This document outlines a unit of work on trees that incorporates several subjects including geography, history, literacy and science. The main activities involve students researching how trees and their surrounding environments have changed over time in both their local area and in Zambia. Students work in groups to investigate past land use near a tree at their school and in Zambia. They then present their findings to the class. The project aims to teach students about environmental change and adaptation over long periods of time.

1. Literacy
Narrative
Poetry
Recount
Information Texts
Guided Reading
ICT
Research
Presentation
Music
Song: Wood
Song: We Need Plants
The Leaves on the Tree
Geography
Knowledge and Understanding of
places/ patterns and processes:
Zambia
Changing Places : UK Zambia
Knowledge of Environmental Change
and Sustainable Development:
Environmental Change
Sustainabilty
PSHE
Building Learning
Power/ Thinking Skills
Science
Interdependence and
Adaptation
What Plants Need to Grow
Art
Building a classroom
forest
The Fountain of
Hope Children’s
Centre
An
Introduction to
‘Tree Tales’
The Outrageous
Oak
The Fab
Baobab
Created by Katie Goldsmith

2. Objective Main Activity Independent Work Plenary Project Development
Adaptation
To learn about
the different
plants and
animals found
in different
habitats.
To learn how
animals and
plants in two
different
habitats are
suited to their
environment
Resources:
Images of UK
and Zambian
animals
In pairs children research
plants and animals from
the UK and Zambia and
how they have adapted
to their environments.
They then work together
to present their findings
in a PowerPoint
presentation. The best
will be shown to the class
at the end of the lesson.
Using their completed
PowerPoint, the best pairs
come to the front to
explain how their chosen
animals have adapted to
their environment. The
rest of the class may ask
questions.
Are some of the features of
different animals similar to
one another? Why could
this be?
This lesson may move into
work on food chains in
Zambia and the UK
The further explore
interdependence, children
could look at the ways
humans use trees in their
daily lives.
For information about
how we use the baobab
or oak:
The Fab Baobab
The Outrageous Oak
Science
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Display a map of the world and discuss
climate zones. How might the climate in the
UK and Zambia be different?
Display an image of a mole. What kind of
habitat does the mole live in? Why does it
have claws in this shape? Why it blind?
Display images of animals native to the UK
and Zambia. What can we tell about the
habitat these animals live in from their
bodies? Establish that these animals have
adapted to their environment.
Display images of a baobab and an oak tree.
What are the differences between them?
Why might this be? Point out that the
baobab retains water in its trunk during the
winter for use during the summer.
Compare images of oak leaves and baobab
leaves and discuss the reasons why they are
different.
How Have Animals and Plants in the UK and Zambia Adapted to Their Environment?

3. Zambia
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COUNTRY NAME: Zambia
CAPITAL CITY: Lusaka
LANGUAGES: English, Bemba, Nyanja, Chewa,
Lunda, Tonga, Lozi, Luvale, Kaonde
POPULATION: 12,935,000
OFFICIAL RELIGION: Christianity
OTHER RELIGIONS: Islam, Judaism, ba’hai and
many others.
Geography
Zambia’s official name is the Republic of Zambia and it is located in the south of Africa. It is a
landlocked country, which means it is surrounded on all sides by other countries and has no
coastline. Its neighbours are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi,
Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.
There are two major rivers in Zambia, the Zambezi and the Congo. In the south west of
Zambia, near the town of Livingstone, there lies the largest waterfall in the world: Victoria
Falls.
Climate and Wildlife
There are two main seasons, the rainy season, between November and April, and the dry
season, between May and October.
Zambia has an exciting range of wildlife, including lions, giraffes, hyenas,, hippos
buffalo and zebra. It is a popular place for tourists looking for safari trips.
Music
Most Zambian traditional music is based on drums (and other percussion instruments) with a
lot of singing and dancing. Other kinds of music from abroad are also popular, such as
Congolese rumba, African-American music and Jamaican reggae. Zambian rock, known as
Zamrock, is also popular.
Sport
Football is the most popular sport in Zambia. Other popular sports include boxing, rugby and
cricket.
Zambia
Go to page 2

4. Global warming is changing the climate all over the world, in Zambia it
has caused problems such as drought (long periods without rainfall) and
flooding.
Drought
In Zambia, many people grow crops and depend on them to live. The
climate in Zambia is becoming very dry, therefore droughts are
happening more often. People’s lives are becoming more difficult as
there is often not enough rain to water crops and produce enough food.
Experts say that if climate change continues like this, in fifty years,
Victoria Falls, the world’s largest waterfall, will dry up completely.
Floods
Due to climate change, weather in Zambia is becoming more extreme.
Periods of sudden, heavy rainfall on dry soil causes flooding. This can
mean people have to move out of their homes and can increase the
spread of disease.
Deforestation
Deforestation (chopping down trees) is a problem in Zambia. It has lots
over 13% of its forests because people chop down trees in order to use
the land for farming. Sometimes they burn the trees too. This makes
the soil dry and increases the chance of flooding.
Before the 19th Century the Khosian, Bantu, Tonga, and
Nkoya people lived in area which we now call Zambia.
There was not an official government because the
individual groups made decisions among themselves.
The Arrival of the British (Colonisation)
In the 18th
and 19th
centuries people began to arrive in
Africa from all over Europe. British people arrived in
the area we call Zambia today and took charge of the
region. It became a British colony (under British control)
and it was given the name Northern Rhodesia. The
original population continued to live there, but their
land was, in some places, taken over by the British.
Independence
On 24 October 1964 the country became independent
of the UK and was given the name Republic of Zambia.
The first prime minister was Kenneth Kaunda.
Zambian History Climate Change in Zambia
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5. Objective Main Activity Independent Work Plenary Project Development
To identify how and
why places change
and how they may
change in the future
Skills:
Ask geographical
questions
Collect and record
evidence.
Analyse evidence
and draw
conclusions.
Resources:
Images of the
school from the
past.
Maps of the local
area from the past.
Over one or two
lessons, children plan
and carry out their
own investigation into
the land use of the
area around the tree.
At regular intervals,
children should share
any obstacles/
difficulties they have
faced in their
investigation so that
other groups may
learn from their
mistakes.
Children’s research
should be displayed on
their tables. Each group
walks around to look at
what the other groups
have done.
Do the findings of each
group differ?
Is this related to the
research method chosen?
How reliable are our
results?
Children could prepare a
class assembly for the rest
of the school, to share
what they have found
out.
They could prepare a
display in the main hall to
show the changes the
tree has seen at their
school.
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Geography
What Changes Have Trees Experienced in Your Community?
Show children a picture of several trees at
different ages. Take children to a tree in or close
to the school grounds. Ask children to estimate
its age.
Looking around at the local environment, invite
children to suggest what may have changed
around the tree. Which buildings would have
been here when the tree was just a sapling?
Which have been built since? Would there have
been more/ other trees around it?
In small groups, ask children to suggest ways of
finding out how the land use of the area has
changed. (i.e asking local people, looking at old
maps etc) Considering the following questions:
 Which of the methods you have chosen are
the most reliable?
 Which would provide the most information?
 Which are the most difficult to carry out?
 How would you present your results in a
visual way? (2 contrasting land use maps/ a
series of facts?)


6. Objective Main Activity Independent Work Plenary Project Development
Geography
To identify how
and why places
change and how
they may change
in the future
History
To identify and
describe reasons
for and results of
historical events,
situations and
changes in the
periods studied.
Using the second page
of the information text
children should work
together to find the
answers to their
questions.
They should use the
internet or other
sources to find any
answers not given in
the text.
As a group, children
present their findings to
the rest of the class.
Using the success
criteria, children assess
the effectiveness of
each group’s
presentation.
If possible their
presentations could be
recorded and played
back for self
assessment.
This lesson could be
preceeded by more in
depth exploration of
Zambian culture.
It could also lead into
more in depth work on
climate change and
sustainability
For useful websites on
this subject:
Web Resources
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History and Geography
What Changes Have Trees Experienced in Zambia?
Reflect upon the changes which have taken place
around the tree in the school grounds. Read the first
page of the information text Zambia as a class to give
background knowledge about the country. How might
the changes witnessed by a tree in Zambia be similar/
different?
How can we find out what the changes may have
been? (Internet/ books etc)
Aside from the land use, what other changes might a
tree witness in its life? (Consider social and
environmental factors such as climate change, political
developments, fashion, way of life, music etc)
In groups, on large sheets of paper, children should list
questions they would like to answer about changes in
Zambia. Explain that their research will be presented
to the rest of the class. How could this information be
presented in interesting way? Develop a short success
criteria for giving an effective oral/ visual presentation

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Literacy
Exploring Information Texts
Cross Curricular Objectives:
Further Literacy:
Reading for information
Draw on different features
of texts to obtain meaning
Use organisational features
and systems to find texts
and information.
Geography
To identify and describe
what places are like.
The location of places and
environments they study.
There are three information texts available in his unit for exploration either in Literacy
lessons or during Guided Reading. They are designed to cover many aspects of Assessment
Focus 4 in reading: Identify and comment on structure and organisation. Suggested AF4
questions for each text are listed below:
The Outrageous Oak
What is the purpose of the
captions beneath the photos?
Why are certain words written in
bold?
Why are the star shaped boxes
used?
How does the layout of the text
make it easier to read?
Zambia
What is the purpose of the box
beneath the map?
Why have sub- headings been
used?
Why does the author change
paragraphs after the word
“October”?
The Fab Baobab
What is the purpose of the
caption beneath the picture on
page 1?
What is the purpose of the
arrows on page 2?
How does the layout of page 2
help the reader to find the
information they are looking for?

8. The Outrageous Oak
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What Can Oak Trees Be Used For?
 Many years ago, oak wood was used to make ships. Most of these were used in
the Navy.
 Nowadays the wood from the oak tree is mostly used for making furniture,
flooring and building frames.
 It is also used make barrels to carry wine, and some types of oak bark are used to
make wine stoppers called corks.
 It was even used to make the main chamber of the House of Commons!
 There are around 600 species of oak tree in the world today.
 Oak trees can be found in many parts of the Europe, North America and Asia.
 Some species of oak are deciduous and some are evergreen
 The flowers from the oak tree are called catkins and the fruit is called an
acorn.
Fascinating Fact!
Oak leaves and acorns are
poisonous to cattle,
horses, sheep and goats.
Sadly...
Many species of oak are in danger of becoming extinct. This is because the way humans
use the land around them has changed. Lots of oaks have been chopped down to clear land
for farming or because their wood was needed to make things.
Did You Know..?
The Oak is the national
tree of England and
many other countries
Glossary:
Species: Types of
plants/animals.
Deciduous: Sheds its
leaves each year.
Evergreen: Doesn’t shed
its leaves.
Extinct: A species of
animal/plant which no
longer exists.An oak in summer
An oak in winter

9. In winter the Baobab drinks lots of water, and stores it in the trunk– making it thicker.
In the summer, when there is less water around, the Baobab uses the water it stored in the
winter, so it gets thinner!
The Fab Baobab
 The Baobab tree is known as the “upside down tree” because its branches look like
roots!
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Go to Page 2
 It is very difficult to kill the Baobab
tree, and the can live for over 2,000
years! However, when the Baobab
dies, it is very sudden. It rots from the
inside and crashes to the ground with
a BUMP!
 The Baobab can grow up to 20m tall
and 15m in girth (all the way around
the trunk).
 In winter the Baobab drinks lots of water, and stores it in the trunk– making it thicker.
In the summer, when there is less water around, the Baobab uses the water it stored
in the winter, so it gets thinner!

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How Does the Baobab Help People?
Back to Page 1
Trunk
In older trees the
trunk is normally
hollowed out
because it provides
a great place to
keep food and drink
cool.
Bark
 Baobab bark can be
used to make a strong
rope.
 It can also be used as a
medicine to treat fever.
Leaves
 Baobab leaves can be use in a
cooking sauce.
 They can also be used as a
medicine to treat, fever,
stomach ache, diarrhoea and
asthma.
Wood
Baobab wood is ideal for making
paper and canoes. It can also be
used as firewood.
However, the wood is only usually
only used after the tree has died.
Fruit
 Baobab fruit can be used
to make a nutritious drink
and a medicine to treat
the common cold.
 Its seeds can be used to
make flour.
 The hard shell makes a
container, and is often
turned into a musical
instrument!
Roots
The roots are crushed in order to make a dye
for textiles and paint.

11. http://www.heritagewoodsonline.co.uk/schools/Wonderofwood.htm
Web Resources
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For Teachers:
Forest Posters to download
http://www.offorestsandmen.org/en/posters
Downloadable posters showing how 10 different trees in
Africa are used.
http://www.offorestsandmen.org/en/posters
Downloadable Classroom Activities: Woodland Theme
http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/childrensuniversity
http://www.heritagewoodsonline.co.uk/schools/Wonderofwood.ht
m
Sustainability
The Centre of Alternative Technology
http://www.footprintfutures.org.uk/
Eco- Schools
http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/ecoschools/
Planting Trees at Your School
Tree Appeal
http://www.treeappeal.com/Schools.html
WWF
http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/working_with_schools/plantatr
ee.cfm
For Pupils:
What do trees need to grow? How do they change according to
location/ season?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/wwww/scottishwoodla
nds/
Environmental Protection:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/sysm/eco/eco_friendly.
shtml

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Narrative
The Giving TreeShel Silverstein
This fantastic book tells the story of
a tree’s life and its relationship with
a boy. It shows the interdependence
of humans and trees and could be
used to start a series of lessons on
this theme.
As this book uses very simple
language, it is ideal for use in a Talk
for Writing unit in Key Stage 2. It can
be easily memorised and
“improved”. Children could build up
to writing a story like this using the
baobab or another tree from their
research as the subject.
Poetry
A Baobab is Big Jacqui Taylor
This great poem gives lots of
information about the
baobab tree and uses a
regular rhyme scheme.
Why not study how it is
written during a literacy
lesson and then ask children
to write their own similar
poem about the oak tree!
Literacy – Extra Ideas
Recount
When this series of lessons is
complete, why not ask the
children to write a diary
entry from a tree’s point of
view?
They could choose to write
from the viewpoint of a tree
in their own community or in
Zambia (or anywhere else in
the world!) It would be a
good opportunity to recap
the features of a recount.

13. .
Katie Goldsmith is a KS2 teacher and is passionate about Global Citizenship education. Her resources aim to inspire
young people in their discovery of other cultures and to break down cultural and religious stereotypes. See more at
www.awindowtotheworld.org
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send
a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA
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