Are You Red-dy to Change? Learning What Things Affect Leaf Color Change
Leaves change color in the fall. Cooler temperatures in the fall cause the chlorophyll in leaves to break down. When chlorophyll, which is green, begins to break down in leaves, the yellow or red color becomes more visible. In this study, the scientists wanted to know if air temperature, the length of daylight, or the chemicals in the leaves was more likely to result in leaf color change in sugar maple trees.
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In this FACTivity, you will imagine what sugar maple trees in the northeastern United States might look like at four different times during the fall. Materials: Four sheets of plain...FACTivity – Are You Red-dy to Change?
In this FACTivity, you will imagine what sugar maple trees in the northeastern United States might look like at four different times during the fall. Materials: Four sheets of plain...
Glossary
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Paul Schaberg
My favorite science experience is getting an unexpected result to an experiment. Sure, it is great to develop a hypothesis and test it in an experiment. A hypothesis is an..."> View Profile -
Paula Murakami
My favorite science experience is the opportunity to learn new things! Whether it is in the laboratory or in the woods, there is always something new to be discovered. Recently..."> View Profile -
John Shane
My favorite science experience was figuring out the movements of the Moon and their effects on the Moon’s nightly arc over all different moon phases and seasons. It was the..."> View Profile -
Abby van den Berg
I currently do research on the maple sugaring process. One of my favorite science experiences is talking to maple sugarmakers about the results of a research project. It’s a great..."> View Profile
About Investi-gator
The Investi-gator is another member of the Natural Inquirer family. The Natural Inquirer, for middle school students, and the Investi-gator, for upper elementary students, present science the way scientists most often share their research with each other. That process is the written scientific paper. Each Investi-gator article presents research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. All the research in the Investi-gator is concerned with nature or with society’s relationship to nature.
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Meet the Scientist
An introduction to the scientist or scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
A short introduction to something about the scientific process that is related to the research being presented.
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Thinking About the Environment
A short introduction to something about the natural environment that is related to the research being presented.
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Introduction
The part of the written scientific paper that introduces the scientific problem or question the scientists wants to solve or answer.
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Method
The part of the written scientific paper that describes how the scientists collected and analyzed their data or information.
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Findings
The part of the written scientific paper that describes what the scientists discovered.
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Discussion
The part of the written scientific paper that summarizes the research and offers any new insights.
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Reflection Section
These are questions placed after the Introduction, Methods, Findings, and Discussion sections. The purpose of the questions is to help students think about what they have read.
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Glossary
Possible new terms you will find in the article. Glossary words are printed in bold in the article.
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FACTivity
This is an activity that you can do in your classroom.
Lessons
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Introduce the scientific process, as expressed in scientific writing, to your students. This lesson plan will walk you through how to do a guided reading of an Investi-gator article (or...Lesson Plan – Main Ideas
Introduce the scientific process, as expressed in scientific writing, to your students. This lesson plan will walk you through how to do a guided reading of an Investi-gator article (or...
Education Files
Project Learning Tree
If you are a Project Learning Tree trained educator, you may use PLT Activity #42 “Sunlight and Shades of Green” as an additional resource.