Curated OER
Variations in Growth and Reproduction of Recently Transplanted Prairie Forbes and Grasses
students recognize and name prairie plants without the use of a key. they determine that prairie plants have different life cycles that affect their rate of growth and reproduction
Curated OER
Prairie Find Outdoors
Students take a field trip to a local prairie. Using identification books, they identify various forbs and grasses in the prairie. As a class, they discuss the importance of forbs and grasses to the ecosystem and review the various types...
Curated OER
Prairie Plants Lab
Students recognize and identify 3 grasses and 9 common forbs of the fermilab prairie and which were common in IL, identify using resources and write 3 critical attributes of each plant.
Curated OER
Prairie Project
Students complete a long-term research project on prairie grasses and forbs. They develop research questions, collect and analyze data from reconstructed prairie plots, and publish their research data on a Prairie website.
Curated OER
What do Bison Eat?
Students identify the three major categories of food eaten by bison. In groups, they collect examples of grass and forbs and press them. They complete a chart of the percentages of each type of food the bison eat in a day. They...
Curated OER
Sustainable Forestry
High schoolers evaluate a forest for timber harvest and discuss potential impacts of logging. In this sustainable forestry lesson, they work in groups in a forested plot to choose trees to cut based on species and stem diameter and then...
Curated OER
Prairie In A Bottle
Second graders observe images of prairie ecosystems and discuss the needs of living things. They create a prairie habitat in a closed jar to observe the water cycle and plant growth.
Curated OER
Prairie Adaptations
Twelfth graders consider the survival of prairie plants. They examine how some tallgrass prairie species are adapted to the conditions of their ecosystem. They make a prediction of how a species might change given new conditions.
Curated OER
Wetland Plant Detectives
Sixth graders identify plants in the wetlands. In this plant detectives lesson, 6th graders complete a scavenger hunt on a local reserve, record observations, and respond in their journals.
Curated OER
Soil pH Effect on Germination of Specific Weeds
Students collect weed seeds from three varieties of weeds (knapweed, thistle, or toadflax, for example they may choose others in addition to the spotted knapweed.) They sterilize soil for thirty containers, plant seeds in sterile soil,...
Curated OER
Wildlife Needs
Students identify the wildlife needs in a specific setting. In this wildlife needs lesson, students identify and illustrate the four stages of forest succession. Students list the natural habitat and food for a given species. Students...
Curated OER
Google Earth on the Range
Eighth graders use Google Earth to study the landscape of Utah. In this Utah landscape lesson plan, 8th graders view landscape photos and work in partners to analyze the pictures. Students write a paragraph that describes the landscape...
Curated OER
What's It All About?- Kansas Prairies
Students examine the interdependence of animal life and the environment. In this Kansas prairies lesson, students read background information on prairies and complete a worksheet to identify the main idea.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: San Joaquin Pocket Mouse
The San Joaquin Pocket Mouse vocalizes with low grunts, growls, and squeals, and communicates aggression by tooth-chattering. This species will consume earthworms and soft-bodied insects, but its diet is mainly very tiny seeds of...
University of California
Ucmp: The World's Biomes
The University of California Museum of Paleontology hosts this site devoted to the study of the earth's biomes, which are the world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and adaptations of organisms to...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: Merriam's Ground Squirrel
Merriam's Ground Squirrels live in high desert habitat dominated by big sagebrush, western juniper, and greasewood, and are also found in grasslands and agricultural lands. They eat grasses and forbs. Learn more about the Spermophilus...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: New England Cottontail
New England Cottontails forage alone, and groom themselves but not each other. They feed on grasses and clover in the summer, and when those are not available, turn to twigs and forbs. Learn more about the Sylvilagus transitionalis, more...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: Hoary Marmot
Hoary Marmots prefer treeless meadows with rocky outcrops and talus. They forage on forbs, grasses, and sedges. Learn more about the Marmota caligata, more commonly known as a Hoary Marmot, in this easy-to-read species overview by the...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: Mexican Ground Squirrel
Mexican Ground Squirrels have adapted well to human activity and are common inhabitants of roadsides, cemeteries, and golf courses. They are omnivores, feeding on the seeds of a variety of grasses and forbs, green plant material, and...