On the Language Arts Limb

Trees play a major role in the stories of many cultures and in the origins of many religions. It may be called a Tree of Life or a World Tree, the Sacred Tree or Tree of Enlightenment, but variously it stands as a symbol of human experience, for new beginnings, and for ideas of transition.

About Two Trees

The following two stories should be read to students for comments and discussion. The first would be a good subject for interpretation and illustration by the listeners.

YGGDRASIL, A Norse story

The ash tree is huge- its crown reaches to the heavens, its roots penetrate the underworld. Between the sky and underground kingdoms, the tree is the representation of the living world. Its limbs climb to every plane of existence and in its braches live animals and giants. This is the “World Tree,” the “Sacred Tree,” the “Tree of the Universe” in Scandinavian mythology. Its name is Yggdrasil. Also known as the “Tree of Knowledge” and the “Tree of Fate,” it encompasses all of the earth and heavens.

Yggdrasil’s roots extend deep into subterranean kingdoms. One of the three main roots leads into the land of the gods, and another penetrates the cold, barren land of the dead ruled over by a feared death goddess. Here the giant serpent dragon feeds on unlucky dead. A third root goes down deep into the frozen land of the Frost Giants, enemies of both gods and men, who are carried to the underworld on a ship built of the fingernails of dead men. At each of the roots are springs of water with special powers; the Well of Wisdom, the Well of Fate, and Roaring Kettle, the source of many rivers. These waters keep the tree from decaying and give it immortality.

Below Yggdrasil a great serpent encircles the earth with tail in his teeth. As he gnaws at the roots trying to destroy the tree, his movements bring storms and earthquakes to the world.

Linking this underworld to the sky are the trunk, limbs and branches of Yggdrasil. Here, feeding on the branches live a goat and four stags that represent the four winds. From the antlers of one stag, drip waters that feed all the rivers of the world.

At the top of Yggdrsil lives a wise eagle, enemy of the serpent who gnaws at the tree roots. Between the eagle’s eyes, perched on his forehead, lives a hawk who is keeping watch over the world while a rooster n the treetop crows to warn the gods of enemy attacks. A squirrel constantly runs up and down the trunk between the eagle of the highest branches and the snake gnawing at the roots; he carries insults from one to the other.

With its main branch piercing through the heavens Yggdrasil links the underworld, the earth and the sky. Recognized as a source of knowledge this world tree serves as a representative of the past, present and future.

The Sacred Tree, A Native American Story

For all the people of the earth the Creator has planted a Sacred Tree under which they may gather, and there find healing, power, wisdom and security. The roots of this Tree spread deep into the body of Mother Earth. Its branches reach upward like hands praying to Father Sky.

The fruits of this Tree are the good things the Creator has given to the people: teachings that show the path to love, compassion, generosity, patience, wisdom, justice, courage, respect, humility and many other wonderful gifts.

The ancient ones taught us that the life of the Tree is the life of the people. If the people wander far away from the protective shadow of the Tree, if they forget to seek the nourishment of its fruit, or if they should turn against the Tree and attempt to destroy it, great sorrow will fall upon the people. Many will become sick at heart. The people will lose their power. They will cease to dream dreams and see visions. They will begin to quarrel among themselves over worthless trifles. They will become unable to tell the truth and to deal with each other honestly. They will forget how to survive in their own land. Their lives will become filled with anger and gloom. Little by little they will poison themselves and all they touch.

It was foretold that these things would come to pass, but that the Tree would never die. And as long as the Tree lives, the people will live. It was also foretold that the day would come when the people would awaken, as if from a long, drugged sleep; that they would begin, timidly at first but then with great urgency, to search again for the Sacred Tree.

The knowledge of its whereabouts and of the fruits that adorn its branches have always been carefully guarded and preserved within the minds and hearts of our wise elders and leaders. These humble, loving and dedicated souls will guide anyone who is honestly and sincerely seeking along the path leading to the protecting shadow of the Sacred Tree (Bopps 1990).

In the Shade of the Science Branches

Trees, of course, are apt subjects for many science activities. A sampling of suggested lessons follows the first two more elaborated activities, which are taken from the work of nature educator, Joseph Cornell (1989, 62 and 1979,27).

We, the Tree

Students will learn tree parts and their functions while joining together to act out the parts.

You will select in the following order:

Heartwood: Two or three tall, strong-looking students who stand back-to-back.

Taroot: A few students who sit at the base of the heartwood, facing outward.

Lateral Roots: Students, preferably with longhair, willing to lie on the ground, feet touching the tree and bodies extending away from the tree.

Sapwood: Group of students, enough to completely encircle the heartwood, who, taking care to not step on any roots, stand and face inward holding hands.

Cambium/Phloem: More students to encircle the sapwood, also standing and facing inward and holding hands. Their hands will turn into leaves.

Bark: All but a few of the remaining students, standing around the tree facing outward.

Enemy Animals and Insects: Have other students take the roles of tree enemy animals and insects.

As you give the students their roles provide the following narration, either in printed or written form. After students review the function of the tree parts they have been assigned, ask them to paraphrase this information and share it with classmates as they act out their respective parts:

The Heartwood is the inner core, the strength of the tree. You hold the trunk and the branches upright so the leaves can get their share of the sun. The heartwood has existed a long time made up of thousands of little tubes that used to carry water up and food down. Now it's dead and the tubes are all clogged with resin and pitch but you are still an important part of the tree. Why is the heartwood so important? It provides strength and support for the tree. (Students will need to consider body language, sounds, and behavior that befit the heartwood.)

The Taproot anchors the tree to the ground. You make it possible for the tree to get water and important minerals from deep in the earth. When storms come, the taproot keeps the tree from being blown over by high winds. Not all tress (including redwoods) have a taproot, but this one does. (As with the heartwood, this group of students will need to consider body language, sounds, and behavior that suggest their tree role.)

Lateral Roots are underground, growing outward all around the tree like the branches do above the ground. There are many hundreds of you lateral roots. You help keep the tree standing. At your tips are tine root hairs. (Now spread the hairs of one or more of the students/ roots out around their heads.) Trees have thousands of miles of roots hairs that cover every square inch of soil into which they grow. When your root hairs sense that there is water nearby your cells grow toward it and suck it up. These cells at the tips of your root hairs are as tough as football helmets. Now let’s have the taproot and lateral roots all practice slurping up water. When I say, “Let’s slurp” you all make a loud slurping noise. Okay, let’s hear you slurp!

Sapwood carries water up to the branches and leaves. You draw water up from the roots and lift it to the tree’s highest branches. You are the most efficient pump in the world, with no moving parts. You can lift hundreds of gallons of water a day and you do this at speeds of over 100 miles an hour! After the roots slurp the water from the ground, your job is to bring the water up the tree. When I say, “Bring the water up,” you lift your arms up into the air and shout, “Wheee!” Okay, let’s practice. First roots, you slurp (they make the appropriate noises) and (immediately follow with the command to the sapwood) Sapwood, bring the water up! Wheee!

Cambium and Phloem surround the sapwood. The cambium layer, closest to the sapwood, is the growing part of the tree. While the tree’s roots and branches are growing, the tree is also adding a new cambium layer outward from the trunk. Toward the outside of the tree is the phloem. This part carries food manufactured by the leaves and distributes it to the rest of the tree. Let’s turn our hands into leaves. (They stretch arms upward and outward so they intersect each other’s arms at wrists and forearms, leaving their hands to flutter like leaves.) When I say, “Let’s make food!” raise your arms and flutter your leaves and absorb the energy from the sun and make food. When I say, “Bring the food down” you go, “Whooo!” (Demonstrate that this sound is a long descending sound at the same time as you bend at the knees and drop your arms and body toward the ground.) Let’s practice.

The Bark protects the tree. You are the bark. What kinds of dangers do you protect from the tree? (Suggest fire, insects, animals, extreme temperature changes, and sometimes people.) Protect the tree like a football blocker. Raise your arms with both elbows out and both fists close to your chest.

Go through all the sounds and motions with all the parts, in this order: Let’s slurp!... Let’s make food! … Bring the water up! … Bring the food down! (Note that the cambium/phloem ring makes food before the sapwood brings the water up.)

At this point the students playing animals and insects try to break through the bark to get to the inside part of the tree and a student plays a person trying to carve his/her name in the tree. As they try to penetrate the bark's protective layer, the bark actors should try to fend them off.

While this is happening, shout the commands for all the other parts of the tree to do their jobs in sequence: "Heartwood, stand tall and strong! Get tough, Bark! Roots, let's slurp! Leaves, let's make food! Sapwood, bring the water up! Phloem, bring the food down!" After the first round, just shout the commands without giving the names of the tree parts. When you finish, the students should give themselves a big hand for being such a wonderful tree.