Introduction to Doing Science Outdoors

Field Investigations at the Glacier Creek Preserve

Doing science outdoors gives students a feel for the environment that cannot be duplicated in any indoor classroom.

Glacier Creek Preserve is a large, local Tallgrass Prairie preserve with enough space and diversity to provide a variety of outdoor science activities to teach K-12 students about our natural history. The preserve provides indoor facilities including classroom space, a field lab, and restrooms which support field learning activities.

Glacier Creek Preserve Curriculum

These curriculum activities focus on engaging students in STEM disciplines (science, technology, mathematics, and engineering), while using technology as a tool for conducting science and mathematics investigations at the Preserve with connections to engineering.

Through observations and collecting data at the Preserve, students learn about the plants and animals that make up the Tallgrass Prairie and important factors essential to Tallgrass Prairie health such as prairie fire, large-animal grazers, and climate.

Lesson modules address these topics related to the prairie ecosystems:

• Prairie ecology
• Prairie soils
• Prairie creek water quality

Lessons topics and activities are geared to four learning levels:

• Level 1: Lower Elementary (K-2)
• Level 2: Upper Elementary (3-5)
• Level 3: Middle School (6-8)
• Level 4: High School (9-12)

The Glacier Creek Preserve curriculum is a dynamic project and new modules will continually be added as they are made available. The Glacier Creek Preserve curriculum modules engage students in authentic scientific inquiry-based activities while teaching Nebraska State Standards and the National Next Generation Science Standards.

Lesson Modules

Introduction and Standards

Part I - Prairie Ecology

Level 1 Lower Elementary (K-2)
Observation while on a walk though the prairie

Level 2 Upper Elementary (3-5)
Collect and identify insects

Level 3 Middle School (6-8)
Research, collect, and study grasshoppers

Level 4 High School (9-12)
Observe life forms and the effects of prairie fire

Part II - Soil of the Prairie

Level 1 Lower Elementary (K-2)
Investigate the prairie soil for macro-invertebrates

Level 2 Upper Elementary (3-5)
Examine the prairie soil for organisms

Level 3 Middle School (6-8)
Introduction to Soil and How to Investigate Soil

Part III - Water Quality of Glacier Creek

Level 3 Middle School (6-8)
Test for a biological parameter of a creek

Level 4 High School (9-12)
Test for the biological, chemical, and physical parameters of a creek