Through the Years with a Tree part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This investigation is a year round study of the phenology of a schoolyard.

Investigating Trees part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students gather information on a tree. Based on the information gathered and student interest, students will develop and carry out an investigation.

Investigative Case - Living in an Alkaline Environment part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Investigative Case Based Learning:Examples
Living in an Alkaline Environment is a three-part interactive activity that explores the ecology and diversity of life in alkaline environments.

Introduction to the Milk Weed Ecosystem part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is an inquiry and field study based. Students will be trying to observe, document, compare, contrast, and communicate what information they were able to gather. The will use this information to make in inference about the organisms they have found and classify them as either an insect or not an insect.

Investigating Leaves: October Leaf Collection part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students collect leaf samples to be observed and compared monthly.

Investigating Leaves: October Leaf Collection part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students collect leaf samples to be observed and compared monthly.

Investigating Plant Life in Our Nature Center part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students use a dichotomous key to properly identify trees in our schools nature center.

Why are trees important? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students gather leaves and make observation about the leaves and based on their data determine which leaves are the most common where they live.

Investigating What Living Things Need: Space part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
In this biology investigation, students will make observations of the growth of bean seeds to determine what plants need to live and grow in a healthy way.

Investigating Insects in Nature part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students collect insects to analyze, observe, and classify

Creepy Critters part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where student gather data on organisms they find in or around a pond.

Water Retention - No Problem With The Key (Vertebrates&Invertebrates) Investigation part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This lesson helps grade 3 students understand the difference between Vertebrates and Invertebrates.

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.

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.

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.

Rock Residents: What Lives Under a Rock? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
The students will participate in listening and discussing the story, Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs, and Other Ughs, by Anthony D. Fredericks and illustrated by Jennifer DiRubbio. On the following day, we will explore our nearby forest searching for some of the animals mentioned in the story. For the third day of this lesson, the students will share what they have written and drawn in their nature journals from the previous day's walk.

Our Big Backyard part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students venture out into their own backyard to observe and record data on living things and see how these things change throughout the seasons.

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.

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.

Classify the trees/Leaves part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students gather leaves from various trees on school property, interpret findings, name tree and leaves, journal activity and develop a new "aha" for nature!