Thursday, September 27, 2007

Where Does Water Run?

Project WILD Aquatic’s, Where Does Water Run?, is a great way to incorporate math concepts in a real world application. Extend this erosion activity by investigating run-off from school grounds. Have students go outside and look for paths water may flow, what it may take with it (soil, oil from parking lots, etc.), and where it will end up (stream, pond, river, drainage ditch, etc.). As a service learning project, have students think of ways to reduce the amount of run-off from school grounds. Come up with a plan and present it to school administration.

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Cole, J. and Bruce D. 1986. The Magic Schoolbus at the Waterworks. Scholastic.
Rutten, J. 1998. Erosion. Child's World, Incorporated.
Schmid, E. 1990. The Water's Journey. North-South Books.

Grades 3-5
Bailey, J. 2006. Cracking up: A Story about Erosion. Coughlan Publishing.
Koontz, R.M. 2006. Erosion: Changing the Earth's Surface. Coughlan Publishing.
Olien, R. 2001. Erosion. Capstone Press.
Robinson, F. 1995. Where Do Puddles Go: Rookie Read-About Science. Children’s Press.
Stille, D. 1990. Soil Erosion and Pollution. Grolier.
Telford, C. and Theodorou, R. 1998. Down a River. Heinemann Interactive Library.
Winner, C. 1999. Erosion. Lerner Publishing Group.

Grades 6-8
Downs, S. 2000. Shaping the Earth: Erosion. Lerner Publishing Group.
Fodor, R.V. 1983. Chiseling the Earth: How Erosion Shapes the Land. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Rybolt, T, Mebane, R. 1993. Environmental Experiments about Land. Enslow Publishing Inc.
Stille, D. 2004. Erosion: How Land Forms How It Changes. Compass Point Books.

Grades 9-12
Janice, R. 2006. Land Abuse and Soil Erosion. Wiegel Publishers.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Eco-Enrichers

What happens to leaves and other plant material that comprise the forest and prairie floors? How does organic matter turn into soil? Project WILD’s activity, Eco-Enrichers, lets students experiment with soil and discover earthworms’ role in soil creation. Use Eco-Enrichers after Project Learning Tree’s activity, Signs of Fall, to make a deeper connection with seasonal change.

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Bryant-Mole, K. 1996. Soil. Steck-Vaughn.
Bourgeois, P. 1990. The Amazing Dirt Book. Kids Can Press, Limited.
De Bourgoing, P. and G. Jeunesse. 1995. Under the Ground. Scholastic, Inc.
Glaser, L. 1994. Wonderful Worms. Lerner Publishing Group.
Heinrichs, A. 2004. Worms. Coughlan Publishing.
Himmelman, J. 2000. An Earthworm's Life. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Holmes, K.J. 1998. Earthworms. Coughlan Publishing.
Oxlade, C. 2002. Soil. Heinemann Library.
Pfeffer, W. 2003. Wiggling Worms at Work. HarperCollins Publishers.
Richardson, A.D. 2001. Soil. Capstone Press.
Ross, M.E. 2003. Re-Cycles. Millbrook Press.
Schmid, E. 2000. The Living Earth. North-South.
Tomecek, S. 2002. Dirt: Jump into Science. National Geographic Society.

Grades 3-5
Bial, R. 2000. A Handful of Dirt. Walker and Company.
Bocknek, J. 1999. Science of Soil. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Dixon, N. 2004. The Lowdown on EarthWorms. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited.
Farndon, J. 2004. Life in the Soil. Thomson Gale.
Flanagan, A.K. 2000. Soil. Capstone Press.
Jennings, T.J. 1989. Rocks and Soil. Scholastic Library Publishing.
McLaughlin, M. 1986. Earthworms, Dirt and Rotten Leaves: An Exploration in Ecology. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Rosinsky, N.M. 2004. Dirt: The Scoop on Soil. Picture Window Books.
Silverstein, A. 2000. Life in a Bucket of Soil. Dover Publications.
Simon, S. 1977. Beneath Your Feet. Walker & Company.
Stewart, M. 2003. Soil. Heinemann.
Stewart, M. 2004. Down to Earth. Capstone Press.
Winckler, S. 1993. Soil. Lerner Publishing Group.

Grades 6-8
Downs, S. 2000. Shaping the Earth: Erosion. Twenty-First Century Books.
Gurney, B. 2004. Sand and Soil. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Snedden, R. 1998. Rocks and Soil. Raintree Publishers.
Stille, D. 2005. Soil: Digging into Earth's Vital Resource. Capstone Press.

Grades 9-12
Nardi, J.B. 2005. World beneath Our Feet: A Guide to Life in the Soil. Oxford University Press.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Pond Succession

All wild areas on earth change from one habitat to another. Sometimes it occurs so slowly, people do not notice it. Project WILD Aquatic’s activity, “Pond Succession” lets students discover the changing habitat of an aquatic ecosystem. Make this activity more Iowa related by incorporating background information on Iowa's aquatic resource issues into your lesson.

Create a storyline on succession by using this activity with the following activities from the other Projects.

Project Learning Tree
Field, Forest, and Stream
Forest for the Trees
Nothing Succeeds Like Succession
Living With Fire

Project WILD
Fire Ecologies
Forest in a Jar
Time Lapse



Book List
Grades PreK-2
Fleming, D. 1993. In the Small, Small Pond. Henry Holt and Co.

Grades 3-5
Crenson, V. 1995. Bay Shore Park: The Death and Life of an Amusement Park. W.H. Freeman & Company.
Jaspersohn, W. 1992. How the Forest Grew. HarperTrophy.
Newton, J.R. 1982. Forest Is Reborn. HarperCollins Publishers.
Silver, D. 1994. One Small Square: Pond. W.H. Freeman & Company.

Grades 6-8
Dixon, D. 2002. The Future is Wild. Firefly Books.
Mania, C., Maania, R. 1998. A Forest’s Life: From Meadow to Mature Woodland. Franklin Watts.
Owings, J. 1987. At the Edge of a Pond. Little, Brown & Company.
Reed, W. 1991. Succession: From Field to Forest. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.

Grades 9-12
Dixon, D. 2002. The Future is Wild. Firefly Books.