More About This Resource...

• With these activities young children can explore the wonders of nature with the help of an adult. The challenge here is to compare examples within categories of field evidence, and then to observe nature with printable field journal pages.

  • There are 11 comparison activities: Seashells, Birds, Insects, Butterflies, Rocks, Leaves, Animal Tracks, Reptiles, Flowers, Fish, and Spiders.
  • On the first page of each comparison activity, there are photos of three different objects; students are asked to describe the differences between them. There is a fun fact for each photo.
  • The field journal, which is a printable page, has places to record a name, the date, weather conditions, and written and illustrated observations.
  • The last page includes instructions designed to focus the exploration, along with questions to think about.

• Completion Time

  Approximately 1 period

• Teacher Tip

  National Science Education Standards
  Grades K-4:
  Science as Inquiry CONTENT STANDARD A: 

  • abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

  Physical Science CONTENT STANDARD B: 

  • properties of objects and materials• position and motion of objects

  Life Science CONTENT STANDARD C: 

  • the characteristics of organisms

  Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD D: 

  • properties of earth materials

  History and Nature of Science CONTENT STANDARD G: 

  • science as a human endeavor

• Topic

  Biology

• Subtopic

  Tools and Methods