Students Recognized for Iowa State-Fish Drawings

1st place Grades 4-6

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources partnered with the Wildlife Forever® State-Fish Art® Contest to host an Iowa State-Fish Contest in conjunction with the annual “Take It Outside” Art Contest.

The State-Fish Art Contest uses art to ignite children’s imagination while teaching them about fish and fishing. Entries showcased students’ favorite Iowa fish in its natural habitat. All entries were original hand-drawn artwork. Winners were selected based on portrayal of theme, creative expression, originality, visual appeal, and artistic merit. 

1st place Grades K-3

Individual winners:

Grades K-3

1^st Place – Emma F., Homeschool

2^nd Place – Jonah V., Homeschool

3^rd Place – Carley F., Adair-Casey Community Schools

Grades 4-6

1^st Place – Benjamin S., Homeschool

2^nd Place – Nathan P., Mid-Prairie Home School Assistance Program

1st place Grades 7-9

3^rd Place – Anessa S., Benton Community Schools

Grades 7-9

1^st Place – Helen H., Ames Community Schools

2^nd Place – Gretchen M., North Polk Community Schools

3^rd Place – Carmen A., Benton Community Schools

Grades 10-12

1^st Place – Hunter F., Twin Cedars Community Schools

1st place Grades 10-12

Artists who placed first in their age group are invited, along with their families, to attend the 17^th Annual State-Fish Art Expo held in conjunction with FLW during the Forrest L. Wood Cup bass world championship on August 21-22 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Every participant received a Certificate of Recognition. Winning entries will be displayed during the Iowa State Fair at the DNR building.

Endangered Species Day

Celebrate Endangered Species Day (May 15) by learning more about Iowa endangered and threatened animals and plants. Printable fact sheets are available on the DNR Education website.

Iowa’s wildlife has changed tremendously since Euro-American settlement (160 years ago). Many species have been extirpated. Others’ populations have dwindled to the point they now are listed as endangered. Still others have increased in number and range size. Many once extirpated have been reintroduced and now have stable populations. Wide ranging species (e.g., black bear, wolf, mountain lion, moose) occasionally reappear in Iowa as their populations in nearby states increase.

In Iowa, 47 animals and 64 plants are listed as endangered (populations are low, scientists feel the species could become extinct). Another 89 plants and 35 animals are listed as threatened (populations are declining, may become endangered). A species can be listed as endangered or threatened at the state or federal level, depending on the extent of the area where the population is declining. Federally endangered species found within a state’s borders automatically are placed on the state list. Endangered species lists constantly change.

Many endangered or threatened species are specialists (have very restrictive habitat needs, eat only a few foods, or require specific kinds or sizes of habitat). The leading cause for a species becoming endangered or threatened is habitat loss.

Helpful Resources

LivingOn The Edge: Profiles of Federally Listed Species in Iowa
Iowa'sThreatened and Endangered Species Program
U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service
EndangeredSpecies Coalition

 

Iowa DNR to Release Trumpeter Swans at Four Locations

Trumpeter swans will be released by the Iowa DNR at public events at four southern Iowa parks. Events will be held rain or shine.

May 6:
Lake Icaria Recreation Area, 9:30 a.m., at East boat ramp; four swans to be released
Summit Lake, 1 p.m., boat ramp on south side of Hwy 25; four swans to be released

May 7:
Viking Lake State Park, 10 a.m. at beach; two swans to be released
Lake Anita State Park, 2 p.m.; two swans to be released

The public is invited and encouraged to attend. The event includes a 20-minute swan/wetland presentation, a unique opportunity to touch and view the swans up close, and a historic photo opportunity with the kids. As the largest North American waterfowl, these magnificent all-white birds can weigh up to 32 pounds with an 8-foot wingspan.
 
Trumpeter swans were once common in Iowa, but were gone from the state by the late 1880s. By the early 1930s, only 69 trumpeter swans remained in the lower 48 states. The trumpeter swans being released are part of the DNR’s statewide trumpeter swan restoration effort, with hopes that they will help restore a wild free flying population to Iowa. 

Iowa’s Land Before Time: Prehistoric Life Still Around Today

Take a peek into Iowa's prehistoric past with these "living fossils" that still exist in Iowa today.

Paddlefish
This fish is older than the dinosaurs – for real. Fossil records show paddlefish have been around for more than 300 million years – that’s about 50 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared. Not only has the species been around a long time, but they’re a long-living group too. Iowa paddlefish commonly live for 20 years, with 30 years or more not all that unusual. Paddlefish are a remnant of ancient life, differing from other fishes by its elongated paddlelike snout, long gill covers and shark-like body form.

Chestnut lamprey
One of the creepiest looking “living fossils,” the lamprey dates back about 360 million years. While this native lamprey may seem intimidating, it’ll do no harm to people. It is endangered in Iowa, so if you catch one, release it unharmed immediately. Its mouth acts as a suction cup and it uses its teeth to cut through a fish’s skin and scales. On the Mississippi River, it commonly attaches to paddlefish, common carp and northern pike. It rarely kills its host. It usually grows to about 12 inches long.

Pallid sturgeon
While rare to find in Iowa, the pallid sturgeon hasn’t changed much over the course of 70 million years. It is endangered in Iowa, so if you catch one, release it unharmed immediately. You can tell a pallid sturgeon apart from a lake sturgeon or shovelnose sturgeon by its outer barbels – they’re twice as long as the fish’s inner barbels. Those barbels are U-shaped, with the inner two set out in front. It also has a smooth, not scaled, belly.

Common snapping turtle
As a nod to its tenure, the common snapping turtle’s most distinctive feature is its long tail with raised Stegosaurus-like plates projecting along the midline. The snapping turtle is a large turtle with a big head, a long tail and a nasty disposition. It also has a much reduced diamond-shaped plastron (lower shell) that is connected to the carapace (upper shell) with two narrow bands on the sides. The rear marginal scales of the carapace have points that give the shell a jagged appearance. The only other turtle that can be confused with the common snapping turtle is the alligator snapping turtle, but it is larger and limited to the southeastern tip of Iowa in the Mississippi River. Adults usually have shells eight to 15 inches long and weigh up to 40 pounds. The common snapper is part of the Chelydridae family of turtles, which has fossils dating back to the Cretaceous and Paleocene time periods.

Dragonfly
The next time you watch a dragonfly flutter along the banks of a pond, take note that you’re watching a sight that’s gone on for about 325 million years. While the ancestors of today’s dragonflies were much larger, the family line continues today. Dragonflies serve as indicators of good water quality.

Sandhill crane
Migrating sandhill cranes may show up in Iowa in April, but their ancestors have been here for quite a while. The oldest sandhill crane fossils date back 2.5 million years. In Iowa, you may be able to spot one in a marsh, wet prairie, lake or fen in the northern part of the state in summer. The sandhill crane lives in prairies and fields. It eats small rodents, frogs, insects, worms, snails, young birds and eggs, seeds, grass shoots, grain (especially corn), bulbs, berries, lichen, and aquatic plants. Its call is a low, loud, musical rattle.

Pelican
Another Iowa migrant, the pelican has been around the block a few times – like for 30 million years. While it doesn’t nest in Iowa, you can see large numbers of them migrating through the state. The American white pelican is huge – standing at 62 inches high – and is known for its eating style. This pelican eats crustaceans and fish by scooping them up while paddling on the water.

Snail
No need for a snail to be in a hurry when you’ve been around for 440 million years. Back then, our snails crawled along a sea floor. While the landscape of Iowa has changed drastically in that time, snails keep on, slow and steady. The Pleistocene snail, a rare snail that lives on cool Iowa slopes in leaf litter, is considered to be a relic from the Ice Age.

Plants and fossils
While not animals, ferns and clubmosses have been around for 300 million years or so. And while they may not be living, fossils exist throughout the state. Check out the Fossil and Prairie Center near Rockford or the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville to search for yourself. Lake Red Rock near Knoxville and Pella is also home to an ancient floodplain – explore the iron-stained cliffs to look for fern and tree fossils from an ancient forest.

Drawing on Nature

Much of our understanding of science comes from interpreting visual images. The images that accompany scientific writing can enhance our knowledge of a subject and can add more precision to our perception.

 

Drawings that accompany field notes offer researchers several paths which to interpret their experiences. Incorporating drawing into research improves one’s observation skills.

 Take your students to an area of the school grounds or someone where they can see animals. Instruct your students to:

• Find an animal – watch it as closely as you can; look at its color, form, and body shape
• Close your eyes and try to reconstruct the animal in your mind
• Using a pencil, try to draw the body shape of the animal; sometimes it helps to look at the animal-and not at the paper

Sketching is an important tool to focus observations. The more that students draw, the more they will see. Students who are more comfortable drawing should include writing in their notes as well, while students who prefer writing should include sketches and diagrams with their writing. Combining writing and drawing gives the pages less of the feel an art project and more of a place where information is collected.

Creating a classroom nature comic book is a fun alternative to traditional field notes. Have each student record sequences of animal behaviors in the form of a comic book. Integrating the comic into recording a real nature event will help motivate students to accurately record their data.

Helpful web sites

Instructional videos on drawing and sketching in nature

 

John Muir Laws drawing templates:

• Leaf (multiple)
• Flower (multiple)
• Leaf and Flower

Opening the Worldthrough Nature Journaling (includes instructions for drawing birds and flowers)

Celebrate Earth Week With Free Seedlings From Trees For Kids

To celebrate Earth Week, the Trees for Kids program is offering free seedlings to schools and communities across Iowa.

The first 100 schools and 100 communities to make a request through the State Forest Nursery will receive a “Create-a-Packet” at no cost.  Each custom packet consists of 200 bare-root seedlings, 50 each of four selected species. The seedlings are between 8 and 24 inches, depending on the tree or shrub species.  Size requests do not apply to this program.  

To take part in this offer, schools and communities should call the State Forest Nursery at 1-800-865-2477 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and mention the Trees for Kids Earth Week program. Each school building or community may order one free Create-a-Packet. Orders will be filled on a first-come first-served basis until 100 packets have been requested for schools, and 100 packets have been requested for communities, or 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, whichever comes first. This offer only applies to new orders.

Schools and communities receiving packets will be asked to e-mail at least one photo of the trees being planted and a short paragraph indicating where and why they were planted.  No other requirements are necessary to receive the free trees.

Recommended packet choices include:

Butterfly host packet

Seedlings selected as hosts for more than 16 species of butterflies.
Choose 4 of the following 5 species:

• Black Cherry
• Bur Oak
• Hackberry
• Redosier Dogwood
• Silky Dogwood

Storm water management packet
Species selected for superior storm water interception, tolerance of wet conditions and water uptake, suitable for planting along streams, rivers and waterways.
Choose 4 of the 5 following species:

• Silver Maple
• River Birch
• Bur Oak
• Sycamore
• Hackberry

Property edge planting
These trees and shrubs are selected because the make an excellent visual screen, block the wind and are attractive. 
Choose 4 of the following 5 species:

• Redosier Dogwood
• Ninebark
• River Birch
• Red Oak
• Bur Oak

Anyone in Iowa can purchase Create-a-Packets from the Iowa State Forest Nursery to increase wildlife habitat, pollinator potential or diversify backyard woodlands.  Cost of a Create-a-Packet is $110, plus shipping and handling. Seedling choices can be seen in the Seedling Catalog.

Trees for Kids also provides landscape tree planting grants to schools and communities. For information about how to apply for a fall 2015 Trees for Kids grant, visit the DNR website or contact the grant coordinator at laura.wagner@dnr.iowa.gov.

The Trees for Kids and Trees for Teens grant programs are funded by Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry Bureau, MidAmerican Energy, Black Hills Energy, Alliant Energy, Iowa Bankers Association, Trees Forever, Iowa Tree Farm Committee, and the Iowa Woodland Owners Association.

For more information about ordering your no-cost Earth Week seedlings, contact the Iowa State Forest Nursery at 1-800-865-2477. 

Apply for a GreenWorks! Environmental Improvement Grant

Do you have an idea for a school/community native plant garden, a forest improvement project, a streamside restoration plan, a recycling program, or energy conservation project for your students? Need funds to implement it? Apply for a Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! grant! The deadline is September 30, 2015.

• Grants must be completed in one year
• Applicants must have attended a PLT workshop
• The proposed project must involve service-learning.
• The proposed project must demonstrate student voice.
• The proposed project must involve at least one community partner.
• The proposed project must secure at least 50% matched funds (in-kind acceptable).

GreenWorks! is the service-learning component of Project Learning Tree that engages educators, students, and their communities in “learning-by-doing” local environmental stewardship projects. Since 1992, AFF has distributed more than $1 million to fund more than 1,000 PLT GreenWorks! action projects in communities across the country.

“These grants help students take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to the real world,” said James McGirt, PLT manager of education programs. “Youth engage with the local community, and develop their critical thinking and leadership skills as they work to improve the environment.”

PLT’s GreenWorks! Guidebook offers practical ideas and pointers for getting a GreenWorks! project off and running.

Taking STEM Outside: WILD Project-based Learning in Your Schoolyard

June 24 & 25, 2015 (100% attendance required for credit)
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines)
Registration Deadline: June 17, 2015
Registration Fee: $75* (includes lunches, materials, and 1 license renewal credit); or $150* (includes lunches, materials, and 1 EDEX graduate credit)
Electronic Registration

Learn how to take STEM outdoors. Spend two days turning outdoor projects and exploration into project-based learning units specifically geared for your teaching situation. We will demonstrate how to bundle your favorite Project WILD and Aquatic WILD activities with field investigations to foster inquiry-based learning and meet local and state learning standards. Much of this “flipped” professional development will be spent creating your own path through a host of nationally developed and tested resources to engage your students in authentic inquiry through modeling, discussion, and practice using your school yard or a local natural area and your classes as the framework.

Co-sponsored by the Iowa Conservation Coalition, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, and Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department.

 

For more information, contact: Barb.Gigar@dnr.iowa.gov; 515-494-3891.

Iowa Review Team Recommends New Science Standards

Members recommend Next Generation Science Standards; report to be issued to the State Board of Education

DES MOINES – Members of Iowa’s Science Standards Review Team today recommended adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards with modifications as Iowa’s new science standards.

The recommendation will be formalized in a report next month and will be sent to the State Board of Education for consideration.

The Next Generation Science Standards is the name of science standards developed by 26 states, including Iowa, that all states can consider adopting and adapting to meet their needs. Academic standards represent consistent expectations for what students should know and be able to do from kindergarten through 12^th grade. Iowa’s academic standards are being reviewed, starting with science, as part of Gov. Branstad’s Executive Order 83.

The review team’s recommendation proposes modifying the Next Generation Science Standards for Iowa so that only the performance expectations section is used, rather than the entire standards document. Members said the performance expectations are easier to understand, especially for teachers in subject areas other than science, and allow for more local control because they are broader than other parts of the standards document.

The team’s recommendation also proposes modifying the Next Generation Science Standards for Iowa by separating them by grade level for kindergarten through 8^th grade and organizing the high school standards into a span of grades.

The Science Standards Review Team’s recommendation was based on the expertise of members and feedback from Iowans gathered through public forums and a statewide survey.

Team members said the Next Generation Science Standards represent an improvement from Iowa’s current science standards for a number of reasons. They reflect more modern practices in science, were developed by experts in a process led by states including Iowa, and include engineering practices – which is important as Iowa grows its commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, said Kris Kilibarda, a review team member. 

“These standards will prepare our students to be scientifically literate citizens and will provide the base for more advanced study for Iowans who pursue careers in science and engineering,” said Kilibarda, who is director of the Jacobson Institute for Innovation in STEM Education at Grand View University.

The recommendation capped off more than five months of work by the Science Standards Review Team, which is made up of education and business leaders with expertise in physical science, life science, earth and space science, and engineering, technology and application. Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck convened the team last fall to review Iowa’s science standards, as well as rigorous science standards from other states and organizations, and to make a recommendation for improvement.

In December, the review team made a preliminary recommendation to take the Next Generation Science Standards to the public for feedback.

A statewide survey and four public forums throughout the state generated about 2,600 comments in February. A majority of comments were in favor of the Next Generation Science Standards. For example, the survey results showed 69 percent of survey participants agreed that the Next Generation Science Standards will prepare students to be ready for college, careers and other postsecondary options.

Review team members studied and discussed the public feedback at two meetings in March. At their March 24 meeting, team members agreed that the Next Generation Science Standards should be the basis for their work on a final recommendation.

At today’s meeting, the review team approved the following recommendation on a 9-2 vote:

• We recommend the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations be adopted in Iowa as grade-specific standards for grades K-8 and grade-span standards for grades 9-12.

The team will work on a final report to the State Board of Education, which has the legal authority to determine the content of Iowa’s academic standards.

To read the Next Generation Science Standards, visit http://www.nextgenscience.org/. 

To read Iowa’s academic standards, visit https://iowacore.gov/.

For more information about the Science Standards Review Team, visit the Iowa Department of Education’s website.

National Environmental Education Week: April 19-25, 2015

National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) is the nation’s largest celebration of environmental education. With support from national sponsor, Samsung, EE Week continues its multi-year focus on connecting the environment with STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) learning. Building off the focus on Technology in 2013 and Engineering in 2014, this year’s EE Week theme is Greening STEM: Surrounded by Science.

Science provides the tools we need to better understand the environment. Through the scientific process, we observe, test, analyze and advance our knowledge of the world. With so many fields of scientific study that examine the environment, there are endless connections through Green Science education that directly relate to the forefront of real-world scientific research and discovery. This year, EE Week is excited to explore these connections to help educators find the most effective and engaging ways environmental themes can be used to enrich science education.

Student achievement in STEM is key to fostering a new wave of innovators who can creatively address complex 21st century challenges. Environmental education can provide students with opportunities to engage in meaningful and exciting scientific studies that can spark their interest in STEM and empower them to take part in solutions to local environmental challenges.

EE Week works to celebrate all of the educators who are making a difference in the world of environmental education and STEM learning and provide them with the tools and resources they need to continue inspiring the next generation of lifelong environmental learners. Whether you already have a project in mind or are looking for inspiration, EE Week registration is free and open to everyone! By registering, you’ll stay up to date with the latest news and announcements about EE Week, including professional development opportunities, educator toolkits, blog posts, related news stories, grants, contest opportunities, partner discounts and more! Visit EEWeek.org to learn more and register online at http://eeweek.org/register.

Baby Wildlife

It is that magical time of year again when baby wildlife are born and hatched. We often stumble upon these cute critters when we are outside enjoying nature. If you find baby wildlife, they should be observed only and not handled or “rescued.” They may appear to be alone, but you can rest assured that the mother (and in some cases the father too) are not far away waiting for you to leave so they can go back to caring for their young.

It’s often possible to reunite the young with their parents by placing the baby directly in the nest or den, or in a box close to where it was found. If a bird nest has been destroyed, an artificial nest can be created and placed near the original nest.

Young birds spend a lot of time hopping around awkwardly as they learn to fly. This behavior can make an observer think that the bird has a broken wing or has fallen out of the nest, but it is a crucial step in development. If you find a baby bird in your yard and are afraid that it will be hurt, clear the area until the parents can return to their fledgling. Contrary to a popular myth, birds will not abandon their young if they detect human scent.

Both fawns and baby cottontails are left alone for most of the day and night, and are only fed two or three times during the day. A youngster alone doesn’t always mean it is an orphan.

Occasionally, an animal may actually be sick or injured. Don’t try to rescue wildlife yourself, especially those that appear ill. If you find an animal, make sure it is actually in trouble. Looks for signs of injury or listlessness. Then contact your city or county animal control staff or local wildlife rehabilitator for advice. If you must intervene, keep the animal in a secure container lined with clothing and place it in a warm, dark, quiet place. Do not attempt to feed or water it. Injured wild animals in captivity may strike out from fear and pain. With few exceptions, all wildlife in Iowa are protected and federal and/or state permits are required to rehabilitate injured animals.

List of Iowa Wildlife Rehabilitators - http://www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr/uploads/files/wildliferehab.pdf

Iowa Wildlife Center - http://iowawildlifecenter.org/default.aspx

 

National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association - http://www.nwrawildlife.org/content/help-ive-found-animal

Taking STEM Outside: WILD Project-based Learning in Your Schoolyard

June 24 & 25, 2015 (100% attendance is required for credit.)
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines)

Learn how to take STEM outdoors. Spend two days turning outdoor projects and exploration into project-based learning units specifically geared for your teaching situation. We will demonstrate how to bundle your favorite Project WILD and Aquatic WILD activities with field investigations to foster inquiry-based learning and meet local and state learning standards. Much of this “flipped” professional development will be spent creating your own path through a host of nationally developed and tested resources to engage your students in authentic inquiry through modeling, discussion, and practice using your school yard or a local natural area and your classes as the framework.

Participants are encouraged to bring information about their school site or a nearby natural area for use with workshop activities. Teaching partners/groups are encouraged to facilitate planning/implementation of projects.

Registration deadline is June 17, 2015 - you must register electronically. Registration fee: $75 (includes lunches, materials, and 1 license renewal credit); or $150 (includes lunches, materials, and 1 EDEX graduate credit)

For more information, contact: Barb.Gigar@dnr.iowa.gov; 515-494-3891.

Spring Themed Nature Games

Keep your students active this spring with these fun spring themed games.

Robin’s Egg

Select 1 student to be the robin. Have the robin sit with his/her back to the other students, at least ten feet away. Place a plastic egg behind the robin. The robin needs to protect the egg. The remaining students take turns sneaking up behind the robin and try to steal the egg. If the robin hears the person sneaking up, he/she will “call” and then turn around. If the robin catches a student, that student becomes the new robin. If there is no student when the robin “calls,” the robin remains the robin and the game starts again.

Flower Power

Students pretend to be pollinators traveling from flower to flower. Scatter hula hoops across the play area (fewer hula hoops than students). Place a card with a shape inside each hula hoop (flower). Give each student a card with a shape. Students must travel around the play area, matching their card to one inside a flower. When they find a match, they stand inside the flower. Only one student can be inside each flower. If a student doesn’t “pollinate” a flower, they are out. Remove a flower (hula hoop) after each round.

Metamorphosis Relay

Students are butterflies racing through their various life stages. Divide students into two teams. Students begin the race in a curled up position to represent an egg.

Station 1 – the caterpillar: students wiggle through a maze, searching for food
Station 2 – the chrysalis: students climb into a burlap sack and race to the next station
Station 3 – the adult caterpillar: students grab a colorful scarf and “flies” to the finish line

Plant a Tree Relay

Students race to complete the task of planting a tree.

Station 1 – dig the hole: students put on a straw hat and perform 5 squats

 

Station 2 – plant the tree: students put on a pair of work gloves and perform 5 jumping jacks

Station 3 – move mulch: students put a small trash can on a scooter and push it to the next
station; if the trash can falls off, they must go back and try again

Station 4 – water the tree: students pick up a jumping rope (represents water hose) and must jump rope to the finish line

Watch it Grow!

Plant flowers, a tree, or a garden. There are plenty of jobs to keep everyone active: digging holes, planting the tree/flowers, moving mulch, carrying water pails. Encourage parents and local community members to join in on the fun. Students will have fun watching their plants/trees change through the seasons.

Gardening Obstacle Course

You need a large outside play area. For older kids, have two teams race against each other.

Obstacle 1 – carry 3 (numbers can be adjusted to age of students) bags of dirt to 3 marked planting sites

 

Obstacle 2 – load 3 (numbers can be adjusted to age of students) bags of mulch into a wheel barrow

 

Obstacle 3 – push loaded wheel barrow through curvy path (for added challenge, include a hill)

Obstacle 4 – unload the bags of mulch

Obstacle 5 – load wagon with produce

Obstacle 6 – push wagon to produce stand

Obstacle 7 – unload produce

Obstacle 8 – climb the fence (stack of hay bales) – finish line

Build a Nest

Students are robins building their nests. Divide the students into two relay teams. Each team stands single file behind the starting line. Place 2 buckets of wet mud (1 for each team) and the end of the course. Place 2 small containers (1 for each team) at the starting line. Give each student a plastic spoon.

The first student “flies” to the bucket of mud, scoops up a spoonful of mud, flies back to the starting line, and empties their spoon of mud into the container (nest). Continue until all students have helped build the nest.

Dig a Hole

Divide students into teams. Place a bucket of soil and 10 plastic cups in front of each line. Place an empty bucket at the end of the line. The first student in each line fills a cup with soil and passes it to the student behind them. Students continue passing the cup until it reaches the last student. The last student empties the cup into the bucket. Continue until all the dirt has been transferred.

Classroom Phenology Notebook

“Many of the events of the annual cycle recur year after year in a regular order. A year-to-year record of this order is a record of the rates at which solar energy flows to and through living things. They are the arteries of the land. By tracing their response to the sun, phenology may eventually shed some light on that ultimate enigma, the land’s inner workings.” –Aldo Leopold, A Phenological Record for Sauk and Dane Counties, Wisconsin, 1935-1945

Phenology is the study of the timing of life cycle events and their relationship to the environment (e.g., leaves changing color in the fall, birds migrating in the spring and fall, butterflies emerging from their

Chrysalis). It tells scientists when events such as bird migration are happening on their usual schedule—and when an event might be out of time or place, especially in relation to the climate and change of seasons.

Phenologists observe and take notes on these events to try to discover nature’s patterns and rhythms. One famous phenologist, Aldo Leopold, kept records of wild animal and plant life on his Wisconsin farm from 1935-1948. His daughter, Nina Leopold Bradley, continued to carry on her father’s work, compiling a robust database spanning from 1976 until her death in 2011. She found that a substantial number of phenological events occurred much earlier in her data than they did in her father's.

Create a classroom phenology notebook to track the natural patterns of plants and animals at your school. Fill a three-ring binder with notebook paper and add dividers for each month. Record seasonal changes your students observe while outside throughout the year – sunrise/sunset times, hours of sunlight, temperature, changes in tree leaves and plants, animals you see and what they are doing.

Helpful Websites

Nature’s Notebook
Classroom Phenology: Using the Environment as a Source of Data and Observations

The Phenology Handbook

Phenology: Observing the Seasonal Timing of Life Cycle Events
Phenology Garden Teacher’s Manual: An introduction to teaching, observing and recording phenology

Teaching Environmental Sustainability - Model My Watershed

The Concord Consortium, the Stroud Water Research Center, and Heartland AEA are pleased to announce the Teaching Environmental Sustainability-Model My Watershed (TES-MMW) workshop, a project funded by the National Science Foundation. Participants and their students will use free portal-based activities that employ maps and models to study their own school’s watershed; teachers will participate in two summer face-to-face workshops and two online courses. TES-MMW activities support NGSS and Math Common Core. Teachers will receive a stipend for participating. 

This program is for Iowa middle and high school science teachers whose curriculum includes watershed studies, and who are willing and available to participate in all TES-MMW workshop and online activities that include:

• 3 day workshop in Johnston, IA, July 28-30, 2015 (travel and housing reimbursed by grant).
•  2015-16 academic year: 2 online courses for teachers; 6 class periods of activities with your students.
•  2 day workshop in Lawrence, KS, last week of July 2016 (dates TBD; travel and housing reimbursed).
• Completion of all research activities required for NSF funding (see consent form, pp. 2-3)

Applications are due May 1, 2015. For more information contact Rob Kleinow at rkleinow@heartlandaea.org.

Project WILD Field Test

The Council for Environmental Education (CEE), the national office for Project WILD, invites K-12 educators (formal and nonformal) to help field test activities being considered for publication in future editions of the Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide.
Please complete the application survey (by April 3) if you would like to try out one or more activities with your students and then provide CEE with feedback - $40 stipends are available for participating. CEE will notify those selected to participate on April 10, 2015.

Activities typically require two 45 minute class sessions or the equivalent instructional time, and may also involve investigating outdoor areas, such as a school yard or park. Although you are welcome and encouraged to field test more than one activity, and to conduct a single activity with more than one class, only one $40 stipend will be provided to each participating educator. Results will be due to CEE via the Field Test Results Survey no later than Friday, June 5, 2015. Stipends will be mailed beginning on Friday, June 12, 2015.

Get wild with National Wildlife Week March 9-15

Celebrate this wild week with us by learning about Iowa’s wildlife! This week we will share cool Iowa wildlife facts,classroom activities, and MORE! Get out, get wild and have fun!

Cool Things to Know About Hawks

Identifying Iowa's Raptors fact sheet

Of Iowa’s regularly nesting daytime raptors, five of these are considered to be hawks: the red-tailed hawk, northern harrier (marsh hawk), red-shouldered hawk, Cooper’s hawk and broad-winged hawk. There’s also the rough-legged hawk, the most common non-nesting hawk species in Iowa, which you can find hunting for small rodents in Iowa grasslands over the winter. There’s also the sharp-shinned and Swaison’s hawk, which can be found in Iowa, but are not regular nesters here.

Not all hawks are created equal.
The red-tailed is the most common hawk in Iowa – in fact, a few years ago two Iowa biologists identified 23 active red-tailed nests in trees along Interstate 35 from Ames to the Missouri border. However, the northern harrier, which nests on the ground in large grasslands, is on Iowa’s endangered species list. The red-shouldered hawk is threatened in Iowa, nesting primarily in bottomland forests. All hawks, not just threatened and endangered species, are protected in Iowa.

Hawks on the rise.
Once on the threatened list in Iowa, the Cooper’s hawk is now a common nesting species and a frequent visitor to urban backyards. Cooper’s hawks are fond of birdfeeders in those yards – but not for the birdseed, making for an easy meal as songbirds line up for the seed buffet. The similarities between Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks can sometimes make identification difficult.

They all have different tastes.
Habitat needs vary for all of Iowa’s hawk species, from the northern harrier in grasslands and Swainson’s hawk in the savannas of northern and western Iowa. Even the forest dwellers have their own turf; red-shouldered hawks prefer bottomland forests, sharp-shinned hawks take to pine forests and broad-winged hawks look for trees in large forests.

They’re not the downfall of the pheasant.
While hawks and other predators may take small game, as they always have, harsh winters, wet springs and lack of habitat continue to have the largest impacts on Iowa's pheasants. Predator populations as reported by Iowa bowhunters have remained stable since 2007, but the combination of bad weather and fewer habitats likely makes what predators are around more efficient. Hawks will also eat smaller birds, snakes, reptiles, mice, fish and sometimes insects.

The better to see you with.
While hawks have remarkable hearing, their eyesight is incredible. They can see great distances and have the ability to see things 8 times clearer than humans, and all in color. And since hawks can see ultraviolet colors, they can actually see more colors than humans.

Keeping it all in the family.
While larger hawks, like the red-tailed, lay one or two eggs each year , most smaller Iowa species lay three to five, which incubate for about six weeks. It’s usually the same mom and dad year after year, but while hawks generally mate for life, that doesn’t mean that they all stay together all the time. Some hawk couples part ways after the kids are out of the nest and meet back up in the same nesting territory the next year. If one mate dies, the other usually finds a new partner soon after.

 

 

 

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The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the United States Government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science teaching. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.

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