Sample Sheets From Activity Pack

Lyrics: Deciduous and Evergreen Trees Song

Deciduous trees drop their leaves by winter
The maple and oak, apple and pear are examples
Why do leaves fall? Why do leaves fall in autumn
Cos temperatures drop and sunlight is less in autumn
Dormant they stay, making no food in winter

That's why leaves fall, that's why leaves fall in autumn
That's why leaves fall, that's why leaves fall in autumn

Evergreen trees don't lose their leaves by winter
The spruce and the fir, holly and pine, examples
How do they stay green? How do they stay green all year round
How do they stay green? How do they stay green all year round

Cos evergreen trees make their own food all year round
They have thick waxy leaves, store water in the freeze of winter

That's how they stay green, that's how they stay green all year round
That's how they stay green, how they stay green all year round
That's how they stay green, that's how they stay green all year round

Name on YouTube is Deciduous and Evergreen Trees Song

Curriculum Alignment: England & US

National Curriculum of England
Core KS1 Focus: Year 1 Science

Directly supports the statutory objective under Plants and Seasonal changes. This requires children to identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees. The song explicitly defines both types, provides examples (maple, oak, holly, pine), and explains the core observational difference (shedding leaves vs. staying green).

Core KS2 Focus: Year 3 Science

Provides strong preparatory knowledge for the Year 3 objective under Plants to identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants, specifically the leaves. The lyrics clearly state that deciduous trees are "making no food in winter" and evergreens "make their own food all year round," introducing the concept of photosynthesis (food making) without using the term itself.

Extension Value: Year 4 Living things and their habitats

The song establishes the concept of adaptation. Evergreens' thick, waxy leaves are described as helping them "store water in the freeze of winter," which is a simple explanation of a structural adaptation enabling survival in different seasons.

NGSS Standards (K–1 Focus)

The song is a highly effective tool for developing the concept of Interdependence and Adaptation in plants.

Core LS Focus: Kindergarten (K) & Grade 1 (G1)

Targeted Alignment (K-LS1-1): Supports the requirement for students to use observations to describe patterns of what plants need to survive. The song highlights the external changes (leaves falling/staying) in response to environmental factors (less sunlight, low temperature).

Targeted Alignment (G1-LS1-1): Reinforces the concept that plants need sunlight and water to grow, explaining the adaptation of evergreens to survive seasonal changes.

Extension Value: This provides a strong foundation for understanding adaptation and the diversity of life, key concepts for Grade 2 and higher.