Late Summer |
The Old Bur Oak Tree Activities (also called Mossycup Oak or Fagaceae) Maybe the oldest tree on the Eastern Illinois University campus, said to be 100 years older than Old Main Located on the east side of EIU's oldest building, OLD MAIN (Go here for a history) |
Winter |
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Do
these Activities
Using
your best mathematical, scientific, historical and writing skills complete
these question/activities. To really get to know the OLD BUR OAK TREE,
try to get out to the front of Old Main and inspect it in person.1. What are the Hardiness
Regions where the bur oak are native in the U.S. What ZONE?
2. Complete the detailed BUR OAK DATA FORM (Print a copy here). 3. Measure the string which was used to measure the circumference of the bur oak in inches. From that measurement determine the tree trunks: radius and diameter. If you want to know how to measure the circumference of a tree, go here. A Cool project for measuring trees is located here. 4. By estimation (looking at the picture and using known object heights) determine the height of the old Bur Tree. 5. Knowing that the Old Bur Tree has stood at EIU for over 100 years or so before Old Main was built, determine its age in 2005. You will have to figure out when Old Main was built, and go from there. You will have to go to the Old Main History on the Internet to find out when Old Main was built. 6. Make a timeline for the Old Bur Tree, with selected special historical events for the World, U.S., Illinois, Coles County and Charleston. Try to illustrate your timeline with colored symbols and drawings, and of course include the great Old Bur Tree in its design. Go to the Kids Almanac online for a great U.S. timeline. Go to Infoplease for a World Almanac. 7. Write a short story about the Old Bur Tree (related to its history, or a fictional event), and/or write a four-stanza poem about the poem. You can go a little longer in length for either the story or the poem, depending how exciting you get when writing them. 8. Place your final math calculations (including the scratch sheets), the historical information, including when the tree was a seedling, and the timeline in a final package, to be designed by your. 9. Measure with a ball of twine the circumference of the Old Bur Tree. You can then figure the diameter and radius. A OLD BUR TREE rubric will be used to assess your final project. This is not a group project. Everyone does their own work privately. Most of all, Have Fun, and see if you can go out to sit under the Old Bur Tree, or at least drive by to see it with parents. It is the big old tree very close to the east entrance to Old Main. |