This study describes how students' intuitions about sampling are informed by extended experiences in investigating local ecosystems. Elementary students in a rural/suburban district in the upper midwest spent a year conducting first-hand comparative field studies of nearby ponds, prairies, and forests. At the close of the term, we conducted…

Following evolutionary theory and an agriculture model, ecosystem research has stressed bottom-up dynamics, implying that top wild predators are epiphenomenal effects of more basic causes. As such, they are assumed expendable. A more modern co-evolutionary and wilderness approach--trophic cascades--instead suggests that top predators, whose…

With crosscutting concepts such as stability and change in the "Next Generation Science Standards," this article was written for those who have wondered how to teach these concepts in a way that is relevant to students. In this investigation, students ask the question, "Why is the pond dirty?" As students investigate the health…

The Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology Program provides teachers and students with the opportunity and materials to participate in regionally focused ecological studies under the guidance of a mentor scientist working on a similar study. The Harvard Forest is part of a national network of ecological research sites known as the Long Term Ecological…

Short articles describing a model of protein synthesis, a simple constant temperature incubator, techniques for determining the age structure of populations from qualitative characters, an experimental demonstration of proteolytic enzyme action, and apparatus for demonstrating hydrotrophic response of roots and for measuring photosynthetic rate of…

Describes a bird-study and banding activity designed for students in urban and suburban areas. (PEB)

Provided are suggestions for student investigations of life in swift stream communities, in slow stream areas and near a spring. (PEB)

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of selecting coastal sand dunes as the location for field ecology studies. Presents a descriptive zonal model for seaboard sand dune plant communities, suggestions concerning possible observations and activities relevant to interpreting phenomena associated with these forms of vegetation, and additional…

Described are some uses of a 35mm single lens reflex camera as a tool for the applied study of ecology. Photography is discussed in relation to field trips, ecosystems, general ecological concepts, pollution, and special projects. (PEB)

Provides many useful suggestions and cautions for planning and executing a biology field excursion. Specific procedures are outlined for investigating land communities and coastal areas, and a number of follow-up laboratory activities are described. The appendix provides an extensive bibliography with useful comments on the literature. (JR)

Describes an activity for biology students designed to involve them in working with the National Park Service in the determination of the effects of fire on black oak reproduction and subsequent survival. (PEB)

Outlines simple statistical procedures that may be effectively used in several ecology exercises suitable for secondary school science classes. (JR)