Why do Leaves Change Color?
About
This book is full of interesting facts about why and how leaves change color during autumn time.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Reading questions
Comprehension questions
During what season do the leaves change color?
Page 5 — Autumn
5
What color do they change to?
Page 5 — red, yellow, gold and brown
5
What are some differences between the leaves?
Page 6 — Sizes, colors, shapes, wide, rounded, pointed
6
What helps the leaves absorb or hold sunlight?
Page 9 — The green color in them
9
What gives the leaves their green coloring?
Page 9 — Chlorophyll
9
What’s pigment?
Page 9 — A natural coloring
9
What food do the leaves make for the tree?
Page 11 — Sugar
11
What do the leaves do all summer long for the tree?
Page 11 — Feed it
11
What part of the tree uses the sugar?
Page 11 — All of the tree- leaves, branches, roots, trunk
11
What brings about the beautiful colors of fall?
Page 12 — Changes in the weather, light, temperature
12
How does the change in sunlight affect the tree?
Page 12 — It tells the tree to get ready for winter
12
What will the tree do during winter?
Page 12 — Rest
12
Why doesn’t the tree need the leaves as it begins to get ready for its winter rest?
Page 13 — It needs very little food
13
Why do the leaves absorb less water as the tree prepares for winter?
Page 15 — They begin to separate from the tree
15
What happens to the old chlorophyll?
Page 15 — It begins to fade
15
What does the green in the leaf begin to do as the old chlorophyll begins to fade?
Page 15 — The green color begins to disappear
15
What appears in the leaves as the green color disappears?
Page 16 — other colors/ pigments
16
Where did the other pigments in the leaves come from?
Page 16 — They’d been there all along
16
What happens to the extra sugar stored in the leaves?
Page 19 — Creates new pigments
19
What causes the stored sugar to change to pigment?
Page 19 — Sunlight
19
The more sugar there is, ____________________.
Page 19 — The brighter the colors will be.
19
What helps the leaves create the brightest, best colors?
Page 23 — Lots of bright sunshine and crisp, clear nights
23
What makes leaves produce dull colors?
Page 23 — Too much rain
23
What can kill the leaves too soon?
Page 23 — Early frost
23
What types of trees keep their leaves all year long?
Page 23 — Evergreens like pine and spruces
23
What helps the leaves fall to the ground when they are ready to leave the tree?
Page 24 — Rain and wind
24
How do rotting leaves on the ground help the tree?
Page 24 — Enrich the soil with minerals the tree uses to stay healthy
24
When does the tree form its leaf buds?
Page 26 — During the winter
26
When do the leaf buds open?
Page 26 — In the spring
26
Where can you find beautiful displays with many colors of fall?
Page 27 — New England
27
Why is New England so beautiful with autumn foliage?
Page 27 — The weather conditions there are just right and there are many different kinds of trees
27
What do you like to do after the leaves have fallen to the ground from your trees?
Answers will vary
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