Investigating simple plants part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Claire Torrey
Students will observe simple plants, develop an investigable question, and form an investigation. They will document their investigation in their science notebooks.

Investigation a food web: producers, consumers, and decomposers part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Sandra Ahlberg Prairie Elementary Worthington, Minnesota
This activity is a field investigation where students list plants and animals they observe. Students will organize their data as producers, consumers, or decomposers and create a food web showing how they affect each other. They will predict what will happen if the food web becomes imbalanced by extinction or over population.

Insect Investigations part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Jaime Souza, Audubon Center of the North Woods, Sandstone, MN, based on a recent Bio-blitz that I participated in at the July MnStep in Sandstone
This activity is a field investigation or bio-blitz where students are collecting as many different types of insects as they can. Back in the lab, they will record their findings, sort and classify the insects found. This will lead into a class discussion on biodiversity and the importance of insects and their benefits all living things.

Plant Field Study: Adaptations of Plants for Survival in Different Environments part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Diana Magner Hill City Elementary Hill City, Minnesota Based on a lesson in Macmillan McGraw-Hill science textbook , grade 5, Chapter 2 – Plant Structure and Functions, Lesson 3 – Roots, Stems and Leaves
This is a field investigation where students observe plants in a school forest setting . Students then compare adaptations of plants from different parts of the forest.

Buddy Biology: Observing Living and Non-living Components of An Ecosystem with a Partner part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Paula Dahms, Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School, Kasson, MN
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on physical characteristics of the ecosystem surrounding their school.

Schoolyard Trees: Creating a field guide for your school part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Heidi Sundet
This activity is a field-based investigation involving identifying and investigating common trees on the schoolyard and creating a field guide containing pressed leaves.

What is a bird? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
chelsi gross
This activity is an inquiry based lesson focused on students making observations of birds in order to problem solve how to attract more birds to a schoolyard.

Plant Identification part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Kristy Nelson
This activity is a field investigation where students identify native MN plants and record the common name, scientific name, and important information about each.

Classroom Phenology: Using the Environment as a Source of Data and Observations part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Carrie Otis Minnesota Internship Center English Language Academy Minneapolis, Minnesota
This activity is a classroom and schoolyard investigation where students collect daily temperature and precipitation readings, weather observations, and weekly phenology reports in a phenology binder and in nature journals. Students then analyze this data and compare to recorded values in the Weatherguide calendar.

Determining Bird Populations Through Counting part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Michelle Dahlby Solway Elementary School Bemidji, MN
This activity is a field investigation where students gather population data on bird species. The students will create bar graphs and interpret their findings. Based on their experiences and data, they will write an answer to the guiding question.