Nature Stories: Promoting Environmental Awareness through Culture and Exploration. part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity uses a cultural story to excite kinesthetic homework, nature journaling and daily adventure in a child's own back yard or kitchen flower pot.

How To Grow The Tallest Plant part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is an activity where students learn about inquiry by designing an experiment on bean plants with the goal of growing the tallest plant. Students work in groups to plan the growing conditions of the control and three experimental plants. Students collect data for about three weeks and analyze their data to see if their hypothesis is correct or not. The end product can be a report presented in a number of ways.

Investigation of a Mealworm part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is based on observations of mealworms form a question and make decisions as to the design of an investagation. Students use data collected to make a conclusion to their questions.

Investigating oranges - How many sections are inside? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is an investigative lab to provide students with an opportunity to practice observation skills and develop cooperative group proceedures.

The American Red Squirrel an Outdoor Inquiry Lesson part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is outdoor activity involving students in gathering information on what an American Red Squirrel Eats and its interdependence with the coniferous forest.

Ring of Investigation: What Will We Find? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data, draw detailed diagrams, and write descriptions about living organisms and non-living things seen in a small school ground area.

English Language Learners Create a Botanic Field Guide part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
ELL students create and share a botanic field guide incorporating depiction, measurement, description, and classification of common Minnesota trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and plants.

Ecosystem Study part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Students will explore and create a healthy ecosystem, once established they will then introduce additional variables which may harm the ecosystem and determine which hazards should be avoided.

Discovering Nature in our Neighborhood: An Investigation of Natural Communities around Our School part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
In this unit, students make regular journal entries about a plant/animal/insect community in the natural area around our school and use this to create a Non-fiction Class Book. They also interview family/resources to discover, record and present stories about human relationships with nature from their culture(s).

Using and Creating a Dichotomous Key part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity allows students to investigate classification and create their own dichotomous key. Discussion will include classification of items in everyday life.

Utilizing Scientific Inquiry in Creative Writing part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Students will utilize factually observed or researched information in a creative high interest-writing project.

Diversity of Life in Your Neighborhood part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is a field investigation on diversity of life where students count the number of kinds organisms in two locations. Students report their results on posters and propose reasons why there might be difference in diversity between the locations.

Interdependence of Life: How an ecosystem responds to change part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This field activity asks students to examine and interpret a given environmental site where a disturbance (fallen tree, beaver dam etc.) has taken place.

Bird Characteristics part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is an introduction to the study of birds. Students will gain observation and classification skills.

Habitat Part 2 (See Mitze Olson's Activity for Part 1) part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is an investigation to determine the effect of soil type on plant growth. The students will develop an understanding of the plant as producer.

Habitat Part 1 (See Julie Olson's for Part 2) part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This lesson is an introduction to a unit on habitat. It is designed to combine literature and science.

Name That (Bird) Tune part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Students will learn to identify 3 to 4 birds by their song.

Creation of Dichotomous Keys From a BioBlitz part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation of the biodiversity in a given area. The exercise will give students experience making scientific observations and creating a dichotomous key.

Investigating Iron-Fortified Food part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection

Writing Poems from Dragonfly Facts part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a creative writing assignment in which first graders create poetry from scientific information about dragonflies.