For Grades 3-5
By Debbie Livingston
Welcome Bluff Lake
Explorers!� You will be arriving at
Bluff Lake next week to explore the plants and animals living in the different
habitats at the urban wildlife refuge.�
Between now and then, there is much work to be done.� As Bluff Lake Explorers, you will need to equip yourselves with
the proper tools and information to be successful at tracking and recording
wildlife.� You will learn how to create
a Nature Journal, which is the tool of choice among Bluff Lake Explorers.� Also, the Bluff Lake wildlife is very sneaky!� The animals are well adapted to life in the
city and can remain very well camouflaged to the casual observer to ensure
their own survival.� Therefore, Bluff
Lake Explorers must learn to look deeper for the clues that wildlife leaves
behind.� To become a �Sherlock Holmes of
Bluff Lake,� you must learn as much as you can about the animals and their
habitats.�
Naturalists will
meet your Explorers Teams at Bluff Lake on the day of your field trip.� However, you need to be warned that on some
days the Bluff Lake Naturalists find so many exciting clues and signs of wildlife
in the habitats there, that they become speechless.� The condition is only temporary and it is known as �Bluff Lake
got your tongue?�� In case this
condition should strike the Naturalists on the day of your visit, as Bluff Lake
Explorers you must be prepared to teach fellow students about the different
animals and habitats at Bluff Lake.�
This will not be a problem for you, because there are many wonderful
resources available over the Internet to teach you about the local wildlife
that you may encounter at Bluff Lake.
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1.
As a Bluff Lake
Explorer, you must begin to prepare for your adventure by learning more about
Bluff Lake Nature Center.�
So,
read the Bluff Lake Information
and then view the Bluff Lake Photos.
Note:� After
you view a website link, mouse click on the Back Arrow at the top left of
the page.� This will return you to
your place in this Webquest.
2.
After you have
finished reading about Bluff Lake, your teacher will assign you to an Explorers
Team to get ready for your trip to Bluff Lake.�
Your team will then work in pairs to conduct research on the wildlife
and habitats at Bluff Lake.
3.
Before
beginning your research, each person will need to prepare a Nature Journal.� To do so,
go to the front of the classroom to collect your materials: 1 piece of colored
cardstock and 4 white sheets.� Fold all
sheets in half to form a booklet (see sample) then staple edges.�
*When
you return to your seat, write your name in the lower right of the front
cover.� Also, write the title of your
journal on the front cover: Bluff Lake Nature Journal.
4.
Read the Create a
Nature Journal instructions carefully and follow along as you read the
tasks below.
Go
to Create a Nature Journal and print form. Use this to
make sure that you include the necessary information in your nature journal.
5.
Now that you know how to record your research, click on the
following links for general information about each of the two habitats that you
will be visiting at Bluff Lake.
Prairie Habitat�������������������������� ������ Wetland Habitat
(Pond)
Note:� read only
the short paragraph and view the pond diagram. Note: read only the four sections with red headings.
6.
Now, you are ready
to begin your animal research.� Your
teacher will assign each pair the names of two animals that live at Bluff
Lake.� One will be found in a prairie
habitat and the other in a wetland habitat.���� �������������
7.
Click on the links
below to find out information about your specific prairie and wetland animals.
Prairie
Animals�������������������� Wetland
Animals
������ Rabbit���������������������������������� Beaver
Mouse���������������������������������� Frog
������ Ant������������������������������������� Mallard Duck
������ Grasshopper��������������������������� Great Blue Heron
������ Badger��������������������������������� Mosquito
Coyote��������������������������������� Water Strider
Prairie Dog����������������������������� Painted Turtle
Red Fox�������������������������������� Raccoon
Red-tailed Hawk������������������������ Crayfish
Bull Snake������������������������������ Dragonfly
Mule Deer������������������������������ Muskrat
������ Golden Eagle��������������������������� Bald Eagle
������ Western Meadowlark������������������� Tiger Salamander
������ Great Horned Owl���������������������� Little Brown Bat
8.
Using your nature
journal entries and your research, prepare your oral talk about your
animals.� This is a one-minute summary
of your animal and habitat research to be presented to your Bluff Lake
Naturalist and Explorers Team during your nature tour at Bluff Lake.� Be sure to look around at the Bluff Lake
habitats when you arrive and include in your talk where you would expect to
find your animals at Bluff Lake.� Be ready
to identify distinguishing features of each habitat such as dry soils or dense
vegetation.� Practice your oral talk in
your pairs.� Prepare your �stumper�
facts in question form and present them during your oral talk.
Note: make sure you find out
where in the habitat each animal finds its food, water, shelter, and space (the essential habitat components).
This is important information to help you lead the Bluff Lake tour.
9.��� By now you have prepared your Bluff Lake
Nature Journal and you know a lot about the habitats and wildlife at Bluff
Lake.� But how will you know the animals
are living at Bluff Lake if you cannot see them?�� To answer this question, please view a professional nature
journal entry.� You will read how a
scientist uses her nature journal and her research about animals to locate
visual clues of the animals in their habitats.�
Continue to work in pairs.�
Select 2 animal track links from the listing below.� Each partner should view one link.
Raccoon Tracks���� Beaver
Tracks������ Coyote Tracks
��� Rabbit Tracks��� �Fox Tracks
Note:� Bluff Lake Explorers will look for
animal clues along the trail such as animal tracks in mud or snow, animal
scat, or evidence of shelter.
10.�� Draw and label the track (footprint) of the animal on a remaining page in your
journal.� Read the �Natural History� of the animal.�
Record any information about �signs� this animal leaves behind in its
habitat that will let you know that your particular animal lives at Bluff Lake,
such as scat or other markings.� Draw
the �scat� (animal droppings) of the animal if available.
11.�� Share your drawings of tracks, scat, and
other signs with your partner and Explorers Team, if time, so that your team
will be ready to discover animal and habitat clues at Bluff Lake.
Bluff Lake Explorers, bring your Nature Journal to Bluff Lake with
you!� It is your tool to help you
find wildlife clues and learn about the animals in their habitats at Bluff
Lake.
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1.��� After
your Bluff Lake field trip, return to one of the nature journal links.
Raccoon
Tracks���� Beaver
Tracks������ Coyote Tracks ��� Rabbit Tracks��� �Fox Tracks
2.��� Read
the �Personal Notes� section at the
end of the journal entry.��
3.
Complete your
journal with your own �Personal Notes� section on the back page.� Record one to two paragraphs about your
Bluff Lake experience and your favorite animal or habitat sightings.�
This entry should include both facts and personal thoughts about your experience such as:
�
Did the prairie and
wetland habitats at Bluff Lake look as you expected from your research?
�
Did you see wildlife
or animal clues?� Were they where you
predicted you would find them in your oral talk?
�
Draw or write what
you saw.
�
Write about how you
felt as a Bluff Lake Explorer.
4.
Complete the Self-Evaluation Form: print Self-Evaluation Form, fill it in, and
turn it in to your teacher.� Include
your Nature Journal for your teacher to copy if necessary.� Go to Self Evaluation Form
�� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��
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Watch out Crocodile
Hunter, here comes the Bluff Lake Explorers!�
You have successfully completed the research necessary to understand
that different animals live in different habitats.� You have prepared an important tool to help you search for
wildlife at Bluff Lake and record your findings: a Nature Journal.� You have prepared an oral talk about a
prairie and a wetland animal to teach your Explorers team members where to
locate your animals at Bluff Lake.� You
have researched different animal signs to search for such as tracks, scat, and
various shelters.� You have applied your
research by experiencing first hand the animals and habitats at Bluff
Lake.� You have reflected on your Bluff
Lake experience through Personal Notes to complete your Nature Journals.� Finally, you have provided valuable feedback
to the Bluff Lake Nature Center Staff via the Self-Evaluation Form to help
improve the Bluff Lake experience for future Bluff Lake Explorers.� Happy Trails!� See you at Bluff Lake!
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/ Teacher Section
This Bluff Lake
Explorers Webquest was developed in part to show that technology could be used
to enhance informal science experiences.�
Also, the Webquest was developed to further prepare students for their
outdoor lesson at Bluff Lake.� The Bluff
Lake Explorers Webquest addresses our program standards (Science benchmarks
3.1.3 and 3.1.4) and Information Literacy Standards 1, 3, 7, & 9.� Students are assessed to the standards in
many ways throughout the entire Bluff Lake program.� In this lesson, however, the student Self-Evaluation is designed
to provide the Bluff Lake education staff with qualitative feedback about the
lesson so that we can determine if it is a valuable addition to our program.
Prepared
students are ready to learn!� At Bluff
Lake Nature Center, we wish to equip students with all the necessary tools for
learning in a unique outdoor learning environment.� The Bluff Lake Explorers Webquest is yet another important
tool.� If used properly, students will
develop a deeper understanding of the interrelationship between plants and
animals and the essential components of habitats in the classroom, and therefore
will feel more comfortable and be more open to learning during the field
experience at Bluff Lake.
For more information
about Bluff Lake Nature Center or to schedule a Bluff Lake Education Program,
go to www.blufflakenaturecenter.org or call (303) 393-7700 ext. 403.
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PRINT THIS FORM!������ ���������������������������� return
School:____________________________________________
Grade:______� Field Trip Date:_________________________
Self-Evaluation��������������������� Circle One: YES������������� NO
|
Did
you use your nature journal at Bluff Lake? |
|
|
Did
you present your oral talk about your animals and their habitats to your
Naturalist and Explorers Team? |
|
|
Did
you �stump� your Bluff Lake Nature Guide with any of the questions you
prepared about your two animals? |
|
|
Did
you discover any of your animals while exploring Bluff Lake? |
|
|
Did
you complete the �Personal Notes� section of your journal after your Bluff
Lake field trip? |
|
|
If
you think your �Personal Notes� are well written and interesting, please send
a copy to the Bluff Lake Nature Center Staff. |
|
|
Nature
Journaling can be done anywhere you wish to explore like your backyard, the
schoolyard, or a local park.� Will you
use this tool the next time you go exploring? |
|
|
Would
you like to go exploring at Bluff Lake again? |
|
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Your journal should contain the
following sections:
Section
I:���������� Prairie
Section
II:�������� Wetland
Section
IV:�������� Tracks and Other Animal Signs
Section
IV:�������� Personal Notes
�
Write 3 facts about
the prairie that will help you to recognize it by sight when you arrive at
Bluff Lake.
�
Answer the following
questions about your Prairie animal:
(1)
What does it look
like?
(2)
What does it eat?
(3)
What eats it?
(4)
Where does it find
shelter?
�
Write down 1 additional fact that is unique to that animal
or interesting to you.
�
Illustrate your
animal.
Repeat all the steps
listed under Section I for your
Wetland animal.
Rewrite your unique or fascinating facts for each animal as
questions. Use them during the field trip in your oral talk to try to �stump
your Bluff Lake Naturalist�.� A nature
prize will be given to all students that successfully outsmart their guide.�
Follow the links to
draw an animal�s tracks and record other important �clues� to help discover an
animal in its habitat.
Section IV: Personal Notes
Complete this section after your field trip to Bluff
Lake.� Please write in 1 or 2 paragraphs
your personal thoughts and experiences as a Bluff Lake Explorer.
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