Curated OER
Prairie Activity: Prairie Quilt
Students investigate prairie life in the 19th century. They research quilts and prairie images online, take a photo of an object related to prairie life, transfer the image onto fabric, and create a class quilt.
Curated OER
Exploring the Illinois and Michigan Canal
Seventh graders locate the Illinois & Michigan Canal and related landmarks on various maps. They explain the challenges associated with building a canal. They access websites imbedded in this plan and watch a video to aid their...
Curated OER
Bringing Illinois into the Curriculum
Students of all ages are introduced to the geography of Illinois. Depending on the grade level, they participate in different activities which allow them to discover Illinois in the past and present. They examine the animals and...
Curated OER
Bug Work
Young scholars explore the life cycles of insects and how they interact with each other in the prairie to create a healthy ecosystem and viable food chain. They list animals or insects in their own community that are similar to the...
Curated OER
Alphabet Vocabulary
Third graders explore the biodiversity that exist on the prairie. Through reading or listening to books, they keep track of vocabulary words associated with the prairie on an 'Alphabet Poster'.
Curated OER
Looking to Our Environment
Eighth graders studied an environmental region in Illinois. The wetlands, swamps, woodlands and prairies were chosen. They research this region and create a picture that looks as if they are looking out the window. They had to have at...
Curated OER
The Formation and Value of Temperate Grasslands
Students get an overview of the climate and organisms of the North American Prairie. After a lecture, and watching some videos imbedded in this plan, students compile research data on the North American Prairie.
Curated OER
I & M Canal: Technological, Economic
Students read about and discuss the reasons European countries were interested in the Ohio Valley. They complete a puzzle to review vocabulary and watch a video on the Illinois Prairie and the I & M Canal. They rewrite the historical...
Curated OER
Where the Buffalo Roam
Second graders explore what life in the Chicago area was like hundreds of years ago. They discuss how settlers impacted the environment, and why there are no longer herds of buffalo in the Chicago area today. They read an article and...
Curated OER
Aerial Photography
Eleventh graders compare the artistic values of Terry Evans' photography with LandSAT images and other images made for purely scientific, government and commercial purposes. They consider the artistic choices made in aerial photography.
Curated OER
Mapping the Prairie
Fifth graders study maps of the Chicago area looking at defining characteristics and place names. They investigate settlement patterns by looking at the maps.
Curated OER
Prairie Settlement
Students make a decision for site selection for a farm during the 1840s in the Midwest. They build research and writing skills by recording the information used for analysis in a chart and as diary entries.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Section Three: What's the Status of Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is essential for every habitat, but many species are at risk due to pollution and other factors. Explore several different species native to Illinois in a gallery walk with posters that learners have created after research...
Curated OER
The Art of Locomotion
Tenth graders examine the artistic legacy of trains by comparing the representations of trains in the painting of Turner and the photographs of Terry Evans. They write an essay, story or poem using their own observations of trains,...
Curated OER
Flowera of the Prairie
Young scholars with severe disabilities view pictures of flowers in a scanning box and identify them. Outside, they locate flowers on the school's property, label and care for them. Students use flower pictures to aid identification.
Curated OER
Habitat Happenings
Students examine the characteristics of the Prairie Creek Habitat in Illinois. In groups, they travel between various stations writing haikus and reading brochures. They identify what occurs in each habitat and identify the animals...
Curated OER
Here Today. . .Gone Tomorrow
Learners observe that there are threatened and endangered bird species in Illinois, why they have been given this status and how it relates to endangered species on a worldwide basis. they participate in the Project WILD "Oh, Deer" or...
Curated OER
Please Help!
Sixth graders examine the prairie food chain while designing a rescue strategy for an endangered species. They compare their strategy to that of a professional conservation expert.
DePaul University
Contrast and Evaluate Fact and Opinion
How can you tell when an author is expression an opinion or stating a fact? Use two short reading selections to emphasize the difference between a statement that you can prove and one that you can't. The first passage explains food...
Curated OER
Plant Adaptations
Students identify parts of prairie plants. They sketch the plants indicating its adaptive parts and write brief descriptions of them. They present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Amazing Bird Adaptions--Why Am I A Bird?
Fourth graders identify and classify birds found in Illinois. Using the internet, they discover how birds have adapted over time and how the adaptations have increased their life span. They compare and contrast the various adaptations...
Curated OER
Land Use
Students examine ecosystems that covered Illinois 200 years ago, investigate some living and non-living components of ecosystems, identify components of prairie system, create food webs, and observe human effects on environment. Lessons...
Curated OER
Painting Botanicals by Computer Lesson
Pupils increase computer graphics skills and trace and paint botanicals from digital photographs taken of prairie plants using computer-aided artistic techniques in Painter Classic Software and with the Wacom Tablet and stylus.
Curated OER
Regions: Meet the Experts Presentation
Young scholars gather information and create a web site on prairies and plains using a variety of resources, including the internet.