Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Living with Fire

In the summer months, national news reports wildfires in western United States annually. While it is rare to hear of a natural wildfire occurring in Iowa, people often use fire to manage our forests and grasslands. As an extension to Project Learning Tree’s activity “Living with Fire,” ask a local natural resource manager if and when they prescribe prairie or forest burns. (See list below for contact information). Ask if your students can either watch or help (depending on age and ability) with the burn. Ask the natural resource manager to give students more information on why they burn, how often they do it, and how fire affects plants and wildlife (including insects).

Contact information:
County Conservation Boards
State Parks
State Foresters
State Wildlife Biologists

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Donahoe, M. 2002. Fire That Saved the Forest. Rinehart P.
Reynolds, M., Kilby, D. 2001. The Prairie Fire. Orca Book Publishers.
Simon, S. 2000. Wildfires. HarperCollins Publishers.

Grades 3-5
Armbruster, A. 1996. Wildfires. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Cone, P. 1996. Wildfire. Sagebrush Education Resources.
Morrison, T. 2006. Wildfire. Walter Lorraine Books.
Munoz, W. 1998. Fire: Friend or Foe. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Patent, D.H. 1990. Yellowstone Fires: Flames and Rebirth. Holiday House, Inc.
Peppas, L. 2004. Wildfire Alert! Crabtree Publishing Company.
Pringle, L.P. 1995. Fire in the Forest: A Cycle of Growth and Renewal. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Simon, S. 1996. Wildfires: A New Look at an Old Foe. HarperCollins Publishers.
Sipiera, P.P. 2006. Wildfires. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Grades 6-8
Beil, K.M. 1999. Fire in their Eyes: Wildfires and the People who Fight Them. Harcourt Paperpacks.
Vogt, G.L. 1990. Forests on Fire: The Fight to Save Our Trees. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Grades 9-12
Bryon, N. 2003. Los Alamos Wildfires. World Almanac Library.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Pass the Plants, Please

Plants surround us, although many students seem to overlook their importance. Besides providing oxygen, stabilizing soil, and providing habitat, plants are an important part of our diet. Investigate the ways plants are used to make various foods through Project Learning Tree’s activity “Pass the Plants, Please.” As an extension for younger students (or as a refresher for older students), incorporate portions of Iowa State University Extension Office “Growing in the Garden” curriculum. Check out more information at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/GrowingintheGarden/.

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Christensen, B. 1994. Edible Alphabet. Dial Books for Young Readers.
Sekido, I. 1992. Fruits, Roots and Fungi: Plants We Eat. Lerner Publishing Group.

Grades 3-5
Burns, D.L. 2001. Berries, Nuts and Seeds. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Fernald, M.L. 1996. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. Dover Publications.
George, J.C. 1995. Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad, and 38 Other Wild Recipes. HarperCollins Children's Books.
Hughes, M.S. 2000. Green Power: Leaf and Flower Vegetables. Lerner Publishing Group.
Kirk, D.R. 1970. Wild Edible Plants of Western North America. Naturegraph Publishers, Incorporated.
Selsam, M.E. 1981. Plants We Eat. HarperCollins Publishers.

Grades 6-8
George, J.C. 1982. Wild, Wild Cookbook: A Guide for Young Wild-Food Foragers. HarperCollins Children's Books.
Sweet, M. 2003. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Publishers, Incorporated.
Young, D.D. 1983. Wild Plants You Can Eat. Silver Burdett Press.

Grades 9-12
Elias, T.S. 1990. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide. Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated.
Forey, P. and C. Fitzsimons. 1989. An Instant Guide to Edible Plants. Random House Value Publishing, Incorporated.
Furlong, M. and V.B. Pill. 1974. Wild Edible Fruits and Berries. Naturegraph Publishers, Incorporated.
Kindscher, K. 1987. Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide. University Press of Kansas.
Peterson, L.A. 1999. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin.
Reader's Digest Association, Inc. 1997. Magic and Medicine of Plants. Reader's Digest Association, Incorporated.
Thayer, S. 2006. The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. Forager's Harvest Press.

Friday, August 10, 2007

From Bison to Bread: The American Prairie

Before Euro-American settlers arrived in Iowa, the majority of the state was covered in tallgrass prairie. Project WILD’s activity, From Bison to Bread: The American Prairie, takes a look at prairie plants and animals, and debates the reasons for the development or preservation of prairies.

Use this activity in your social studies, science, or language arts class, or integrate it in all three subject areas and incorporate a field trip to a local prairie (as mentioned in the extension). Go to http://www.iowaprairienetwork.org/prairies/remaining.htm to find a prairie near you.

Book list
Pre-K – Grade 2
Bannatyne-Cugnet, J. 1992. Prairie Alphabet. Tundra.
Butterfield, M. 1999. Animals on Plains and Prairies. Raintree Publishers.
Cefrey, H. 2003. Grasslands. Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Fleming, D. 1991. In the Tall, Tall Grass. Henry Holt and Co.
Fowler, A. 2000. Lands of Grass. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Geisert, A. 1998. Prairie Town. Walter Lorraine Books.
Hirschi, R. 1992. Where Are My Prairie Dogs and Black-Footed Ferrets? Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.
Hirschi,R. 1989. Who Lives On The Prairie? Putnam Publishing Group.
Howard, F. 2006. Grasslands. ABDO Publishing Company.
Lerner, C. 1980. Seasons of the Tallgrass Prairie. William Morrow & Co Library.
Mader, J. 2004. Living on a Prairie. Scholastic Library Publishing.
McGehee, C. 2004. A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet. University of Iowa Press.
McMillan, B. 1986. Counting Wildflowers. New York: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard Books.
Nichols, C. 2002. Grassy Lands. Benchmark Books.
Penny, M. 2003. Grasslands. Thameside Press.
Reynolds, M. 1999. Prairie Fire. Orca Book Publishers.
Rowan, J.P. 1983. Prairies and Grasslands. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Taylor, D. 1992. Endangered Grassland Animals. Crabtree Publishing Company.

Grades 3-5
Arnold, C. 1993. Through the Year with - Prairie Dogs. Scholastic, Inc.
Bannatyne-Cugnet, J. 2002. Heartland: A Prairie Sampler. Tundra.
Bouchard, D. 1998. If You're Not from the Prairie. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Bright, M. 2002. Endangered and Extinct Animals of the Mountains, Deserts, and Grasslands. Millbrook Press, Inc.
Chinery, M. 1992. Grassland Animals. Random House Books for Young Readers.
Cole, M.S. 2003. Prairies. Thomson Gale.
Cook, K.J. 1993. Disappearing Grasslands. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Dvorak Jr., D. 1994. A Sea of Grass. New York: Macmillan.
Erlic, L. 2005. Grasslands. Weigl Publishers, Incorporated.
George, M. 1994. Prairie. Creative Company.
Gray, S.H. 2000. Grasslands. Capstone Press.
Horton, C. 1985. Grasslands. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Horton, C. 1982. Grasslands and People. Silver Burdett Press.
Jackson, K. and S. Mather. 2006. Explore the Grasslands. Capstone Press.
Johansson, P. 2004. Wide Open Grasslands: A Web of Life. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Johnson, R.L. 2000. A Walk in the Prairie. Lerner Publishing Group.
Johnson, S.A. 1976. Animals of the Grasslands. Lerner Publishing Group.
Khanduri, K. 1994. Grassland Wildlife. EDC Publishing.
Lambert, D. 1988. Grasslands. Silver Burdett Press.
Langley, A. 1993. Grasslands. Reader's Digest Children's Publishing, Incorporated.
Levy, J. 2003. What Lives on a Prairie? Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Lynch, W. and A. Lang. 2006. Prairie Grasslands. T&N Children's Publishing.
Patent, D.H. 2003. Life in a Grassland. Lerner Publishing Group.
Patent, D.H. 1998. Fire: Friend or Foe. Clarion Books.
Patent, D.H. 1996. Prairies. Holiday House.
Pipes, R. 1998. Grasslands. Raintree Publishers.
Savage, S. 1997. Animals of the Grasslands. Raintree Publishers.
St. Antoine, S. 2001. Stories from Where We Live -- The Great North American Prairie. Milkweed Editions.
Staub, F. 1993. America's Prairies. Lerner Publishing Group.
Steele, P. 1997. Grasslands. Lerner Publishing Group.
Stille, D.R. 1998. Grasslands. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Thompson, L. 2004. People of the Plains and Prairies. Rourke Publishing, LLC.
Stone, L.M. 2004. Grasslands. Rourke Publishing, LLC.
Wallace, M.D. 2001. America's Prairies and Grasslands: Guide to Plants and Animals. Fulcrum Publishing.
Winner, C. 2004. Prairie Animals. T&N Children's Publishing.

Grades 6-8
Busch, P.S. 1977. Wildflowers and the Stories Behind Their Names. Charles Scribner & Sons.
Collard, S.B. 2005. Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America’s Lost Grasslands. Houghton Mifflin.
Hoare, B. 2003. Temperate Grasslands. Raintree Publishers.
Lerner, C. 1980. Seasons of the Tallgrass Prairie. New York: William Morrow and Company.
Murray, P. 1997. Prairies: Biomes of Nature. The Child' World Inc.
Ricciuti, E.R. 1996. Grassland. Marshall Cavendish Inc.
Rotter, C. 2002. The Prairie. Creative Company.
Runkel, S. and D.M. Roosa. 1989. Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Schwarm, L. 2003. On Fire. Duke Un Mentary.
Scullin, W.M. 2005. Young Person's Guide to the Prairie. South River Press.
Siy, A. 1991. Native Grasslands. Silver Burdett Press.
Stone, L.M. 1989. Prairies. Rourke Enterprises, Incorporated.
Toupin, L.P. 2005. Life in the Temperate Grasslands. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Vyn, K. 1978. The Prairie Community. New York: Julian Messener.

Grades 9-12
Boon, W. and H. Groe. 1990. Nature's Heartland: Native Plant Communities of the Great Plains. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Brown, L. 1979. Grasses: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Co.
Christiansen, P. and M. Muller. 1999. An Illustrated Guide to Iowa Prairie Plants. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
Edsall, M.S. 1985. Roadside Plants and Flowers. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Forey, P. and C. Fitzsimons. 1992. Instant Guide to Wildflowers. Random House Value Publishing, Incorporated.
Johnsgard, P.A. 2001. Prairie Birds: Fragile Splendor in the Great Plains. University Press of Kansas.
Johnsgard, P.A. 2005. Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie. University of Nebraska Press.
Kindscher, K. 1992. Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide. University Press of Kansas.
Kirt, R.R. 1995. Prairie Plants of the Midwest: Identification and Ecology. Stipes Publishing, L.L.C.
Kurtz, C. 1996. Iowa's Wild Places. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Ladd, D. 2005. Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers: A Field Guide to the Common Wildflowers and Plants of the Prairie Midwest. Globe Pequot Press.
Madson, J. 2005. The Elemental Prairie: Sixty Tallgrass Plants. University of Iowa Press.
Madson, J. 1994. Where the Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
Manning, R. 1997. Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics, and Promise of the American Prairie. Penguin Group.
Moul, F. 2006. The National Grasslands: A Guide to America's Undiscovered Treasures. University of Nebraska Press.
Muller, M. 2000. Prairie in Your Pocket: A Guide to Plants of the Tallgrass Prairie. University of Iowa Press.
Packard, S. 2005. Tallgrass Restoration Handbook: For Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands. Island Press.
Peterson, R.T. and M. McKenny. 1968. A Field Guide to the Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-Central North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Sherow, J.E. 2007. The Grasslands of the United States: An Environmental History. ABC-CLIO, Incorporated.
Shirley, S. 1994. Restoring the Tallgrass Prairie: An Illustrated Manual for Iowa and the Upper Midwest. University of Iowa Press.
Thompson, J.R. 1992. Prairies, Forests and Wetlands: The Restoration of Natural Landscape Communities in Iowa. University of Iowa Press.
Waterlow, J. 1996. Grasslands. Raintree Publishers.