Spruce

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/spruce

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 scientific name?Genus Picea
2. What is the diet?Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
3. What makes spruce trees different from fir trees?Spruce needles attach to twigs with a small woody peg called a sterigma, while fir needles attach directly. This gives spruce needles a distinct, separate look.
4. How do spruce trees help the planet?Spruce trees absorb a lot of carbon dioxide and turn it into wood. Their roots hold soil in place and keep rivers clean.

Coniferous: Bearing cones and having needle-like or scale-like leaves, typically evergreen.
Boreal Forest (Taiga): A biome characterized by coniferous forests found in high-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Ser al Species: Plant species that are among the first to colonize a habitat undergoing ecological succession.
Carbon Sink: A natural reservoir that accumulates and stores carbon-containing chemical compounds.