Bonsai

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bonsai

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the art form origin?Japan, with significant historical influences from Chinese penjing
2. What is the related practices?Bunjae (Korea), Penjing (China), Hòn non bộ (Vietnam)
3. What is bonsai and why are the trees so small?Bonsai are tiny trees grown in pots that look like big trees. They are made small by careful pruning and wiring, not by special genetics.
4. How do people grow a bonsai tree?People start with nursery stock, cuttings, seedlings, or wild plants. They prune roots and leaves, wire branches, water and fertilize, and repot to keep the tree small.

Penjing: Ancient Chinese art of creating miniature landscapes, often including rocks and figurines, in containers.
Yamadori: A bonsai specimen collected from the wild, often valued for its natural character and age.
Ramification: The process of developing a dense network of fine branches and twigs on a tree.
Wabi-Sabi: A Japanese aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.