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  • Flower Power – Vol. 1 No. 7
Front cover of National Inquirer with a field of sunflowers; the center image is a memorial rose garden
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Flower Power – Vol. 1 No. 7

  • Monograph
  • Middle School
  • Social Science
  • Case Study
  • Community
  • Literature Review
  • Living Memorials Project
  • Memorial Garden
  • Social Science
Front cover of National Inquirer with a field of sunflowers; the center image is a memorial rose garden
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Have you ever been to a memorial garden? Memorial gardens are areas planted for a specific purpose. This monograph explores how memorial gardens help people and communities after a tragedy. The scientists also explore how people and communities may learn new things while creating gardens.

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Highlights

  • 4 Scientists
  • Glossary
  • 4 Activities
  • Nature-Oriented Parenting newsletter
  • Lesson Plan
  • In this study, the scientists wanted to explore why people plant trees and flowers to remember events and people.

    Flower Power: Planting for the Past and the Future

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Social Science
    • Case Study
    • Community
    • Literature Review
    • Living Memorials Project
    • Memorial Garden
    • Natural Disaster
    • Natural Disturbance
    • Social Science
    In this study, the scientists wanted to explore why people plant trees and flowers to remember events and people.
    • Explore Article
    • Download Article (PDF)
    • Explore Article
    • Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Flower Power - Vol. 1 No. 7

  • You and your class will conduct a survey. You and your fellow students will each interview one other person. After the interview is completed and notes are taken, you and...

    FACTivity – Interviews

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Social Science
    • Categorizing
    • Interview
    • Pattern Identification
    You and your class will conduct a survey. You and your fellow students will each interview one other person. After the interview is completed and notes are taken, you and...
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Flower Power: Planting for the Past and the Future

  • After reading “Flower Power,” test your knowledge with a create-a-phrase activity. Draw a line from a word in the left column to a word in the right column to create...

    Create a Phrase – Flower Power

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Social Science
    • Memorial Garden
    • Natural Disaster
    • Word Challenge
    After reading “Flower Power,” test your knowledge with a create-a-phrase activity. Draw a line from a word in the left column to a word in the right column to create...
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Flower Power: Planting for the Past and the Future

  • After reading “Flower Power,” test your understanding by explaining or writing what each photo represents.

    eyeChallenge – Flower Power

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Social Science
    • Image Challenge
    • Memorial Garden
    After reading “Flower Power,” test your understanding by explaining or writing what each photo represents.
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Flower Power: Planting for the Past and the Future

  • In this FACTivity, you will answer the following question: Does viewing a photograph of a flower provide a benefit to students taking a math quiz? The following are methods you...

    FACTivity – Flower Power

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Social Science
    • Experiment
    • Math Quiz
    • Nature health benefits
    • Social Science
    In this FACTivity, you will answer the following question: Does viewing a photograph of a flower provide a benefit to students taking a math quiz? The following are methods you...
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Flower Power - Vol. 1 No. 7

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • affirmation

    (a fər mā shən): A positive statement or a statement that gives assurance that something is true.

  • communities of practice

    (kə myü nə tēs əv prak təs): Groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they work together. (Term coined and defined by Etienne Wenger and Jean Lave in 1991)

  • innate

    (i nāt): Existing in an individual from birth.

  • mausoleum

    (mȯ sə lē əm): A stone building with places for entombment of the dead above ground.

  • professional

    (prə fesh nəl or prə fe shə nəl): (noun) A person who has specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation in a particular area.

  • semistructured interview

    (sə mē struk chərd in tər vyü): An interview is a formal process of asking questions. A semistructured interview allows the interviewer to ask new questions based on previous answers.

  • steward

    (stü ǝrd): One who carefully and responsibly manages something entrusted to one’s care.

  • stewardship

    (stü ǝrd ship): The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.

  • tribute

    (tri byüt): A gift or service showing respect, gratitude, or affection.

  • tribute

    (tri byüt): A gift or service showing respect, gratitude, or affection.

Classroom Review Board

Ms. Julie Linsley’s 7th Grade Science Class (1)

  • Malcom Bridge Middle School
  • Watkinsville, GA

Editorial Review Board Comments

  • “I really liked the article and thought it would appeal to kids around my age.”

  • “I enjoyed the graphs and tables. I thought they were very helpful.”

  • “I like that you put sidebars for words most kids would not know.”

  • “Having so many figures causes the reader to look back and forth too much.”

  • “Instead of using extra space for the definitions, just put them on the page with the word you are defining.”

  • “It is a very good book. It has a lot of details in it, which is good. I really like how the book is made.”

  • “There was a side paragraph about geocaching. It might be helpful to add something such as “Learn more at www.naturalinquirer.org/geocache” so you could read more about it and how to get involved.”

Ms. Julie Linsley’s 7th Grade Science Class (2)

  • Malcom Bridge Middle School
  • Watkinsville, GA

Editorial Review Board Comments

  • “The magazine is good to learn things others wouldn’t teach you or even think about on a daily basis.”

  • “You may want to add a ‘Did You Know’ section.”

  • “Put in more pictures of wildlife and some fun facts for kids to look at and read.”

  • “We would like more color and more pictures.”

  • “The graphs are great, they show great evidence. ‘

  • “We would like more fun facts.”

  • “I think the Natural Inquirer is very educational, but I think it could be more fun and colorful as well.”

Ms. Mimi Voyles’s 7th Grade Language Arts Class

  • Oconee County Middle School
  • Watkinsville, GA

Editorial Review Board Comments

  • “I think it is a really good article and tells you a lot about flower power.”

  • “I really thought that it was real good. Filled with a ton of facts and information and it is real educational.”

  • “The most important thing I learned is that scientists use other evidence or written work that other scientists wrote.”

  • “Try adding more pictures. All together it’s good.”

  • “The most important thing I learned is that scientists analyze numbers to answer their questions.”

  • “It was great. Just some of the words I didn’t understand. But it would be an awesome magazine that I would love to be in.”

  • “I like that there is a glossary and Web resources.”

  • “The Natural Inquirer is fun and interesting. Science has always been my favorite and best subject and this along with class is educational.”

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  • Dr. Lindsay Campbell delivering a lecture in front of a colorful splatter backdrop

    Lindsay Campbell

    Social Scientist

    “My favorite science experience is any time I get to conduct semi-structured interviews. I enjoy having in-depth conversations with individuals about their involvement with the urban environment. I’ve interviewed public...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Marianne Krasny on a sidewalk by vines

    Marianne Krasny

    Forest Ecologist

    My favorite science experience was working on the Tanana River floodplain in Alaska to collect data on seedlings and floods, while watching out for moose and bears. In this photo,...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Erika Svendsen

    Erika Svendsen

    Social Scientist

    My favorite science experience is speaking with people in cities who are caring for the environment. I like asking them a very simple question, “Why are you doing this work?”...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Keith Tidball standing in profile on a rock

    Keith Tidball

    Senior Extension Associate

    My favorite science experience was studying how ants affect sand dune erosion in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa.
    View Profile

Jump To

  • Educator Guide
  • Lesson Plans

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.

USDA and Forest Service Logos

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.

Natural Inquirer bee sitting at a desk with paper and pencil

  • Meet the Scientists

    Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • 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.

  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • 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

  • Contact

    Jessica Nickelsen
    Director, Natural Inquirer program

  • Email

    Contact us here.

Lessons

  • Identify and write the main idea of the section using one sentence. Fill out the provided graphic organizer. This lesson plan can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.

    Lesson Plan – Block Graphic Organizer

    • Lesson Plan
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Agriculture
    • Carbon
    • Citizen Science
    • Climate
    • Engineering and Forest Products
    • Fire
    • Insects
    • Pollinators
    • Pollution
    • Recreation
    • Social Science
    • Water
    • Wilderness
    • Wildlife
    • Graphic Organizer
    Identify and write the main idea of the section using one sentence. Fill out the provided graphic organizer. This lesson plan can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.
    • Explore Lesson Plan
    • Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    • Explore Lesson Plan
    • Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Flower Power: Planting for the Past and the Future

Additional Resources

  • USDA Forest Service: Conservation Education

    Through Conservation Education, the Forest Service provides a variety of educational resources and programs for individuals of all ages to learn about the environment and our nation’s forests and grasslands. Through these hands-on, interactive learning opportunities, students, educators, and parents can explore how to become a responsible steward of our natural resources. There are also a variety of resources for teachers and parents to engage youth in environmental education and for exploring careers in conservation.
    Visit Website
  • FIND Outdoors

    Through Forest-Inspired Nature Discovery, we help people FIND Outdoors. We inspire people to connect with nature through well-managed outdoor recreation sites, campgrounds, visitor centers, guided tours, and educational and outdoor opportunities for all ages and abilities.
    Visit Website
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  • Natural Inquirer - Homepage
  • Find Outdoors
  • USDA
  • USDA Forest Service logo.

The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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