Nature Trail Learning Activity

STUDENTS:

Click the Hiking Boot

Carl Sandburg Students

Student Notebook Assignment

Jefferson School Activity

The Old Bur Oak Tree Activity

Visit the Nature Trail Study Center Project

Click Here

(CLICK HERE) FOR TEACHER RESOURCES: LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE, BOOKS, POSTERS, PAMPHLETS, AND OTHER ITEMS AT CARL SANDBURG SCHOOL

Outside Web Resources:

Natureshift Exploration Model	Nature Trail Glossary	Dragonfly Tree Pages
University of Illinois Extension Service Walk in the Woods Resources	Illinois Department of Natural Resources On-Line Educational Kits & Stuff for Kids	Science Spot Nature Center
Exploring the Woodland Community	U. of Wisconsin--Madison Botany Page	Dendrology at Virginia Tech
	Leaf Shapes and Strategies	EIU's Old Main History (Use with the Bur Oak Activity)
Wood Magic @ Virginia Tech	Illinois Dept. of Conservation: Trees	The National Registry of Historic Trees
EIU Botanical Science Home Page	Science Challenge Question Activity	Tree Student Guide for Trees

Visit Learning On-Line Resource Page for a Myriad of
Resources on Lincoln and other Subjects

Return to Learning On-Line for More Activities

http://www.alincolnlearning.us/Projectarrowworktable.html

Content Objectives:

Formulate questions on a specific science topic and choose the steps needed to answer the questions.
Use data to produce reasonable explanations.
Collect data for investigations using scientific process skills including observing, estimating and measuring.
Describe simple life cycles of plants and animals and the similarities and differences in their offspring.
Describe relationships among various organisms in their environments.
Explain why keeping accurate and detailed records is important.
Write paragraphs that include a variety of sentence types with accurate spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
Read, comprehend, interpret, evaluate and use written material.
Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create visual works of art using eye-hand coordination, creativity and imagination.

Collect and organize data to formulate and solve problems in mathematics through measurement and planning.

Materials & equipment: appropriate dress for nature walks, pad for writing, pencils, art supplies as need for notebook, digital camera and software, outside microscopes for special "microscopic things," GPS devices for mapping spots on the trail & other items as the project occurs

General Organizational Plan: Each "Nature Walk" and following classroom work will vary somewhat on goals and expectations. These will be listed before they occur.
1. Students will spend two class periods working on reading about and researching nature topics to prepare them for their upcoming "nature walks." Questions will be provided to guide students in this preliminary work. An explanation of the "Nature Notebook" will be given and the actual storage system for the notebooks will be set up in the G.E. room.
2. Students will get permission slips signed for our outside walks. Parent volunteers will be arranged to help in the walks. Volunteers will be given specific directions as to what students are to do on the walk.
3. Equipment will be organized for the trips. Students will take clipboards or writing pads & writing tools, cameras and other items special with them on the walks. The teacher will take other items that will be used, such as outside microsopes.
4. The "walks" will occur with students following the directions given to them by the teacher to gather information and find answers to questions. Much observation and exploration will occur during the walk, but good notes and drawings, etc. much be accomplished to make student participation successful.
5. All work for each of the four season "nature walks" will be compiled into a Nature Trail Notebook, described in the Student Home Page.

Bloom Taxonomy Connection:
Student questions will be based upon the higher level of the Bloom Taxonomy. Each question will be labeled as to which level it applies. See the Student Question Page for a list of questions and levels.

Multiple Intelligence Activities: Nature smart-- plan for good weather days by watching the weather and gathering data to choose a good day for a "walk." Math/Logic smart-- students will help to plan when the "walks" will occur by using a calendar. Word Smart-- Forest vocabulary words will be studied and a "glossary" will be made to put in Nature Notebooks. Art/Space Smart-- Students will start, and later work-on their Nature Notebooks, involving depicting their chosen plant, tree, geological feature, plus diagrams, maps, etc. for question answering. Other MI Smart Areas will be included during the four parts of this project.

Return to the Nature Trail Home Page