Getting Started
Learning for life
- What we believe and do is intertwined with the society and culture in which we live.
- Every living thing has a right to exist and to have its needs respected and protected.
- All living things depend on the environment around them for survival.
- All living things are interconnected and interdependent, and the balance can be delicate.
- Many spaces and species are threatened because of human impact on the environment.
- Humans are ultimately responsible for the state of the environment and its protection for the future.
- Environments change over time and these changes can be caused by nature or humans.
- Changes, whether natural or artificial, can affect whole systems and the environment both for better and for worse.
- There are local, national and international agencies that promote environmental protection.
- I may only be one child but I can make a difference.
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Overview
The Last Tree is a book that works on many levels for many ages. Younger readers can read along the lines and learn about the diversity and dependence of life in a tree, while more mature readers will read between and beyond the lines to explore the impact of human urbanisation and habitat destruction.
At the centre of the story is a beautiful old eucalyptus tree that has grown tall and strong over hundreds of years. The tree shelters and houses many different types of wildlife and, as the city limits encroach, so much more than the tree itself is threatened.
The Last Tree is an example of a true picture book with text and illustrations so intertwined that they are as symbiotic as the relationship between the tree and its environment.
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Author profile
Mark Wilson has both authored and illustrated this book, demonstrating his interest in and love for the environment and its conservation.
He was born in Melbourne in 1949 and has always loved drawing. As a child, he spent most evenings drawing on huge sheets of paper that his dad brought home from work. Later, Mark studied mural design and painting and did a Diploma in Education the following year.
In the early seventies, Mark was a designer and illustrator for student magazines for the Victorian Education Department. At the same time he was in a heavy rock band called Centrefold and then another called Piranha. He still sings with The Dodgy Chairs.
Much of his painting is involved with conservation and wildlife, particularly endangered species. He developed a love of nature and the bush when his family moved to East Gippsland.
Mark's other books include A Prayer for the Animals, Yellow-Eye (author David Spillman), Carpet of Dreams (author Tessa Duder), The Penguin Shore (author Tim O'Brien), Young Murphy (author Gary Crew) and The Extinction Trilogy (also authored by Gary Crew). Mark has won a number of awards for his work, from both the Children's Book Council of Australia and the Wilderness Society. He has also won the Whitley Award for Children's Literature three times, including for The Last Tree in 2007. This is an award which 'recognises and rewards outstanding grass-roots nature conservationists around the world'.
Find out more about the author at www.marklwilson.com.au/
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Useful websites 
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Focus questions
Before reading the book
- What do you think a story entitled The Last Tree might be about?
- How do you feel when you see a title like that?
- How do the illustrations on the title and preliminary pages set the scene for what is to come?
- What is an 'old growth' forest?
- Where in Australia can you find them?
- Why are they under threat?
- What lives in an old growth forest?
- How would these inhabitants be affected if the forest trees were destroyed?
- What sort of things might destroy a forest?
During reading the book
- How do the text and illustrations on the first pages of the story set the tone for what is to come?
- Why are eucalypts such a significant part of Australian old growth forests?
- How old do you think 'the last tree' might be?
- What clues are there to help you determine this?
- If this story is set in East Gippsland, why has the illustrator included a Tasmanian tiger in the illustration on page 7?
- How is the picture on pages 10–11 significantly different to that on pages 18–19? Why is this difference crucial to the story?
- How much time might have elapsed between the picture on pages 10–11 and those on pages 18–19?
- What is the key difference between the creatures in the picture on pages 10–11 and those in pages 18–19?
- Why do you think the artist portrayed them this way?
- What are some of the other illustrative techniques that the artist has used to enrich the story and enhance the message without using words?
- How many different creatures can you count as you read the story?
- How many can you name?
- Which parts of the tree support other creatures?
- What can you learn from the border illustrations on pages 16–17 and 20–21?
- Why is the tree 'the centre of life in the forest'?
- How does the picture of the tree on pages 22–23 differ from that on pages 10–11?
- Why did the encroaching city have such an impact on the tree, even though the tree itself was not removed?
- Why did the tree die?
- Was the tree really dead?
- What message does the journey of the seed give us?
- What is the likelihood that this new tree will survive like the old tree and become part of an old growth forest? Why?
After reading the book
- Does it matter if the old tree died?
- Does it matter if the forest is destroyed? Why?
- What have you learnt from reading this book?
- Is it a tale of hope or despair?
- When you reflect on the book, what messages and images form in your mind?
- How have the text and illustrations contributed to these messages and images?
- What do you think was the author's motivation in writing and illustrating the story in this way?
- How do you know?
- Was he successful?
- Did this book influence or change your thinking? How?
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Activities
Responding to text
Eucalypts – Australia's landscape
Individuals 
Small groups 
Class
Eucalypt species dominate old growth forests in Australia – the particular species depend on the location and the climate of the forest. The 600 species are divided into six general groups – stringybarks, boxes, gums, ironbarks, peppermints and bloodwoods. Survey your area and identify the sorts of eucalypts that are indigenous to it. What are the key features of the environment that allow this, or these, species to grow there successfully?
If possible, plant a stand of trees indigenous to your area in the school playground or examine an existing planting.
- What sorts of things will be needed to ensure the trees survive to maturity?
- What will the growth patterns be?
- What sorts of care will they need at various stages of their growth?
- What sort of wildlife would you expect the trees to attract?
- If you were to return in 20 years, what changes to the trees would you see?
- What changes do you think the trees might see in that time?
- How would you feel if the trees that you had nurtured from seedlings were chopped down just because they were in the way?
Forests and people
Individuals
The relationships between the old tree and the creatures dependent on it are quite clear, but what is the relationship between the tree, the forest and the encroaching town?
- What role do trees and forests play in supporting and sustaining human life?
- Is filtering carbon dioxide their only important contribution?
- What is the place of trees and forests in issues such as erosion, salinity and floods?
- What happens to the wood from the trees that are destroyed by logging?
- Is there a compromise solution that allows humans to meet their needs without the destruction of the forests?
Create a poster that shows the interrelationships between humans and forests.
- What is a carbon trading scheme?
- Why are governments and other enterprises promoting these?
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Responding to images
The living tree
Individuals Class
Identify as many of the creatures that are dependent on the old tree as you can – there are about 60.
Select one creature to investigate and create a 'Who am I?' slide presentation. Firstly draw a picture of your creature and scan this onto a slide. Cover the picture completely with eight shapes so that it cannot be seen. On the next and subsequent slides, uncover one piece of the picture and provide a clue to its identity. Start with general clues and then work toward the more specific. On the final slide reveal the picture and all the clues. Show your presentation to your friends to see if they can identify your creature before the final slide.
Construct a large mural to illustrate which part of the tree each creature inhabits – canopy, trunk, groundcover, or underground – and the specific part each is dependent on – flowers, leaves, gumnuts, branches, trunk, bark, roots and so forth. As well as creating an illustration of the creature, write a short description explaining how the creature is dependent on the tree or its inhabitants for survival.
- What would be the impact on the wildlife if the tree died or was destroyed?
- Which creature do you think is the most important both to the tree and the other inhabitants of the tree?
- Write a brief argument supporting your position, giving examples and evidence.
- Could the tree survive without its inhabitants?
- What have you learnt about independence, co-dependence and interdependence?
- Can anything survive completely independently of other living things?
A birds-eye view
Individuals
Compare the two pictures on pages 10–11 and 18–19. How has the birds' view changed?
Identify the tallest landmark that you can see from your school. Divide a piece of paper in half and on one side draw what you imagine a bird would see from that landmark today. On the other half, draw what you imagine a bird would have seen 50 or 100 years ago. Consider changes to buildings, vegetation, transport and wildlife.
- Have the changes been for the better?
- Who or what has been most affected by the changes?
Reading the pictures
Individuals Class
Author/illustrator Mark Wilson has interwoven the text and illustrations of this story so well that one cannot stand without the other.
Look for examples of 'unwritten text' that enrich, enhance and explain the written words of the story. What is meant by the saying 'A picture is worth 1000 words'?
Identify some of the illustrative techniques that have been used to tell the story instead of using words.
- How do they tell the tale so much better?
- What does the use of colour in the illustration on pages 6–7 suggest? How is the passage of time depicted by that illustration?
- How has the illustrator used the margins and borders to convey and continue his message?
- What can you learn about interdependence from the pictures in the borders of pages 16–17?
- What can you learn about old growth forests from the pictures in the borders of pages 20–21?
- Why would the author choose to illustrate these aspects in this way? Is it effective?
- What is the symbolism of the seed which is used throughout the book?
- What message does the illustration of the flame robin and her chicks symbolise on pages 22–23?
- What is the significance of the picture of the city buildings on that same page?
- How would you explain what is happening in the illustration on pages 26–27?
- What do you think the illustrator was thinking and feeling when he drew this?
- How can you tell?
- Why are some pictures in colour and others in monochrome?
- What is the effect of this technique?
- How has the illustrator conveyed the idea that many of the scenes are from his memory rather than currently existing?
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Themes for Education for Sustainability
Forest felling
Individuals Small groups Class
It is estimated that throughout the world, more than 4000m2 of rainforest are cleared every second! Compare the forestation of your state 200 and 100 years ago, as well as now, and construct a pie graph to illustrate the changes.
- Why are forests being cleared at such a rate?
- What happens to the wood from the forests?
- What are some of the consequences of this clearing?
- Is there a compromise solution that allows for conservation as well as productivity?
- What is 'sustainable forestry'?
- What organisations have campaigns to address the deforestation issue?
- What strategies are they using to protect the forests?
- Which of these are designed to bring attention to the issue, and which are most likely to bring about long-term change?
Debate this cliché: 'You cannot stop progress'. Identify the key stakeholders in the forestry logging dispute and research the issue from one of those perspectives. Use what you learn to argue from that stance. Rather than having a winner or loser in the debate, try to reach a solution that is acceptable to everyone.
Fire – friend or foe?
Individuals Class
The old tree had survived bushfires, raging storms and lightning strikes.
Fire has always been, and will always be, part of the Australian landscape. Investigate how the flora and fauna of the bush have adapted over time to cope with this phenomenon and how some trees need regular fire to survive. Write an editorial arguing that bushfires are a vital part of a forest's evolution and sustainability. Support your arguments with examples and evidence. Use this PCQ chart to help organise your thoughts.
Discuss why people get emotional about the random destruction of the bush through fire, but not by its deliberate destruction for housing.
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Research themes
Over time
Individuals Small groups
An old growth forest is one that has thrived without human interference for hundreds of years. It contains trees that can be as old as the forest itself. In the East Gippsland forest of the story, scientists have determined that there are many trees that are over 300 years old, but there are also some that are between 500–1000 years old!
- How is the age of a tree determined?
- How can scientists date trees without chopping them down?
If the tree in the story is over 300 years old, what events might it have witnessed in Australia's history? Select six events which you consider to be the most significant and create a digital presentation to illustrate them using software such as PowerPoint or Photostory. Consider using your own drawings, newspaper headlines, scanned photographs or online images – the copyright laws cover you for this sort of school-based educational use. Plan your presentation using this template. If the new sapling is allowed to grow for 300 years, what sorts of changes do you think it might see?
Junior journalist
Individuals
Assume the role of a newspaper journalist and write an article about the old tree's life and death, and the significance of this. Alternatively, assume the role of one of the creatures dependent on the tree, and write the article from that perspective.
Follow this with a second article explaining old growth forests, their significance, the threats they face and the importance of saving that which remains. Include links to websites so readers can find out more if they wish.
Glossary
Individuals
Create a glossary for this book to explain the following words and phrases and any others that arise:
| old growth forest | endangered | extinction | canopy |
| undergrowth | habitat | ecosystem | ecology |
| greenhouse gases | global warming | climate change | carbon trading |
Spreading the word
Class
Encourage younger students to develop their awareness of their environment by developing a tree trail. Select five or six trees in your playground or neighbourhood, which are quite different from each other. Write an observation card for each one that encourages students to use all their senses. Laminate this card and secure it to the tree.
Sample Card
How old do you think I am?
How tall do you think I am?
Can you put your arms around my trunk and touch your fingers on the other side?
Feel my bark and think of a word to describe it.
What sorts of creatures live in me?
How do they need me?
Sketch the patterns on my bark.
Do a leaf rubbing of my leaves.
Crush a leaf and smell your fingers.
To find the nest tree, look for the one with this shape.
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Assessment
Assessment tasks are dependent on the teacher's identified outcomes of the unit, the tasks selected and the evidence that teachers determine to be acceptable for the age group.
Awareness of big picture issues such as sustainability evolves over time as our expertise and experience grows and so cannot be measured. However, by exposing students to activities such as these we start them on their journey of awareness of the wider world, particularly if we give them the opportunity and time to reflect on their learning.
Exploring the issues
Many questions have been asked in the introductory section of these activities. Establish a class blog using one of the following sites for students to discuss the issues raised, perhaps as a homework exercise: BlogNow and Edublogs
Tree tales
Imagine you are the tree and you are able to tell the tale of your life. Write your autobiography describing the changes you have seen, the impact these have had and the emotions you have felt.
Or, imagine you are the young seedling. Write about your heritage as well as the future you envisage.
Book talk
Your teacher-librarian has asked you to promote this book to your peers to persuade them that it is a must-read if we are to understand the issues of habitat destruction, global warming and climate change. Develop and deliver a three-minute oral presentation that will achieve this.
An isolated case?
The Last Tree is set in the old growth forests of East Gippsland in Victoria but it could be set in a number of places in any of our states and territories. Select an area of old growth forest that is under threat and investigate its location, history, the type of threat, the impact its destruction will have, actions taken to preserve it and so on. Use this T-time template to help organise your time and task.
Use one of these sites to construct a class wiki of your findings and to teach others about the issues. Include maps and links to relevant sites for further information and investigation: PBWiki for Educators; Wikispaces
The environment – an election issue
For the last 40 years particularly, the protection of the environment has been a contentious issue in state and federal elections. The first significant environmental issue in Australian history was in 1972 when the Tasmanian Government was flooding Lake Pedder in south-west Tasmania as part of their hydro-electricity program; in 2007 it was the pulp mill proposed for the Tamar Valley, also in Tasmania.
Choose one of these issues, or another that you know about, and investigate its history and impact. Use what you learn to decide which way you would have voted if you had had the opportunity.
- What were the key points that influenced your decision?
- Would the other students investigating the same issue vote in the same way that you would?
- What points influenced their decision?
- If that issue were put to the public now, what might the outcome be?
- Should the environment play such a pivotal role in electing a federal government, particularly as most issues are situated in a specific state?
The following websites may be helpful:
The flooding of Lake Pedder
http://abc.net.au/science/kelvin/files/s18.htm
http://www.lakepedder.org/resources/reports/GovernmentBackgroundFranklin.htm
The damming of the Gordon-below-Franklin
http://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/frankin-river-campaign-part1
http://www.environment.tas.gov.au/anw_wq_peevftsw_gordon_river.html
The sandmining of Fraser Island
http://walkabout.com.au/locations/QLDFraserIsland.shtml
The development of Sandon Point, New South Wales
http://www.sandon-point.org.au/about-sandon-point
The mining of Kakadu
http://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/kakadu_intro/?searchterm=%20mining%20kakadu
http://www.ecnt.org/html/cur_mining_uranium.html
The grazing of the Snowy High Country
http://www.australianalps.deh.gov.au/publications/edukit/seasonal.html
The bulldozing of the Daintree
http://www.daintreecoast.com/blockade.htm
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