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The Great Horned Owl in the Oxbow
In this study, the student scientists wanted to determine if the Oxbow is a good habitat for the great horned owl. (This article is part of the Student Scientist edition of Natural Inquirer in which high school students conducted research and wrote articles based on their findings.)
The Great Horned Owl in the Oxbow
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In this FACTivity, you will do a similar study to the student scientists in this research. The question you will answer is: Is the natural area around our school a...FACTivity – The Great Horned Owl
In this FACTivity, you will do a similar study to the student scientists in this research. The question you will answer is: Is the natural area around our school a...
Glossary
View All Glossarycultivate
(kəl tə vāt): To prepare and use for the raising of crops; also, to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants).
habitat
(ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.
invasive species
(in vā siv spē sēz): An organism that is not native to the place where it is found and tends to grow and spread easily usually to the detriment (harm) of native species and ecosystems.
nocturnal
(näk tər nəl): Active at night.
overabundance
(ō vər ə bən dən(t)s): A large surplus; excess.
prey
(prā): An animal taken by a predator as food.
sufficient
(sə fi shənt): Enough to achieve a goal or fill a need.
vole
(vōl): Any of various small rodents (Microtus and related genera) that typically have a stout body, rather blunt nose, and short ears, inhabit both moist meadows and dry uplands and do much damage to crops, and are closely related to muskrats and lemmings.
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Student Scientists at the Henry Ford Academy
High school student scientists at the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan completed the research in the Student Scientist edition of Natural Inquirer as part of the Forest Service’s More...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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This lesson plan introduces students to scientific abstracts. Students will analyze existing abstracts and then write their own. The lesson plan includes graphic organizers and a word search. (This lesson...Lesson Plan – Scientific Abstracts
This lesson plan introduces students to scientific abstracts. Students will analyze existing abstracts and then write their own. The lesson plan includes graphic organizers and a word search. (This lesson...
Education Files
Additional Resources
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Great Horned Owl
Visit WebsiteBrowse a gallery of photos of the great horned owl at U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s wildlife guide.
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The Cornell Lab: Great Horned Owl
Visit WebsiteVisit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds page on the great horned owl.
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National Audubon Society: Great Horned Owl
Visit WebsiteVisit the National Audubon Society’s field guide page for the great horned owl.