Skip to main content
Natural Inquirer - Homepage

Free Science Materials for K-12 Students

  • Bookmarks
  • Cart0
  • Account
  • Find Outdoors
  • USDA
  • USDA Forest Service logo.
Natural Inquirer - Homepage
  • About
    • About Natural Inquirer
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Press & Past Events
    • Contact Us
  • Resources
    • View All Resources
    • Grade Levels
      • PreK - 2nd Grade
      • Upper Elementary
      • Middle School
      • High School
      • All Grade Levels
    • Resource Types
      • Articles
      • Activities
      • Collector Cards
      • Coloring Books
      • Glossary
      • Lesson Plans
      • Scientists & Collaborators
      • Spotlights
      • Virtual Learning Adventures
      • All Types
    • Resource Topics
      • Wilderness
      • Wildlife
      • Water
      • Climate
      • Social Science
      • Fire
      • Agriculture
      • Recreation
      • Carbon
      • Insects
      • All Topics
    • Special Collections
      • Artemis Moon Trees
      • Experimental Forests & Ranges
      • Project Learning Tree Connections
      • Globe Connections
      • Smokey Bear
      • Spanish Editions
      • Woodsy Owl
      • World's Forests
      • All Special Collections
  • Order Materials
    • View All Products
    • Journals & Monographs
    • Readers
    • Collector Card Packs
    • Coloring Books
  • Educators
    • For Educators
      • Note to Educators
      • Educator Blog
      • Educator Newsletter
    • Classroom Ready Resources
      • Lesson Plans
      • Activities
      • Learning Modules
      • GLOBE Connections
      • Project Learning Tree
    • Get Involved
      • Volunteer Your Classroom
  • Virtual Learning Adventures
  • Bookmarks
  • Cart
  • Account
  • About
    • About Natural Inquirer
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Press & Past Events
    • Contact
  • Resources
        • View All Resources
        • By Grade
          • PreK - 2nd
          • Upper Elementary
          • Middle School
          • High School
        • By Type
          • Articles
          • Activities
          • Collector Cards
          • Coloring Books
          • Glossary
          • Lesson Plans
          • Learning Modules
          • Journals
          • Monographs
          • Readers
          • Scientists & Collaborators
          • Spotlights
          • Virtual Learning Adventures
          • All Types
        • By Topic
          • Agriculture
          • Carbon
          • Climate
          • Fire
          • Insects
          • Recreation
          • Social Science
          • Water
          • Wilderness
          • Wildlife
          • All Topics
        • Special Collections
          • Artemis Moon Trees
          • Experimental Forests and Ranges
          • GLOBE Connections
          • Project Learning Tree Connections
          • Smokey Bear
          • Spanish Editions
          • Woodsy Owl
          • World's Forests
          • All Special Collections
  • Order Materials
        • Download all resources - FREE!

          **Due to recent government funding changes, we currently are only able to process bulk orders.** We hope that we will be able to resolve this issue in the near future. In the meantime, please feel free to download our resources and explore the website for many great lesson plans and activities. Thank you!

          View All Products
        • Journals & Monographs

          Journals focus on a group of related articles, while monographs focus on one research article.

          Journals & Monographs
        • Collector Cards

          Learn about possible career opportunities in science!

          View All Card Packs
        • Readers

          For a PreK-2nd grade audience, each Reader focuses on one Forest Service scientist and their research.

          View All Readers
        • Coloring Books

          Learn more about science through our coloring books!

          View All Coloring Books
  • Educators
        • Overview
          • Educator Guide
        • Classroom Ready Resources
          • Learning Modules
          • Lesson Plans
          • Explore All
        • Order Materials
          • View All Free Products
          • Contact Us
        • For Educators
          • Educator Blog
          • Educator Newsletter
          • Project Learning Tree
        • Get Involved
          • Volunteer Your Classroom
  • Virtual Learning Adventures

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Resources
  • As the Frog Hops: What Routes Do Frogs Travel in Mountain Environments?
Bookmark
Please login to bookmark Close

Please login to bookmark


Lost your password?

No account yet? Register

As the Frog Hops: What Routes Do Frogs Travel in Mountain Environments?

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Wildlife
  • Amphibians
  • Elevation
  • Frogs
  • Habitat
  • Migration
  • National Wilderness Preservation System
frogs leaping down a mountain
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom

Frogs are a species of amphibian. In recent years, there has been a decline in the numbers of amphibians worldwide. This decline is thought to be caused by many things. The scientists in this study wanted to discover the types of habitats needed by Columbia spotted frogs at different times of the year. The scientists also wanted to find out how far Columbia spotted frogs will travel or migrate to reach different habitats and which routes they take when they are migrating.

As the Frog Hops: What Routes Do Frogs Travel in Mountain Environments?

Part Of

Wilderness Benefits - Vol. 7 No. 1

Explore Full Journal
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom
Download PDF
  • In this study, the scientists discovered that wildernesses provide good habitat for frogs because the land and water are protected from human activities. Using the results from this study, you...

    FACTivity – As the Frog Hops

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Wildlife
    • Frog
    • Habitat
    • Wilderness
    • Wildlife Corridor
    In this study, the scientists discovered that wildernesses provide good habitat for frogs because the land and water are protected from human activities. Using the results from this study, you...
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    As the Frog Hops: What Routes Do Frogs Travel in Mountain Environments?

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • amphibian

    (am fi bē ǝn): Any of a class (Amphibia) of cold-blooded vertebrates (such as frogs, toads, or salamanders) that have many characteristics that place them between fish and reptiles and having gilled aquatic larvae and air-breathing adults.

  • boreal

    (bȯr ē ǝl): Of, relating to, or located or growing in northern or mountainous regions, characterized especially by dominance of coniferous forests.

  • colleague

    (kä lēg): A fellow worker or professional.

  • Congress

    (käŋ grǝs): The supreme legislative body of a nation and especially of a republic; in this case, the group of elected officials in the United States that makes the laws, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

  • elevation

    (e lǝ vā shǝn): The height above sea level.

  • habitat

    (ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

  • hibernate

    (hī bǝr nāt): To pass the winter in a sleeping or resting state.

  • metamorphosis

    (me tǝ mȯr fǝ sǝs): The process of basic and usually rather sudden change in the form and habits of some animals during transformation from an immature stage (as a tadpole or a caterpillar) to an adult stage (as a frog or a butterfly).

  • migration

    (mi gra shun): The act of moving from one place to another.

  • native

    (nā tiv): Living or growing naturally in a particular region.

  • natural resource manager

    (na ch(ǝ) rǝl rē sȯrs ma ni jǝr): A person who cares for and oversees the use of natural resources.

  • population

    (pä pyǝ lā shǝn): The total of individuals occupying an area.

  • silt

    (silt): Very small particles left as sediment in water.

  • 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.

  • wetlands

    (wet landz): Land or areas (such as marshes or swamps) that are covered, often intermittently, with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture.

  • wildlife

    (wī(e)l(d) līf): Living things and especially mammals, birds, and fishes that are neither human nor domesticated.

  • Dr. Peterson kayaking with a mountain in the background

    Charles Peterson

    My favorite science experience was working on a study of where garter snakes like to hide at night. Garter snakes are interesting and live in beautiful areas. My colleagues and...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Pilliod holding his dog in front of rocks

    David Pilliod

    Ecology

    My favorite science experience is going out at night to look for frogs and toads. I use flashlights to find them clinging to branches in the trees, floating in ponds,...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Ritson in the mountains

    Peter Ritson

    Ecology

    It is hard to pick my favorite science experience since I have had so many different types of experiences in geology, oceanography, chemistry, and biology. Remembering my time in Idaho...
    View Profile

Jump To

  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Lesson Plans
  • Education Files

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Time, Continuity, and Change

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

  • This five-day lesson plan can be used in whole or in part to accompany the Wilderness Benefits edition of Natural Inquirer. Students will brainstorm and then research features of wilderness...

    Lesson Plan – Wilderness Benefits

    • Lesson Plan
    • Middle School
    • 5 Classroom Periods
    • Creative Writing
    • National Wilderness Preservation System
    • Student Research
    • Wilderness
    This five-day lesson plan can be used in whole or in part to accompany the Wilderness Benefits edition of Natural Inquirer. Students will brainstorm and then research features of wilderness...
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Wilderness Benefits - Vol. 7 No. 1

Education Files

Back to Top
  • 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.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
* denotes mandatory fields
Loading
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • X, formerly Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About Natural Inquirer
  • Team
  • Partners
  • Press & Past Events
  • Contact Us
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping Policy
© 2025 - Natural Inquirer | Website Credit