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
  • Snake, Rattle, and Roll: Investigating the Snakes That Live in the Bosque Along the Middle Rio Grande
Bookmark
Please login to bookmark Close

Please login to bookmark


Lost your password?

No account yet? Register

Snake, Rattle, and Roll: Investigating the Snakes That Live in the Bosque Along the Middle Rio Grande

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Fire
  • Wilderness
  • Wildlife
  • Bosque
  • Funnel Traps
  • New Mexico
  • Restoration
  • Rio Grande
  • Riparian Areas
  • Snakes
Photograph of a rattlesnake with the title 'Snake, Rattle and Roll' on the top left corner.
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom

After an area has been changed by human or natural disturbances, forest managers often engage in restoration activities. In the Bosque, fire is both a human and a natural disturbance. This is because most fires in the Bosque are started by humans. Restoration activities have an impact on many different things like animals, plants, and soil. In this study, the scientists wanted to know how the restoration activities affected snake populations.

Snake, Rattle, and Roll: Investigating the Snakes That Live in the Bosque Along the Middle Rio Grande

Part Of

Wildland Fire 2 - Vol. 13 No. 1

Explore Full Journal
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom
Download PDF
  • In this FACTivity, you will do an experiment similar to the one the scientists did in “Snake, Rattle, and Roll,” except you will be studying insects on the ground instead...

    FACTivity – Snake, Rattle, and Roll

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Insects
    • Hands-on
    • Insects
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Sampling
    In this FACTivity, you will do an experiment similar to the one the scientists did in “Snake, Rattle, and Roll,” except you will be studying insects on the ground instead...
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Snake, Rattle, and Roll: Investigating the Snakes That Live in the Bosque Along the Middle Rio Grande

Download PDF

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • arid

    (a rəd): Very dry; especially, not having enough rainfall to support agriculture.

  • bosque

    (bäsk): A wooded area near water or wetland areas.

  • climate

    (klī mǝt): The average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.

  • conserve

    (kǝn sǝrv): To avoid wasteful or destructive use of something.

  • control

    (kǝn trōl): A variable factor that has been kept constant and which is used as a standard of comparison to the experimental component in a controlled experiment.

  • ecosystem

    (ē kō sis tǝm): A system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.

  • forest manager

    (fȯr ǝst ma ni jǝr): A person who manages a forest; in the Forest Service, forest managers focus on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health (definition from USDA Forest Service).

  • headwaters

    (hed wȯ tərz): The beginning and upper part of a stream.

  • herpetologist

    (hər pə tä lə jist): A person who studies reptiles and amphibians.

  • interpret

    (in tər prət): (1) To explain the meaning of; (2) to understand according to one’s own belief or judgment.

  • invertebrate

    (in vər tə brət or in vər tə brāt): An animal (such as a worm, clam, spider, or butterfly) that lacks a backbone.

  • native

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

  • ornithologist

    (ȯr nə thä lə jist): A scientist who studies birds.

  • pinyon-juniper woodland

    (pin yən jü nə pər wu̇d lənd): An area higher in elevation than the Bosque where pinyon pine trees and juniper flourish.

  • prune

    (prün): To cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth.

  • restoration

    (res tə rā shən): The act of bringing back to an earlier condition.

  • riparian

    (rə per ē ən): Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (such as a river or sometimes a lake or tidewater).

  • vertebrate

    (vərt ə brət or vərt ə brāt): Any of a large group of animals (such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) that typically have a bony or cartilaginous backbone which replaces the notochord, a distinct head containing a brain which arises as an enlarged part of the nerve cord, and an internal usually bony skeleton and including some primitive forms (such as lampreys) in which the backbone is absent and the notochord persists throughout life.

  • wilderness

    (wil dǝr nǝs): In this case, an area designated by Congress to be preserved in a wild and natural condition as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

  • Dr. Heather Bateman on a bike by the water

    Heather Bateman

    Ecologist | Herpetologist | Ornithologist | Wildlife Biologist

    My favorite science experience has always been working with wildlife. I enjoyed placing leg bands on long-eared owls in the United States Great Basin. I also enjoyed tagging lava lizards...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Alice Chung-MacCourbrey holding a bat

    Alice Chung-MacCourbrey

    Wildlife Biologist

    My favorite science experience was a research project that allowed me to combine two of my biggest interests, dogs and bats. Dogs have a superb sense of smell that can...
    View Profile
  • Photo of Deborah Finch standing in a forest.

    Deborah Finch

    Wildlife Biologist

    “One of my favorite science experiences was collecting bird and small mammal data on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Oregon and Idaho. While I was there, I lived in a...
    View Profile

Jump To

  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Lesson Plans
  • Education Files
  • Project Learning Tree

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.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • 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

  • In small groups (or individually), students will read a Natural Inquirer or Investi-gator article and write a letter to the scientist, asking for clarification on at least four questions. This...

    Lesson Plan – Letter to a Scientist

    • Lesson Plan
    • Middle School
    • Upper Elementary
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Agriculture
    • Carbon
    • Citizen Science
    • Climate
    • Engineering and Forest Products
    • Fire
    • Insects
    • Pollinators
    • Pollution
    • Recreation
    • Social Science
    • Water
    • Wilderness
    • Wildlife
    • Guided reading
    • Letter Writing
    • Questioning
    • Scientist
    In small groups (or individually), students will read a Natural Inquirer or Investi-gator article and write a letter to the scientist, asking for clarification on at least four questions. This...
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Wildland Fire 2 - Vol. 13 No. 1

  • The purpose of this lesson plan is to give students a chance to reflect on their reading and create poems to express what they have learned. The lesson plan is...

    Lesson Plan – Forest Poems

    • Lesson Plan
    • Middle School
    • Upper Elementary
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Agriculture
    • Carbon
    • Citizen Science
    • Climate
    • Engineering and Forest Products
    • Fire
    • Insects
    • Pollinators
    • Pollution
    • Recreation
    • Social Science
    • Water
    • Wilderness
    • Wildlife
    • Creative Writing
    • Haiku
    • Nature
    • Reflection
    The purpose of this lesson plan is to give students a chance to reflect on their reading and create poems to express what they have learned. The lesson plan is...
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Wildland Fire 2 - Vol. 13 No. 1

Education Files

Project Learning Tree

If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Living with Fire” and “Trees as Habitats” as additional resources.

Jump To

  • Additional Resources

Additional Resources

  • "Healing the Gila: Restoring habitat, protecting trout and connecting people"

    Read about another waterway restoration project – Willow Creek in the Gila National Forest. Still healing from the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire, this important watershed underwent extensive restoration work by a variety of partners. Included is a short video about the restoration efforts.

    Read Article
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