Tuesday, May 22, 2012


Field, Forest, and Stream
Ecosystems are not “things” or simply “a place” in nature. Ecosystems are communities of different species interacting with each other and with the chemical and physical factors that make up the nonliving environment.  Use Project Learning Tree’s “Field, Forest, and Stream” to conduct a field study of three different environments. Consider how the non-living elements (sunlight, soil moisture, temperature, wind, water flow) influence the living elements (plants, animals, microbes) in an ecosystem.

Iowa Extension
Visit three local ecosystems to conduct your field study. For example, visit a local wetland, woodland, and prairie. Study the different ecosystems within Iowa. Highlight some of the unique ecosystems in Iowa such as the Loess Hills of western Iowa. Does your local area have a unique ecosystem? Find out and study it further!

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Arnosky, J. 1997. Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Cefrey, H. 2003. Grasslands. Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Dewey, J.O. 1987. At the Edge of the Pond. Little, Brown & Company.
DK Publishing. 2004. Forest. DK Publishing, Inc.
Fleming, D. 1991. In the Tall, Tall Grass. Henry Holt and Co.
Fleming, D. 1993. In the Small, Small Pond. Henry Holt and Co.
Fowler, A. 1999. Our Living Forests. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Fowler, A. 2000. Lands of Grass. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Howard, F. 2006. Grasslands. ABDO Publishing Company.
Humphrey, P. 1995. In the Deep, Dark Forest. Steck-Vaughn.
Kosek, J.K. 2003. What's inside Lakes? Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Pascoe, E. and D. Kuhn. 2003. The Ecosystem of a Fallen Tree. Rosen Publishing Group.
Pascoe, E. and D. Kuhn. 2003. Ecosystem of an Apple Tree. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Pascoe, E. and D. Kuhn. 2003. The Ecosystem of a Grassy Field. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Pascoe, E. and D. Kuhn. 2003. The Ecosystem of a Stream. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Salas, L.P. 2007. Temperate Deciduous Forests: Lands of Falling Leaves. Coughlan Publishing.
Silver, D.M. and P.J. Wynne. 1997. One Small Square Backyard. The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Silver, D.M. 1997. One Small Square: Woods. McGraw-Hill Companies.

Grades 3-5
Beatty, R. 2003. Rivers, Lakes, Streams, and Ponds. Raintree Publishers.
Biskup, A., and T. Smith. 2007. Exploring Ecosystems with Max Axiom, Super Scientist. Capstone Press.
Cole, M.S. 2003. Forest. Gale Group.
Cole, M.S. 2003. Prairies. Thomson Gale.
Erlic, L. 2005. Grasslands. Weigl Publishers, Incorporated.
George, M. 1994. Prairie. Creative Company.
Hawley, E. 2012. Exploring Ecosystems. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Horton, C. 1985. Grasslands. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Johnson, R.L. and P.V. Saroff. 2004.Journey into a River. Lerner Publishing Group.
Johnson, R.L. and P.V. Saroff. 2004. Journey into a Wetland. Lerner Publishing Group.
Kubesh, K. 2007. Forest Habitats. Hands of a Child.
Lynch, W. and A. Lang. 2006. Prairie Grasslands. T&N Children's Publishing.
Patent, D.H. 1996. Prairies. Holiday House.
Paul, T. 1997. In Woods and Forests. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Staub, F. 1993. America's Prairies. Lerner Publishing Group.
Tagliaferro, L. 2006. Explore the Deciduous Forest. Coughlan Publishing.

Grades 6-8
Biskup, A., and T. Smith. 2007. Exploring Ecosystems with Max Axiom, Super Scientist. Capstone Press.
Court, J. 1985. Ponds and Streams. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Currie, S. 2009. Ecosystems. Cherry Lake Publishing.
Hawley, E. 2012. Exploring Ecosystems. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Hoare, B. 2003. Temperate Grasslands. Raintree Publishers.
MacMillan, D.M. 2003. Life in a Deciduous Forest. Lerner Publishing Group.
Murray, P. 1997. Prairies: Biomes of Nature. The Child' World Inc.
Novacek, M. J. 2007. Terra : Our 100-Million-Year-Old Ecosystem--and the Threats That Now Put It at Risk. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Richardson, G. 2008. Ecosystems. Weigl Publishers, Inc.
Rotter, C. 2002. The Prairie. Creative Company.
Vyn, K. 1978. The Prairie Community. New York: Julian Messener.

Grades 9-12
Biskup, A., and T. Smith. 2007. Exploring Ecosystems with Max Axiom, Super Scientist. Capstone Press.
Boon, W. and H. Groe. 1990. Nature's Heartland: Native Plant Communities of the Great Plains. Ames:
Currie, S. 2009. Ecosystems. Cherry Lake Publishing.
Kurtz, C. 1996. Iowa's Wild Places. Ames: Iowa State University 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.
Richardson, G. 2008. Ecosystems. Weigl Publishers, Inc.
Thompson, J.R. 1992. Prairies, Forests and Wetlands: The Restoration of Natural Landscape Communities in Iowa. University of Iowa Press.

Links
Wikipedia: Ecosystem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem

IPTV: What Are Ecosystems?
http://www.pbs.org/earthonedge/ecosystems/index.html


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Tuesday, May 08, 2012


Prairie Memoirs
Close your eyes: Envision vast grasslands with thousands of bison grazing, their dark brown fur glistens in the sunlight. Feel the sweet, spring breeze blow across your face. Smell the damp grass and wildflowers. This is the scene that would have met you if you had been a settler on the Great Plains of North America in the 19th century. An estimated 60 million bison once roamed the vast prairies that stretched from Canada to Texas west of the Mississippi River. Native American tribes were dependent upon these vast herds of bison for meat, shelter, and clothing. With the arrival of settlers from the East the delicate balance of bison, prairie, and indigenous life was upset. Use Project WILD’s “Prairie Memoirs” to explore this event from several different viewpoints.

Iowa Extension
As a class, research settlers, bison, prairies, and native life in Iowa at the time of European settlement - use journal entries, old photographs, and other resources to paint a picture of what life would have been like for all involved at that time in Iowa’s history. How did cultural factors influence people’s relationship to the land, plants, and wildlife?

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Arnosky, J. 2006. Grandfather Buffalo. Penguin Group (USA).
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.
Hazelwood, D., and R. Dobbins. 2010. Bison at Hollow Hill. Mirror Publishing.
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.
Jones, D.M. 2012. Bison Babies. Farcountry Press.
Larson, J. S. 2006. Mighty Bison. Lerner Publishing Group.
Lerner, C. 1980. Seasons of the Tallgrass Prairie. William Morrow & Co Library.
Mader, J. 2004. Living on a Prairie. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Magby, M. 2012. American Bison. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
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.

Grades 3-5
Arnold, C. 1993. Through the Year with - Prairie Dogs. Scholastic, Inc.
Arnosky, J. 2006. Grandfather Buffalo. Penguin Group (USA).
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. 1982. Grasslands and People. Silver Burdett Press.
Horton, C. 1985. Grasslands. Scholastic Library Publishing.
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., P.V. Saroff and G. Braasch. 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.
Langley, A. 1993. Grasslands. Reader's Digest Children's Publishing, Incorporated.
Lynch, W. and A. Lang. 2006. Prairie Grasslands. T&N Children's Publishing.
Patent, D.H. 1996. Prairies. Holiday House.
Patent, D.H. 1998. Fire: Friend or Foe. Clarion Books.
Patent, D.H. 2003. Life in a Grassland. Lerner Publishing Group.
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.
Thompson, L. 2004. People of the Plains and Prairies. Rourke Publishing, LLC.
Wallace, M.D. 2001. America's Prairies and Grasslands: Guide to Plants and Animals. Fulcrum Publishing.
Winner, C, and J.F. McGee. 2001. Bison. Cooper Square 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.
Gish, M. 2012. Bison. The Creative Company.
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.
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:
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.
Collard, S. B. 2005. The Prairie Builders : Reconstructing America's Lost Grasslands. Boston: Edsall, M.S. 1985. Roadside Plants and Flowers. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Fitzgerald, D., and L. M. Hasselstrom. 1998. Bison: Monarch of the Plains. Graphic Arts Ctr Pub Co.
Forey, P. and C. Fitzsimons. 1992. Instant Guide to Wildflowers. Random House Value Publishing, Incorporated.
Gruenau, D., D. Peacock, and S. Fuller. 1995. Bison: Distant Thunder. Takarajima Books.
Isenberg, A.C., and D. Worster. 2001. The Destruction of the Bison: An Environmental History, 1750-1920. Cambridge University Press.
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. 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.
Sample, M. S. 1987. Bison: Symbol of the American West. Globe Pequot Press.
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. New York: University of Iowa P.
Waterlow, J. 1996. Grasslands. Raintree Publishers.



Links
IDNR – Iowa’s Prairie Resource Center
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/LandStewardship/PrairieResourceCenter.aspx

Iowa Prairie Network
http://www.iowaprairienetwork.org/

IAN Iowa’s Biological Communities Series - Iowa Prairies
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/IAN203.pdf

NPS – Iowa’s Prairie Heritage on Display April 29 to May 28
http://www.nps.gov/heho/parknews/tallgrass-prairie-exhibit.htm

IPTV Iowa Pathways – The First Farmers
http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/mypath.cfm?ounid=ob_000145

Iowa Official Register – History of Iowa
http://publications.iowa.gov/135/1/history/7-1.html

IPTV Iowa Pathways – Explore Iowa History
http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/default.cfm

Explorations in Iowa History Project
http://www.uni.edu/iowahist/Default.htm

Access Genealogy – Iowa Indian Tribes
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/iowa/index.htm

The Nature Conservancy – Reintroduction of Bison to Iowa: Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/iowa/explore/reintroduction-of-bison-to-iowa-broken-kettle-grasslands-preserve.xml

A Brief Culture History of Iowa
http://www.uiowa.edu/~osa/learn/prehistoric/overview.htm

Buffalo Tales: The Near-Extermination of the American Bison
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nattrans/ntecoindian/essays/buffalo.htm


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