Offer a powerful way to build literacy skills, strengthen social-emotional learning, and explore U.S. history through This Very Tree activities. With the emotional story and accompanying soundscape of the Survivor Tree and 9/11, students will sequence events, define and illustrate vocabulary, and reflect on the story through writing and other projects like agamographs. Interpersonal activities encourage meaningful conversations about resilience, remembrance, and hope as well. These activities create opportunities for thoughtful reflection and deeper understanding, making This Very Tree an impactful read-aloud experience in the classroom.

As a result of the included activities, students will be able to:

• Complete a standing Survivor Tree craft.
• Sequence events.
• Illustrate story vocabulary.
• Define story vocabulary.
• Assemble an agamograph.
• Apply Writing Skills with included writing templates and prompts.
• Practice Reading Comprehension with included discussion questions for the beginning, middle, and end of the book.
• Engage in Social Skills with included whole group prompts and activities.
• Develop Fine Motor Skills with included coloring, tracing, cutting, and gluing activities.
• Participate in a collaborative and reflective activity.
• Use digital tools for a related drawing activity.

With these activities, This Very Tree becomes more than a story. It becomes a pathway to literacy, empathy, and historical awareness.

💙 Looking for meaningful book activities? Our educator-created activities nurture literacy, reflection, and resilience in your classroom.

💙 After downloading the This Very Tree activities, experience the story with the moving soundscape in your Novel Effect app. It brings history and hope to life.
About the Book and Soundscape

Told from the perspective of the Survivor Tree, this powerful story honors resilience, healing, and hope. The soundscape features real recordings from NYC and the 9/11 Memorial—including the Survivor Tree itself—layered with ambient city sounds and gentle wind through the leaves.

Don’t have the book yet? Plant the seeds of remembrance and reflection—grab your copy today.