Wildlife Tag
Outdoor Classroom Field Investigation Activities
Outdoor Classroom Field Investigations provide:
Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th - 12th Grade (to come)
Kindergarten Activities
Living or Non-Living Things
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students compare the differences between living and non-living things in a song and through observations in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #3: Distinguish between living and nonliving things and verify what living things need to survive (food, water, sunlight, shelter, and air).
Basic Needs of Living Things
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students compare the needs of an animal and a plant found in the outdoor classroom to what they need to survive. AL Science Standard #3: Distinguish between living and nonliving things and verify what living things need to survive (food, water, sunlight, shelter, and air).
Wildlife Habitat Checklist
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to determine if it contains the habitat (food, water, shelter & a place to raise young) needed for local backyard wildlife. AL Science Standard #5. Construct a model of a natural habitat conducive to meeting the needs of plants and animals native to Alabama.
Seasonal Weather Observations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF)
Students record their seasonal weather observations in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #9: Observe, record, and share findings of local weather patterns over a period of time (e.g., temperature changes throughout day, rain patterns from season to season).
Animal Features
Activity Page: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF)
Students look for an animal in the outdoor classroom, and compare its features to their own features.
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students'.
First Grade Activities
Animal Features & Adaptations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will explore the outdoor classroom as they look for an animal, and then they record their observations about it and analyze which of its characteristics (adaptations) help it survive. AL Science Standard #5: Design a solution to a human problem by using materials to imitate how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs (e.g., outerwear imitating animal furs for insulation, gear mimicking tree bark or shells for protection).
Comparing Adult to Offspring
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will explore the outdoor classroom as they look for animal offspring and adults of the same species, which they will compare and contrast as they record their observations. AL Science Standard #7: Make observations to identify the similarities and differences of offspring to their parents and to other members of the same species.
Find, Look & Think
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students compare adaptations of an insect, worm or snail, and discuss how humans have incorporated these adaptations in our designs. AL Science Standard # 5: Design a solution to a human problem by using materials to imitate how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
Comparing Critters
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students look for two different types of animals (such as a bird & insect, insect & mammal, OR bird & mammal) in the outdoor classroom, and then classify and compare their features.
Seasonal Weather Observations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF)
Students record their seasonal weather observations in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #9: Observe seasonal patterns of sunrise and sunset to describe the relationship between the number of hours of daylight and the time of year (e.g., more hours of daylight during summer as compared to winter).
Observing a Leaf
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students observe leaves they find in the outdoor classroom, and document their findings including the size, shape, color and condition of the leaves.
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students'.
Second Grade Activities
How Pollinators Pollinate
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students look for a pollinator in the outdoor classroom, record their observations about the pollinator, and then draw a model of the pollination process. AL Science Standard #6: Design and construct models to simulate how animals disperse seeds or pollinate plants (e.g., animals brushing fur against seed pods and seeds falling off in other areas, birds and bees extracting nectar from flowers and transferring pollen from one plant to another).
Critter Characteristics & Habitats
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students look for a bird, insect, amphibian, reptile or mammal in the outdoor classroom, record its features, and then describe its habitat. AL Science Standard #7: Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).
Plant Growth Investigation
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students will grow bean plants from seeds, and record their observations as the plants grow over a two week period. Each group of plants will test a different variable (water, soil or sunlight), and the students will compare their results at the end of the investigation. AL Science Standard #5: Plan and carry out an investigation, using one variable at a time (e.g., water, light, soil, air), to determine the growth needs of plants.
Evidence of Wildlife
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to look for evidence of wildlife such as bird feathers, spider webs and animal tracks. Then they log their data into a bar chart to determine which type of wildlife uses the outdoor classroom the most. AL Science Standard #7: Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).
Evidence of the Water Cycle
Activity Pages: (Word Doc / PDF - students write answers) (Word Doc / PDF - students draw answers)
Students explore the outdoor classroom for evidence of the water cycle as they record their weather observations. AL Science Standard #10: Collect and evaluate data to identify water found on Earth and determine whether it is a solid or a liquid (e.g., glaciers as solid forms of water; oceans, lakes, rivers, streams as liquid forms of water).
Parts of a Plant
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students find two different flowers in the outdoor classroom to study and compare as they draw pictures of the plants and identify the plants’ flowers, leaves and stems.
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students'.
Third Grade Activities
Comparing Life Cycles
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will compare their life cycle (the life cycle of a human) with the life cycle of an animal that they find in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #6: Create representations to explain the unique and diverse life cycles of organisms other than humans (e.g., flowering plants, frogs, butterflies), including commonalities such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
Wildlife Habitat Checklist
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will research the habitat needs of a specific wildlife species that they would like to see in the outdoor classroom, and then they will evaluate whether or not the outdoor classroom can provide habitat for that particular wildlife species. AL Science Standard # 11: Construct an argument from evidence to explain the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive when compared to the resources in a certain habitat.
Weather Data Log
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students record the weather forecast, and then log in real-time weather data from the Weather Station into a Weather Data Chart, examining temperature changes throughout the day using a line graph. AL Science Standard #13: Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students' and then write a poem about their observations.
Fourth Grade Activities
Parts of a Plant
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find a plant with a flower, and then they draw it, label its parts, and answer questions about how its internal and external structures help the plant survive, grow, and reproduce. AL Science Standard #9: Examine evidence to support an argument that the internal and external structures of plants (e.g., thorns, leaves, stems, roots, colored petals, xylem, phloem) function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Birds & Their Adaptations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students learn first-hand how animals have adaptations to help them survive by observing and identifying a songbird in their outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #9: Examine evidence to support an argument that the internal and external structures of animals (e.g., heart, stomach, lung, brain, skin) function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
What's the Scoop on Soil?
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students learn about the soils in your outdoor clasroom as they investigate the properties of four different soil samples and examine the soils' texture, color, capacity to retain water, and ability to support plant growth. AL Science Standard #13: Plan and carry out investigations to examine properties of soils and soil types (e.g. color, texture, capacity to retain water, ability to support growth of plants).
Measuring a Raised Bed Garden
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF) (to come)
Students calculate the amount of wood, nails, landscape fabric and soil needed to construct a new raised bed garden the exact same size and shape as one already in the outdoor classroom.
Weather Data Log
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students record the weather forecast, and then log in real-time weather data from the Weather Station into a Weather Data Chart, examining temperature changes throughout the day using a line graph. AL Science Standard #13: Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).
Evidence of Wildlife
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to look for evidence of wildlife such as bird feathers, spider webs and animal tracks. Then they log their data into a bar chart to determine which type of wildlife uses the outdoor classroom the most. AL Science Standard #7: Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students' and then write a poem about their observations.
Fifth Grade Activities
Find a Food Chain
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students explore the outdoor classroom, recording plant/animal evidence of a food chain, and tracing the flow of energy through the food chain from the producer to the consumers. AL Science Standards #10 & #11: Construct and interpret models (e.g., diagrams, flow charts) to explain that energy in animals' food is used for body repair, growth, motion, and maintenance of body warmth and was once energy from the sun. & #11: Create a model to illustrate the transfer of matter among producers; consumers, including scavengers and decomposers; and the environment.
Create a Food Web
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Online Interactive Lesson Plan
Students explore the outdoor classroom, recording plant/animal evidence of an “aquatic” food chain and “terrestrial” food chain that overlap in a food web. AL Science Standards #10 & #11: Construct and interpret models (e.g., diagrams, flow charts) to explain that energy in animals' food is used for body repair, growth, motion, and maintenance of body warmth and was once energy from the sun. & #11: Create a model to illustrate the transfer of matter among producers; consumers, including scavengers and decomposers; and the environment.
Identifying Spheres of Earth
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students look for examples of the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere in the outdoor classroom area; and then they draw and describe at least one example for each. AL Science Standard #14: Use a model to represent how any two systems, specifically the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and/or hydrosphere, interact and support life.
Wildlife Habitat Evaluation for a Declining Wildlife Population
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use field guides and the internet to research a wildlife species that is native to Alabama that is experiencing a slight to moderate population decline, and then they evaluate the species’ habitat needs.
Weather Data Log
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students record the weather forecast, and then log in real-time weather data from the Weather Station into a Weather Data Chart, examining temperature changes throughout the day using a line graph. AL Science Standard #13: Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students' and then write a poem about their observations.
6th Grade Activities
Evidence of the Carbon Cycle
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find evidence of the carbon cycle in the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. AL Science Standard #7. Use models to construct explanations of the various biogeochemical cycles of Earth (e.g., water, carbon, nitrogen) and the flow of energy that drives these processes.
Evidence of the Nitrogen Cycle
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find evidence of the nitrogen cycle and its processes such as fixation, assimilation, and ammonification. AL Science Standard #7. Use models to construct explanations of the various biogeochemical cycles of Earth (e.g., water, carbon, nitrogen) and the flow of energy that drives these processes.
Evidence of the Water Cycle
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find evidence of the water cycle and water's presence in plants and animals. AL Science Standard #7. Use models to construct explanations of the various biogeochemical cycles of Earth (e.g., water, carbon, nitrogen) and the flow of energy that drives these processes.
Using Your Senses
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
7th Grade Activities
Ecosystem Resources and Wildlife Populations
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to assess the habitat resources required for present species and their populations. AL Science Standard #6. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence regarding how resource availability impacts individual organisms as well as populations of organisms within an ecosystem.
Plants, Plants, and More Plants
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to observe and document what animal behaviors and specialized plant structures lead to new plants growing. AL Science Standard #10. Use evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of both animals and plants.
Animal Adaptations and Behavior
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to observe and describe how an animal's physical adaptations and behaviors impact its chances of successful reproduction. AL Science Standard #10. Use evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of both animals and plants.
Using Your Senses
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations. .
- Fun, hands-on learning opportunities as students explore their outdoor classroom & schoolyard habitat
- Activity pages for students to record their observations & data (PDFs & editable Word Docs with wide left margin to create Nature Journals)
- Online Interactive Lesson Plans (two per grade level) with Q&A powerpoints, background info, books, & educational videos for each activity that help teach Alabama Department of Education Course of Study Standards for science, math and language arts!
Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th - 12th Grade (to come)
Kindergarten Activities
Living or Non-Living Things
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students compare the differences between living and non-living things in a song and through observations in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #3: Distinguish between living and nonliving things and verify what living things need to survive (food, water, sunlight, shelter, and air).
Basic Needs of Living Things
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students compare the needs of an animal and a plant found in the outdoor classroom to what they need to survive. AL Science Standard #3: Distinguish between living and nonliving things and verify what living things need to survive (food, water, sunlight, shelter, and air).
Wildlife Habitat Checklist
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to determine if it contains the habitat (food, water, shelter & a place to raise young) needed for local backyard wildlife. AL Science Standard #5. Construct a model of a natural habitat conducive to meeting the needs of plants and animals native to Alabama.
Seasonal Weather Observations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF)
Students record their seasonal weather observations in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #9: Observe, record, and share findings of local weather patterns over a period of time (e.g., temperature changes throughout day, rain patterns from season to season).
Animal Features
Activity Page: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF)
Students look for an animal in the outdoor classroom, and compare its features to their own features.
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students'.
First Grade Activities
Animal Features & Adaptations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will explore the outdoor classroom as they look for an animal, and then they record their observations about it and analyze which of its characteristics (adaptations) help it survive. AL Science Standard #5: Design a solution to a human problem by using materials to imitate how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs (e.g., outerwear imitating animal furs for insulation, gear mimicking tree bark or shells for protection).
Comparing Adult to Offspring
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will explore the outdoor classroom as they look for animal offspring and adults of the same species, which they will compare and contrast as they record their observations. AL Science Standard #7: Make observations to identify the similarities and differences of offspring to their parents and to other members of the same species.
Find, Look & Think
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students compare adaptations of an insect, worm or snail, and discuss how humans have incorporated these adaptations in our designs. AL Science Standard # 5: Design a solution to a human problem by using materials to imitate how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
Comparing Critters
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students look for two different types of animals (such as a bird & insect, insect & mammal, OR bird & mammal) in the outdoor classroom, and then classify and compare their features.
Seasonal Weather Observations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF)
Students record their seasonal weather observations in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #9: Observe seasonal patterns of sunrise and sunset to describe the relationship between the number of hours of daylight and the time of year (e.g., more hours of daylight during summer as compared to winter).
Observing a Leaf
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students observe leaves they find in the outdoor classroom, and document their findings including the size, shape, color and condition of the leaves.
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students'.
Second Grade Activities
How Pollinators Pollinate
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students look for a pollinator in the outdoor classroom, record their observations about the pollinator, and then draw a model of the pollination process. AL Science Standard #6: Design and construct models to simulate how animals disperse seeds or pollinate plants (e.g., animals brushing fur against seed pods and seeds falling off in other areas, birds and bees extracting nectar from flowers and transferring pollen from one plant to another).
Critter Characteristics & Habitats
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students look for a bird, insect, amphibian, reptile or mammal in the outdoor classroom, record its features, and then describe its habitat. AL Science Standard #7: Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).
Plant Growth Investigation
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students will grow bean plants from seeds, and record their observations as the plants grow over a two week period. Each group of plants will test a different variable (water, soil or sunlight), and the students will compare their results at the end of the investigation. AL Science Standard #5: Plan and carry out an investigation, using one variable at a time (e.g., water, light, soil, air), to determine the growth needs of plants.
Evidence of Wildlife
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to look for evidence of wildlife such as bird feathers, spider webs and animal tracks. Then they log their data into a bar chart to determine which type of wildlife uses the outdoor classroom the most. AL Science Standard #7: Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).
Evidence of the Water Cycle
Activity Pages: (Word Doc / PDF - students write answers) (Word Doc / PDF - students draw answers)
Students explore the outdoor classroom for evidence of the water cycle as they record their weather observations. AL Science Standard #10: Collect and evaluate data to identify water found on Earth and determine whether it is a solid or a liquid (e.g., glaciers as solid forms of water; oceans, lakes, rivers, streams as liquid forms of water).
Parts of a Plant
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students find two different flowers in the outdoor classroom to study and compare as they draw pictures of the plants and identify the plants’ flowers, leaves and stems.
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students'.
Third Grade Activities
Comparing Life Cycles
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will compare their life cycle (the life cycle of a human) with the life cycle of an animal that they find in the outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #6: Create representations to explain the unique and diverse life cycles of organisms other than humans (e.g., flowering plants, frogs, butterflies), including commonalities such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
Wildlife Habitat Checklist
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students will research the habitat needs of a specific wildlife species that they would like to see in the outdoor classroom, and then they will evaluate whether or not the outdoor classroom can provide habitat for that particular wildlife species. AL Science Standard # 11: Construct an argument from evidence to explain the likelihood of an organism's ability to survive when compared to the resources in a certain habitat.
Weather Data Log
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students record the weather forecast, and then log in real-time weather data from the Weather Station into a Weather Data Chart, examining temperature changes throughout the day using a line graph. AL Science Standard #13: Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students' and then write a poem about their observations.
Fourth Grade Activities
Parts of a Plant
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find a plant with a flower, and then they draw it, label its parts, and answer questions about how its internal and external structures help the plant survive, grow, and reproduce. AL Science Standard #9: Examine evidence to support an argument that the internal and external structures of plants (e.g., thorns, leaves, stems, roots, colored petals, xylem, phloem) function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Birds & Their Adaptations
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students learn first-hand how animals have adaptations to help them survive by observing and identifying a songbird in their outdoor classroom. AL Science Standard #9: Examine evidence to support an argument that the internal and external structures of animals (e.g., heart, stomach, lung, brain, skin) function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
What's the Scoop on Soil?
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students learn about the soils in your outdoor clasroom as they investigate the properties of four different soil samples and examine the soils' texture, color, capacity to retain water, and ability to support plant growth. AL Science Standard #13: Plan and carry out investigations to examine properties of soils and soil types (e.g. color, texture, capacity to retain water, ability to support growth of plants).
Measuring a Raised Bed Garden
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF) (to come)
Students calculate the amount of wood, nails, landscape fabric and soil needed to construct a new raised bed garden the exact same size and shape as one already in the outdoor classroom.
Weather Data Log
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students record the weather forecast, and then log in real-time weather data from the Weather Station into a Weather Data Chart, examining temperature changes throughout the day using a line graph. AL Science Standard #13: Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).
Evidence of Wildlife
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to look for evidence of wildlife such as bird feathers, spider webs and animal tracks. Then they log their data into a bar chart to determine which type of wildlife uses the outdoor classroom the most. AL Science Standard #7: Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students' and then write a poem about their observations.
Fifth Grade Activities
Find a Food Chain
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Interactive Lesson Plan
Students explore the outdoor classroom, recording plant/animal evidence of a food chain, and tracing the flow of energy through the food chain from the producer to the consumers. AL Science Standards #10 & #11: Construct and interpret models (e.g., diagrams, flow charts) to explain that energy in animals' food is used for body repair, growth, motion, and maintenance of body warmth and was once energy from the sun. & #11: Create a model to illustrate the transfer of matter among producers; consumers, including scavengers and decomposers; and the environment.
Create a Food Web
Activity Pages: (Version #1: Word Doc / PDF) (Version #2: Word Doc / PDF) | Click HERE: Online Interactive Lesson Plan
Students explore the outdoor classroom, recording plant/animal evidence of an “aquatic” food chain and “terrestrial” food chain that overlap in a food web. AL Science Standards #10 & #11: Construct and interpret models (e.g., diagrams, flow charts) to explain that energy in animals' food is used for body repair, growth, motion, and maintenance of body warmth and was once energy from the sun. & #11: Create a model to illustrate the transfer of matter among producers; consumers, including scavengers and decomposers; and the environment.
Identifying Spheres of Earth
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students look for examples of the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere in the outdoor classroom area; and then they draw and describe at least one example for each. AL Science Standard #14: Use a model to represent how any two systems, specifically the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and/or hydrosphere, interact and support life.
Wildlife Habitat Evaluation for a Declining Wildlife Population
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use field guides and the internet to research a wildlife species that is native to Alabama that is experiencing a slight to moderate population decline, and then they evaluate the species’ habitat needs.
Weather Data Log
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students record the weather forecast, and then log in real-time weather data from the Weather Station into a Weather Data Chart, examining temperature changes throughout the day using a line graph. AL Science Standard #13: Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).
Using Your Senses
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
My Observation Station
Activity Page: (Word Doc / PDF)
Students use observation skills to look, listen, feel, and smell for items from their own observation station that is distanced at least 6' from others students' and then write a poem about their observations.
6th Grade Activities
Evidence of the Carbon Cycle
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find evidence of the carbon cycle in the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. AL Science Standard #7. Use models to construct explanations of the various biogeochemical cycles of Earth (e.g., water, carbon, nitrogen) and the flow of energy that drives these processes.
Evidence of the Nitrogen Cycle
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find evidence of the nitrogen cycle and its processes such as fixation, assimilation, and ammonification. AL Science Standard #7. Use models to construct explanations of the various biogeochemical cycles of Earth (e.g., water, carbon, nitrogen) and the flow of energy that drives these processes.
Evidence of the Water Cycle
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to find evidence of the water cycle and water's presence in plants and animals. AL Science Standard #7. Use models to construct explanations of the various biogeochemical cycles of Earth (e.g., water, carbon, nitrogen) and the flow of energy that drives these processes.
Using Your Senses
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations.
7th Grade Activities
Ecosystem Resources and Wildlife Populations
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to assess the habitat resources required for present species and their populations. AL Science Standard #6. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence regarding how resource availability impacts individual organisms as well as populations of organisms within an ecosystem.
Plants, Plants, and More Plants
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to observe and document what animal behaviors and specialized plant structures lead to new plants growing. AL Science Standard #10. Use evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of both animals and plants.
Animal Adaptations and Behavior
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom to observe and describe how an animal's physical adaptations and behaviors impact its chances of successful reproduction. AL Science Standard #10. Use evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of both animals and plants.
Using Your Senses
Field Investigation Worksheets (Word Doc / PDF)
Students explore the outdoor classroom using their five senses, and record their observations. .