I. Situation: Introduction of topic
a. Hello to Mrs. Self’s first grade class.
b. Dr Dave - Have you ever seen leaves change colors on the trees?
c. Ever wonder why leaves change color?
d. Look around – it’s happening here

II. The Myth
a. What is a myth?
b. What Native American hunters used to think caused the color

III. During the summer leaves are green
a. Why are leaves green?
i. Pigment
ii. Chlorophyll
iii. Photosynthesis
iv. Other colors are there but hidden

IV. How it Worked: The turning of color - Getting ready for a winter rest (done in Flash)
a. Decreasing sunlight produces less chlorophyll
b. Eventually chlorophyll stops producing – eventually other colors take over - colors are carotenoids and anthocyanins.
c. During the daytime leaves can produce sugar – cool nights prevent sap from running through leaves veins and down branches and trunk.

V. Results: Time to rest
a. Once the sunlight decreases, the separation layer forms at the base of the leaf stem. The wind helps leaf to fall off.

TREATMENT of Video Why Leaves Change Color
By David Navis

The video opens with Dr. Dave greeting Mrs. Self’s first grade class in Riyadh. He will be coming out of a pile of leaves. Knowing that many of the students have never seen colored leaves before, the question is asked, “Have you ever seen leaves change colors on the trees?” Show a few colors of the leaves and then ask if they have ever wonder why leaves change color? Camera makes a pan shot to show the variety of colors of leaves and Dr. Dave invites the student’s to, “Look around – it’s happening here.”

The video then cuts to a wide open shot with the fall colors in the background. Dr. Dave, carrying a leaf, explains that early Native American’s also wondered how the leaves changed color. They developed a belief that is called a myth. According to this myth, hunters in the Heavens killed the Great Bear in Autumn and its blood dripped over Earth's forests coloring some of the leaves red. As the hunters cooked the meat, fat dripped from the Heavens and colored some of the leaves yellow.

Dr. Dave then goes on to point out that there is a more modern myth still around today. It seems that most folks assume old Jack Frost is responsible for changes in leaf color, but, that’s not so. Many leaves begin to turn before we have any frosts. He then points out that the temperature, although cold compared to Riyadh, is not below freezing. Rather, the change in coloring is the result of chemical processes which take place in the tree as the seasons change.

The next scene opens with trees with green leaves and moves into a close up of a leaf. Dr Dave explains that during the Spring and Summer, a food-making process takes place in the leaf in cells containing the pigment chlorophyll. Pigment is described as being a color. This pigment gives the leaf its green color. As the camera pans from bright sunlight he continues to explain that the chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight and uses it in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch.
The next segment focuses on green. The Doc will be in green. As he talks, he’ll take off layers of different colors to emphasize the idea of leaves having the colors already in existence but hidden. As the chlorophyll stops producing, the color starts changing. This is completed with a Flash animation. Once that is completed, a demonstration with a green banana comparing the change of color will be used to draw a parallel to something the students will know about.

After the progression of the color changes are explained, the focus shifts to the leaves falling off of the trees. Dr. Dave explains how the stem is weakened by poor circulation. Once the sunlight decreases, the separation layer forms at the base of the leaf stem. The rain and wind cause the leaf to fall off the trees. While this is going on the wind and rain begin to fall on Dr. Dave.

The scene ends with the good Dr. asleep, much like the trees find rest during the winter, preparing for the next spring season.

Conclusion of the video then reviews the lesson learned. This includes the vocabulary of Pigment, Chlorophyll, and Photosynthesis and the concept of why leaves change color.