The Reading Tree

Designed by Susan Severson

It begins...as in winter...with the bare branches of a tree. Then one by one, as children read books in class, leaves with book titles appear on the branches, until the tree is full. This colorful tree is an effective visual measure of young readers' progress as they read one book at a time.

Key Concepts:

Bulletin Boards, Literature, Reading

Grades:

K - 6

Curriculum:

Language Arts

Machines:

• MARK IV
  Roller Die Cutting Machine

AccuCut® Dies:

• Tree-No Leaves - Jumbo Jumbo
• Leaf-Birch
  (Clear Cuts) Large
• Tree-No Leaves Jumbo

Other Materials:

• Construction Paper -- Primary Colors and Brown
• Computer and Printer
• Marker -- Black

Tips:

Use Clear Cuts™ see-through leaf die to center and cut out photos of students, then use the leaf-shaped photos to decorate a bulletin board.

Instructions:

1. Cut one Brown tree with no leaves for each student.
2. Have each student print his or her name on a tree.
3. Using a word processing program, print "Title", "Author" and "Date" on colored paper.
4. Using the clear cut leaf die, cut as many leaves as desired from the printed paper. 
5. As each student reads a book, they will fill out a leaf and glue it to their tree.
6. Display trees on a bulletin board or on the classroom wall.