Many LTER sites offer online resources for educators and families who would like to use LTER science in their lessons or at-home learning. The list below will get you started with the wealth of material available across the network. We are continuously compiling new resources and links so please check back regularly.
LTER Schoolyard Book Series
The LTER Schoolyard Book Series engages children and their families in learning about the Earth’s ecosystems, through narratives that feature plants, animals, and people from ecosystems such as kelp forests, desert, forests, and coral reefs. Many of the books, which draw on research being conducted at the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research Sites, are also available in online editions.
LTER Data Nuggets
Data Nuggets give students practice working with real world ecological data and interpreting quantitative information. Students are guided via a scaffolding model that follows the scientific process including identifying hypotheses and predictions, visualizing and interpreting data, making evidence based claims, and asking their own questions for future research. For older students and teachers developing new activities, LTER data is always available for free download at the Environmental Data Initiative.
LTER Education Digital Library
Lesson plans and student activities from across the LTER Network are compiled in the LTER Education Digital Library. Many can be adapted for home instruction and shared with parents suddenly faced with home schooling.
How much does a bison weigh? Science activities from Konza Prairie LTER
Bison roam over the tallgrass prairie at the Konza Prairie Biological Station. Every year at the end of October the bison at Konza Prairie are rounded up and weighed on a special scale to learn about their health. These simple activities guides students through the process of ‘weighing’ bison calves and adults and answering related questions. (Activities use prediction, hypothesis and math skills).
3 Worksheets total:
Credit: Jill Haukos
Hubbard Brook LTER Online Resources
Science learning resources for teachers, parents, and students include engaging videos, interactive multimedia, and behind-the-scenes stories of forest research at this beautiful LTER site. Learn about the ongoing ice storm experiment, bird survival, watch stream data in real time, and more. Teachers can also access lesson plans connected with the Hubbard Brook Schoolyard Book, Seeking the Wolf Tree.
Journey to El Yunque
Make a virtual visit to the wondrous rainforests of El Yunque, part of the Luquillo Puerto Rico LTER site. This site (with both English and Spanish versions) inroduces all the amazing wildlife of the rainforest, and teaching about the affect of hurricanes on this ecosystem.
Credit: Photo by Aaron Shiels
Kellogg Biological Station FlipGrid K-12 Partnership
To help our community of teachers, parents and children stay connected we are launching Nature Challenge! At least weekly, we’ll post an activity to do outside. Teachers can share the activities with parents and students and together we can continue to learn science and stay curious about the outside world. To get started, take us on a tour of your outdoor space! Make sure to share your name and what state/region you are from!
Harvard Forest Online Resources for Scholars & Educators
Harvard Forest has developed an ever-growing list of online resources for students, educators, and researchers – from interactive maps to videos to real-time web cams and data. Topics include the science of forests, land use, art, and more.
