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The Morel of the Story – Vol. 1 No. 8
Scientists can learn a lot from local people who interact with the environment on a daily basis. This monograph compares scientific research with local mushroom hunters' knowledge of morel mushrooms.
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Highlights
- 2 Scientists
- 5 Activities
- Glossary
- Nature-Oriented Parenting Newsletter
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Mushroom hunting is a specialized skill that takes years to learn. Wild mushroom species are difficult to identify, and many wild mushrooms are poisonous. No one, therefore, should eat a...The Morel of the Story: Comparing Scientific Research with Local Mushroom Hunters’ Knowledge of Morel Mushrooms
Mushroom hunting is a specialized skill that takes years to learn. Wild mushroom species are difficult to identify, and many wild mushrooms are poisonous. No one, therefore, should eat a...
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In this FACTivity, you will examine the parts of a mushroom. Materials: Paper Pencil “The Morel of the Story” article A mushroom or 2-3 species of mushrooms with stalks from...FACTivity – The Morel of the Story
In this FACTivity, you will examine the parts of a mushroom. Materials: Paper Pencil “The Morel of the Story” article A mushroom or 2-3 species of mushrooms with stalks from... -
Some scientists engage in a form of oral history gathering by collecting information from people about plants, animals, or environments. In this FACTivity, you will do your own oral history...FACTivity – Oral History-Making
Some scientists engage in a form of oral history gathering by collecting information from people about plants, animals, or environments. In this FACTivity, you will do your own oral history... -
After reading “The Morel of the Story,” test your knowledge with a crossword puzzle.Crossword – The Morel of the Story
After reading “The Morel of the Story,” test your knowledge with a crossword puzzle. -
Create your own new vocabulary words. Identify your new word’s part of speech, pronunciation, and definition. This activity was originally published with “The Morel of the Story” and centers on...Activity – Create Your Own Mushroom Dictionary
Create your own new vocabulary words. Identify your new word’s part of speech, pronunciation, and definition. This activity was originally published with “The Morel of the Story” and centers on... -
For each word pair, identify whether the pair are antonyms or synonyms.Antonym and Synonym Challenge – The Morel of the Story
For each word pair, identify whether the pair are antonyms or synonyms.
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Mushroom hunting is just one of the terms used to describe searching for wild mushrooms. Other terms include mushrooming, mushroom picking, and mushroom foraging. Learn more about mushroom hunting in...Spotlight – What Is Mushroom Hunting?
Mushroom hunting is just one of the terms used to describe searching for wild mushrooms. Other terms include mushrooming, mushroom picking, and mushroom foraging. Learn more about mushroom hunting in... -
A guide for caregivers to teach children about the natural world, this edition of the Nature-Oriented Parenting newsletter features articles about safe foraging and a dandelion fritter recipe. This newsletter...Spotlight – Nature-Oriented Parenting – Winter 2014
A guide for caregivers to teach children about the natural world, this edition of the Nature-Oriented Parenting newsletter features articles about safe foraging and a dandelion fritter recipe. This newsletter...
Glossary
View All Glossaryassociation
(ə sō sē āt): A connection or relationship between things or people.
biochemical
(bī ō ke mi kəl): Characterized by, produced by, or involving chemical reactions in living organisms.
blowdown
(blō daὑn): (1) An instance of trees being blown down by the wind; (2) a tree blown down, also an area of such trees.
classification
(kla sə fə kā shən): Systematic arrangement in groups or categories according to established criteria.
collaboration
(kǝ la bǝ rā shǝn): The act of working together.
coniferous
(kō ni f(ǝ) rǝs): Characterized by leaves resembling needles or scales in shape and including forms (like pines) with true cones.
decay
(di kā): To break down, rot, or undergo decomposition.
decomposer
(dē kǝm pō zǝr): An organism (like a bacterium or a fungus) that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter.
domestic
(dǝ me stik): Living with or under the care of human beings.
ecology
(i kä lǝ gē): A branch of science concerned with the relationships between living things and their environment.
edible
(e də bəl): Fit to be eaten.
fatal
(fā təl): Causing death.
filament
(fi lə mənt): A single thread or a thin flexible threadlike object.
forage
(fȯr ij): (noun) Food for browsing or grazing animals.
(verb) To wander in search of forage or food.
fungicide
(fǝn jǝ sīd): A substance that destroys fungi or inhibits their growth.
geography
(jē ä grə fē): A science that deals with the location of living and nonliving things on Earth and the way they affect one another.
habitat
(ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.
insufficient
(in(t) sə fi shənt): Not sufficient; not enough.
mycelium
(mī sē lē əm): The mass of interwoven filaments (called hyphae) that forms the vegetative portion of a fungus and is often submerged in another body.
observation
(äb sәr vā shәn): An act of recognizing and noting a fact or occurrence often involving measurement with instruments.
organic
(ȯr ga nik): Of, relating to, or obtained from living things.
population
(pä pyǝ lā shǝn): The total of individuals occupying an area.
preliminary
(pri li mə ner ē): Something that comes first in order to prepare for or introduce the main part of something else.
specialized
(spe shə līzd): Designed, trained, or fitted for one particular purpose or occupation.
species
(spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.
symbiotic
(sim bē ä tik): Characterized by or being a close, cooperative, or interdependent relationship between two dissimilar organisms.
transcribe
(tran(t) skrīb): To make a copy of (dictated or recorded matter) in longhand or on a machine (as a computer).
Classroom Review Board
Mrs. Nan Powell’s class
- Watersmeet School
- Watersmeet, MI
Editorial Review Board Comments
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Elizabeth Barron
Geographer
My favorite experience is hiking and looking at plants and trees. I never thought much about mushrooms until I started the morel mushroom project. At the time, I did not...View Profile -
Marla Emery
Geographer
My favorite experience was interviewing a man who grew up gathering plants in the forests. He had a lot of experience. He helped me understand many things about how local...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 a strange twist of fate, your class has been transformed into the scientist or scientists they will read about in any Natural Inquirer article. Have students fill out the...Lesson Plan – Postcard
In a strange twist of fate, your class has been transformed into the scientist or scientists they will read about in any Natural Inquirer article. Have students fill out the...
Project Learning Tree
If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “The Fallen Log” or “People of the Forest” as additional resources.
Additional Resources
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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
Our story is rooted in education about the forest. Our passion is to help people become inspired. Our goal is to help people connect with nature. Our drive is to help people learn through discovery. Through forest-inspired nature discovery, we help people FIND Outdoors.Visit Website