Caves and Karst Natural Inquirer – Vol. 20 No. 1
The Caves and Karst edition of Natural Inquirer examines research on a variety of topics including white-nose syndrome in bats, karst forest areas, cave use of an indigenous tribe of Alaska, and the geologic difference between 2 different caves.
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Highlights
- 4 Articles
- 6 Activities
- 9 Scientists
- Lesson Plan
- Glossary
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Hibernating bat populations across the Eastern United States have suffered declines since the 2000s. Little brown bat populations have declined 70 percent or more. Populations of the northern long-eared bat...Cave Conundrum: Is White-Nose Syndrome Responsible for All Declining Bat Populations?
Hibernating bat populations across the Eastern United States have suffered declines since the 2000s. Little brown bat populations have declined 70 percent or more. Populations of the northern long-eared bat... -
The scientists in this study wanted to compare the chemistry of soils and leaves in Puerto Rico’s northern wet and southern dry karst forests. The scientists wondered whether southern dry...Tropic Topic: What Is Known About the Limestone Zone?
The scientists in this study wanted to compare the chemistry of soils and leaves in Puerto Rico’s northern wet and southern dry karst forests. The scientists wondered whether southern dry... -
Kit’n’Kaboodle Cave was rediscovered in 1992 by a team from the USDA Forest Service. This cave and others in this area contain remains that interest many different types of scientists....The Whole Kit and Kaboodle: Exploring the Relationship Between Land Otters, Tlingit People, and Kit’n’Kaboodle Cave
Kit’n’Kaboodle Cave was rediscovered in 1992 by a team from the USDA Forest Service. This cave and others in this area contain remains that interest many different types of scientists.... -
Caves are important natural features in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California. Past studies of some of these caves revealed information about the area’s mountains, the formation of...A Tale of Two Caves: How Is Hurricane Crawl Cave Different From Crystal Cave?
Caves are important natural features in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California. Past studies of some of these caves revealed information about the area’s mountains, the formation of...
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In this FACTivity, you will predict and observe how diseases spread in populations. Over one class period, you will simulate the spread of the “flu” in your class over 5...FACTivity – Cave Conundrum
In this FACTivity, you will predict and observe how diseases spread in populations. Over one class period, you will simulate the spread of the “flu” in your class over 5... -
In this FACTivity, you will answer the question: What is the difference between how much water is transpired by different types of plant leaves during the day? Materials (for each...FACTivity – Tropic Topic
In this FACTivity, you will answer the question: What is the difference between how much water is transpired by different types of plant leaves during the day? Materials (for each... -
In this FACTivity, you will think about how you live and what artifacts you would like an archaeologist to find one day to help explain the time period you live...FACTivity – The Whole Kit and Kaboodle
In this FACTivity, you will think about how you live and what artifacts you would like an archaeologist to find one day to help explain the time period you live... -
In this FACTivity, you will grow your own speleothem. At the end of this FACTivity, you answer the following question: What does this activity tell us about the formation of...FACTivity – A Tale of Two Caves
In this FACTivity, you will grow your own speleothem. At the end of this FACTivity, you answer the following question: What does this activity tell us about the formation of... -
After reading the Caves and Karst edition of Natural Inquirer, test your knowledge with a crossword puzzle.Crossword – Caves and Karst
After reading the Caves and Karst edition of Natural Inquirer, test your knowledge with a crossword puzzle. -
After reading the Caves and Karst Edition of Natural Inquirer, test your knowledge with an eyeChallenge. Examine each image taken from the edition and explain what each represents. You may...eyeChallenge – Caves and Karst
After reading the Caves and Karst Edition of Natural Inquirer, test your knowledge with an eyeChallenge. Examine each image taken from the edition and explain what each represents. You may...
Glossary
View All GlossaryClassroom Review Board
Mrs. Anna Moates’ 8th Grade English/Language Arts Class
- World Language Academy
- Gainesville, GA
Editorial Review Board Comments
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Sybill Amelon
My most exciting science experience was discovering that even very small bats that weigh only 10 grams (about one third of an ounce) travel long distances every night. We found...View Profile -
Elvira Cuevas
I like being a scientist because I get to discover new things about the natural environment. My favorite science experience is working in the field. I can see how the...View Profile -
Joel Despain
My favorite scientific experiences involve understanding the geomorphic history of a given cave or cave area. Some geomorphic questions are, “Why did the cave form, and why did it form...View Profile -
Ariel Lugo
“My favorite science experience is trying to understand the functioning of natural ecosystems in collaboration with bright people, including high school students.” “[Another] favorite science experience is interacting with other...View Profile -
Ernesto Medina
My favorite science experience is being outside in the field, observing how plants respond physiologically to their environment. I like designing experiments to answer the questions that arise from observations,...View Profile -
Madonna Moss
One of my favorite science experiences was when I worked at the archaeological site of Nunalleq in 2015. At Nanalleq, wood artifact preservation is fantastic. As I was digging, I...View Profile -
Brent Sewall
My favorite science experience is discovering the secret worlds of animals. Many animals, like bats, are hard to find–they often are small, fly fast, move around in the dark, vocalize...View Profile -
Greg Stock
My favorite science experience was mapping caves in Sequoia with Mr. Despain. We used those maps, along with dated sediment in the caves, to determine long-term river downcutting rates. The...View Profile -
Benjamin Tobin
Each science experience is amazing, interesting, and fun in its own way. If I had to choose, however, my favorite would be conducting dye traces at the Grand Canyon. This...View Profile
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Lessons
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In this lesson plan, students will complete a guided reading activity while reading their chosen article. As they read, they will complete a double-entry graphic organizer where they will note...Lesson Plan – Haikus
In this lesson plan, students will complete a guided reading activity while reading their chosen article. As they read, they will complete a double-entry graphic organizer where they will note...