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 Pages
      • Videos
      • Lesson Plans
      • Scientists & Collaborators
      • Spotlights
      • Virtual Learning Adventures
      • All Types
    • Resource Topics
      • Wilderness
      • Wildlife
      • Water
      • Active Forest Management
      • Social Science
      • Fire
      • Agriculture
      • Recreation
      • Carbon
      • Insects
      • All Topics
    • Special Collections
      • Artemis Moon Trees
      • Career Exploration
      • Experimental Forests & Ranges
      • Project Learning Tree Connections
      • Globe Connections
      • Designing Your Own Study
      • Smokey Bear
      • Spanish Editions
      • Woodsy Owl
      • Virtual Learning Adventures
      • World's Forests
      • All Special Collections
  • Order Materials
    • View All Products
    • Journals & Monographs
    • Readers
    • Collector Card Packs
    • Coloring Books
  • Educators
    • For Educators
      • Educator Guide
      • Educator Blog
      • Newsletter
    • Classroom Ready Resources
      • Activities
      • Career Exploration
      • Lesson Plans
      • Learning Modules
      • GLOBE Connections
      • Project Learning Tree
    • Get Involved
      • Volunteer Your Classroom
  • Career Exploration
  • 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 Pages
          • Videos
          • Lesson Plans
          • Learning Modules
          • Journals
          • Monographs
          • Readers
          • Scientists & Collaborators
          • Spotlights
          • Virtual Learning Adventures
          • All Types
        • By Topic
          • Agriculture
          • Active Forest Management
          • Carbon
          • Fire
          • Grasslands
          • Insects
          • Recreation
          • Social Science
          • Water
          • Wilderness
          • Wildlife
          • All Topics
        • Special Collections
          • Artemis Moon Trees
          • Career Exploration
          • Experimental Forests and Ranges
          • GLOBE Connections
          • Project Learning Tree Connections
          • Designing Your Own Study
          • Smokey Bear
          • Spanish Editions
          • Virtual Learning Adventures
          • 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 of 20 or more. 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.

          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 and Activity Books

          Learn more about science through our coloring and outdoor activity books!

          View All Coloring and Activity Books
  • Educators
        • Overview
          • General Educator Guide
          • PreK-2nd Grade Guide
          • Upper Elementary School Guide
          • Middle and High School Guide
          • Non-Formal Education Guide
        • Classroom Ready Resources
          • Career Exploration
          • Learning Modules
          • Lesson Plans
          • Explore All
        • Order Materials
          • View All Free Products
          • Contact Us
        • For Educators
          • Educator Blog
          • Newsletter
          • Project Learning Tree
        • Get Involved
          • Volunteer Your Classroom
  • Career Exploration

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Resources
  • FACTivity – Timed Travel
PDF preview of the Timed Travel FACTivity.
Bookmark
Please login to bookmark Close

Please login to bookmark


Lost your password?

No account yet? Register

FACTivity – Timed Travel

  • Activity
  • Middle School
  • 4 Weeks
  • Water
  • Wilderness
  • Wildlife
  • Air Temperature
  • Graphing
  • Graphing data
  • Group Activity
  • Observation Log
  • Phenology
  • Weather
PDF preview of the Timed Travel FACTivity.
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom

The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: How do air temperature patterns relate to a yearly natural event, such as the emergence of a particular species of flower, the first sighting of a migratory bird species, or the first frost?

Materials:

  • Observational tools (binoculars, butterfly net, etc.)
  • Graph paper (included)
  • Pencil
  • Log sheet (included)
  • Internet access

FACTivity – Timed Travel

Cover for the Timed Travel article. The main image is a photograph of the Yakima River.

Part Of

Timed Travel: Measuring the Relationship Between Stream Temperatures and the Development of Salmon

Explore Full Article
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom
Download PDF

Standards addressed in this Activity:

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are a set of K-12 science education standards emphasizing inquiry-based learning, real-world applications, and integrating engineering practices, aiming to deepen understanding of science while promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • MS-LS1-5
    Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
  • MS-LS2-4
    Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
The Common Core Standards are educational benchmarks in the United States that outline clear expectations for what students should know and be able to do in English language arts and mathematics from kindergarten through 12th grade, aiming to ensure consistency and coherence in education nationwide.
  • Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
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.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Time, Continuity, and Change

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • accumulate

    (ə kyü m(y)e lāt): To gather or pile up little by little; to increase in quantity, number, or amount.

  • aquatic

    (ǝ kwä tik): Growing or living in or often found in water.

  • emerge

    (i mərj): To become known or visible.

  • fry

    (frī): Recently hatched or juvenile fishes.

  • habitat

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

  • land use

    (land yüs): How people are using the land.

  • mean

    (meen): The average in a set of numbers.

  • migratory

    (mī grǝ tȯr ē): Of, relating to, or characterized by moving, usually periodically, from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding.

  • regulate

    (re gyə lāt): (1) To control according to a system; (2) To bring under control of law or some authority.

  • sample

    (sam pəl): A small subset group, representative of the entire group.

  • sediment

    (se dǝ mǝnt): Material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers.

  • simulate

    (sim yǝ lāt): To make an imitation (or copy or model) by one system or process of the way in which another system or process works.

  • tributary

    (tri byə ter ē): A stream that flows into a larger stream or river or into a lake.

  • variability

    (ver ē ə bi-lə tē): The degree to which something is variable.

  • variable

    (ver ē ə bəl): (1) A factor, trait, or condition that can be changed or controlled; (2) a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.

  • variation

    (ver ē ā shən): A change in the form, position, condition, or amount of something.

  • watershed

    (wȯ tǝr shed): A region or area bounded on the edge by a dividing ridge and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water.

Download PDF

Jump To

  • Additional Resources

Additional Resources

  • NOAA: The National Weather Service

    Use the National Weather Service to find hourly temperatures for a given region.

    Visit Website
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
© 2026 - Natural Inquirer | Website Credit