tree make its food. This made the leaves super strong and super green!

A Change in the Air

But as the summer days grew shorter and the air started to feel a little bit crisp, a big change began. The sun didn't stay out as long, and it wasn't as warm as before. Chlorophyll, the green helper, started to get sleepy.

Hidden Colors Come Out to Play

When chlorophyll went to sleep, something amazing happened! The green color began to fade away. And guess what? Underneath the green, other beautiful colors were hiding! They were always there, but the strong green chlorophyll covered them up.

Suddenly, the leaves started to show off their secret outfits! Some turned bright yellow, like a sunny lemon. Others glowed a warm orange, just like a juicy pumpkin. And some, oh some, turned a fiery red, like a blazing campfire!

Nature's Big Art Show

It was like a huge art show in the trees! All the leaves, in their new yellow, orange, and red clothes, danced in the wind. They were celebrating fall!

After their big color show, the leaves felt tired. They slowly drifted down from the branches, twirling and swirling to the ground, ready for a long winter nap. They knew that next spring, new little leaves would grow and the chlorophyll would wake up to make everything green again. And so, the secret of the leaves was shared every autumn, making the world a beautiful, colorful place!

Activity

Color Me Fall Leaf Rubbings

Objective: Explore the unique shapes and textures of fall leaves and create a colorful art piece.

Materials:

Real fallen leaves (different shapes and sizes if possible)
White paper
Crayons (peeled of their paper wrappers, especially fall colors like red, orange, yellow, brown)

Instructions:

Gather Your Leaves: Each student will get a few leaves. Look closely at your leaves! What shapes do you see? Can you feel the bumpy lines, called veins?
Paper On Top: Place a leaf underneath your paper. Make sure the side with the bumpy veins is facing up, touching the paper.
Rub, Rub, Rub! Take a crayon (without its paper wrapper). Lay the crayon on its side and gently rub it back and forth over the paper where your leaf is hidden underneath.
Watch the Magic! As you rub, you will see the shape and the veins of your leaf appear on the paper! It's like magic!
Add More Colors: Try using different crayon colors. What happens when you use yellow over a red rubbing? Experiment with different leaves and colors to make a beautiful fall art collection.
Share Your Art: When you are done, show your leaf rubbings to a friend or the class. Tell us about the colors you chose and what you noticed about your leaves!

Discussion

Our Favorite Fall Colors Chat

Objective: Facilitate a discussion about students' observations and understanding of fall leaf changes and their favorite fall colors.

Discussion Prompts:

What was your favorite part of learning about why leaves change colors?
What new color did you discover hiding in a green leaf today?
Show us your favorite leaf rubbing! What colors did you use? Why do you like it?
Besides leaves, what other things make you think of fall colors? (e.g., pumpkins, apples, sweaters)
If you were a leaf, what color would you turn in the fall and why?
Why do you think it's important for trees to have their leaves change color and then fall off?