If Trees Could Talk: Reading the Forest through Math and Memory

Abstract

The curriculum unit, “If Trees Could Talk: Reading the Forest through Math and Memory”,
encourages students to study tree rings as a record of their life in the land and as a form of scientific evidence. With the integration of mathematical concepts (ratios, graphing, data
analysis) and the Diné traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), students investigate how trees
act as organic repositories of environmental change. Students are engaged in mathematical
reasoning by studying dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, in Indigenous cultural contexts and apply this knowledge to understanding tree ring patterns based on the Diné philosophies of Hozho (balance, harmony, and beauty) and Western scientific paradigms.
This curriculum unit attempts to re-engage students with their environment and enhance their comprehension of ecological interconnectedness and sustainability at a time when they are becoming more and more estranged from both nature and their cultural heritage. It seeks to use experiential learning, narrative, and cultural reflection to ask students what trees can teach us in an era of environmental degradation and global climate change. The curriculum unit invites students to consider how traditional knowledge and Western science can coexist and promote a more profound understanding of the environment.