Activity 8: The Forest of S.T. Shrew
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Through a read aloud, students will take a “shrew’s-eye-view” of life in the woods to gain an appreciation for the variety of living things that make forests their homes, and for the variety of habitats within forests.
This is one of 96 activities that can be found in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide. To get the activity, attend a training either in person or online and receive PLT’s PreK-8 Guide. Below are some supporting resources for this activity.
The PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide is a supplementary curriculum that is multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on science, reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies.
Each activity displays explicit connections to practices and concepts expected by the following national academic standards so teachers can easily see where the materials will fit into their lesson plans:
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core Toolkit, includes
- English Language Arts (CCSS.ELA)
- Mathematics (CCSS.MATH)
- College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3)
Our professional development further demonstrates these connections, as well as to state and local standards, contact your state coordinator.
Deep in the Woods
Deep in the Woods Grades K-2 Written by: Christopher Corr Published by: Francis Lincoln Children’s Books ISBN-13: 978-1847807274 Recommended Reading Spend time in the woods and meet many new animal friends! This modern retelling of the traditional Russian folktale “Teremok” is a joy for adults and children alike. In Russian, the word teremok means... Read more »
Word After Word After Word
Word After Word After Word Grades 3-5 Written by: Patricia MacLachlan Published by: HarperCollins, 2010 ISBN-13: 978-0060279714 Recommended Reading Every school day feels the same for a group of fourth grade friends: Lucy, Henry, Evie, Russell, and May. Then a guest speaker – a real, live, and well-known writer – named Ms. Mirabel, visits... Read more »
Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects
Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects Grades 3-5 Written by: Matthew Clark Smith Illustrated by: Giuliano Ferri Published by Two Lions, 2015 ISBN-13: 978-1477826324 Recommended Reading Learn about a quiet village in the French countryside. Learn about a famous naturalist. Learn about the significance of observing species in their natural habitats.... Read more »
Tall Tall Tree
Tall Tall Tree Grades K to Grade 4 ISBN-13: 978-1584696018 Dawn Publications, 2017 Recommended Reading Teachers and parents alike can use this book, Tall Tall Tree written by Anthony Fredericks and illustrated by Chad Wallace, to take children on a virtual fieldtrip into the dense redwood forest. Not only will readers experience the grandiose... Read more »
Over and Under the Snow
Over and Under the Snow Grades K to Grade 4 ISBN-13: 978-0811867849 Chronicle Books LLC, 2011 Recommended Reading Even if children do not live in an area that experiences seasonal change, videos and books about snow can help students imagine and understand something they have never experienced first-hand. In this book, a young girl... Read more »
Welcome To The Neighborwood
Welcome To The Neighborwood Grades PreK to Grade 3 ISBN-10: 0763665940 Candlewick, 2015 Recommended Reading Learn about forest habitats and micro-communities as artist-turned-author, Shawn Sheehy, takes readers from neighborhood to neighborwood. In his stunning pop-up book, Welcome to the Neighborwood, he introduces readers to seven woodland animals and insects. In this book, readers investigate how... Read more »
Hey, Little Ant
Hey, Little Ant Ages 3 to 8. ISBN: 1883672546 Published by Tricycle Press, 1998 Authored by Phillip and Hannah Hoose Illustrated by Debbie Tilley Recommended Reading What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Would you stop and listen? What if your friends saw... Read more »
Around One Log
Around One Log: Chipmunks, Spiders, and Creepy Insiders Grades PreK-3 By Anthony D. Fredericks Illustrated by Jennifer DiRubbio ISBN: 1584691379 Recommended Reading Years after a great oak tree tumbles to the ground, a whole community of animals have made it their home. Upon close inspection, the fallen tree is seething with life! Question: Is... Read more »
EE Resources
A City in the Forest
How is a forest like a city? This 4-minute video, A City in a Forest from PBS Plum Landing, explores a child’s perspective of a forest and what they see living and growing on trees—from the top of the canopy to their roots in the ground, to dead trees lying on the forest floor. Aligned... Read more »
Forest Diorama
Engage your students in developing their ELA skills and storytelling with this resource Creating a Forest Diorama from Debra Wagner, a 4th grade teacher and PLT School Coordinator at St. Paul Lutheran School in Florida. You’ll reach students who would never “picture” themselves in a forest or other habitat! Wagner was named a National PLT Outstanding Educator in... Read more »
Agents of Discovery
Agents of Discovery gets students moving with an augmented reality, geo-triggered app. Students play the role of a top-secret Agent to help solve mysteries of science, culture, technology, and nature. Download the app and mission with WiFi or data and then use the app offline outdoors. Agents of Discovery includes missions all across North America. Find... Read more »
Dirt with Sid the Science Kid
Dirt on Dirt, an episode of Sid the Science Kid produced by PBS Kids, explores what makes dirt, dirt! In this episode, Sid and his friends learn about the different types of soil. Paired with a Dirt on Dirt Activity, students ages PreK-2 can follow Sid’s adventure and investigate the dirt and soil on their school... Read more »
Photo Stuff With Ruff
Based on the PBS animated digital series The Ruff Ruffman Show, this app helps students discover the “stuff ” their world is made of. The Photo Stuff with Ruff app can be used in the classroom as part of lessons exploring materials science. In this camera-based experience, students will learn about science by exploring their surroundings and... Read more »
Disneynature Explore
The free Disneynature Explore application for iPads and iPhones combines an augmented reality experience with animal behavior gameplay to encourage young students (grades PreK-3) and their families to get outside and connect with nature. In the app, 3D images of animals appear in the camera’s viewer, providing students with “wild adventures” in their own backyard.... Read more »
Paper Plate Habitat
Use Florida PLT’s Paper Plate Habitat template as the basis for learners to create their own microhabitats.
NatureWorks Video Series
Discover the natural world and the connections that make nature work in this 16-part video series for students in grades 3-6. Developed and produced by New Hampshire Public Television and the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, each episode is fifteen minutes long and helps students explore the ways living things interact with the environment. NatureWorks... Read more »
Mighty Mole and Super Soil – for Grades 1-3
What creatures live in the ground and how do they help make the soil healthy? A book from Dawn Publications, Mighty Mole and Super Soil introduces children to an underground ecosystem that is largely invisible to humans but vital to the health of the planet. In this short story, children follow a mole as she... Read more »
Tree Product Images
Print out pages containing many examples of everyday products from trees!
Color the World!
Coloringnature.org offers more than 500 realistically illustrated coloring pages that can be downloaded and printed for use in PreK-8 classrooms. Choose from categories such as amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, insects, animal homes, biomes and habitats, and trees. Consider pairing the pages with PLT activities as diagrams, models, or assessment tools.
Nature Pictures
Use these colorful pictures to tell the story of Jackie and S.T. Shrew. You can use them with the Story of S.T. Shrew skit or traditional narrative.
Web Soil Survey from the USDA
This is a website that contains the web soil survey from the USDA.
The Forest of S.T. Shrew Skit
This is the word document of The Forest of S.T. Shrew Skit
Tree Flip-Up Diagram
Use this tree diagram to create a flip-up diagram by cutting along the dotted orange line on page one and setting page two underneath it. Or, have students create their own using this as an example portraying various elements of their adopted tree’s life, including tree parts, potential inhabitants, or life among the roots. For more... Read more »
Reading and Writing Exercises
Florida PLT has expanded reading and writing exercises for elementary students and teachers using PLT’s The Forest of S.T. Shrew. This document contains additional and expanded exercises for reading and writing, specifically targeted to third and fourth graders.
Ordinary Extraordinary Junco
Introduce yourself to one of North America’s most common groups of songbirds, the Juncos. Readily observed in backyards, city parks, and forests alike, these little gray birds—sometimes called “Snowbirds”—can be easily overlooked. But for scientists who study animal behavior, ecology, and evolutionary biology, the Junco is a rockstar. Use these video shorts from The Junco... Read more »
Unlock the Secrets in the Soil
Check out the infographic from the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service! These infographics colorfully illustrate soil health: what soil is made of, what’s underneath, and what it does.
SoilWeb
A free app that can be downloaded onto Apple and Android devices. A more technical application, SoilWeb allows users to access GPS based, real-time USDA-NRCS soil survey data. Using your geographic location, this app retrieves soil type summaries, including soil series names and image profiles.
Encounters: Wild Explorer
The public radio program Encounters: Radio Experiences in the North explores the natural history of Alaska and the Far North. An accompanying website offers K-12 teachers links to the episodes as well as resources, such as slideshows, videos, and sound clips, introducing the animals and habitats of the regions: beavers, bears, caribou, humpback whales, boreal... Read more »
WildLab Bird
A free app that can be downloaded onto any Apple device (try iBird Lite for Android). Use WildLab Bird to learn the basics of bird identification. This application uses audio, photographs, maps, and the process of elimination to help identify over 200 bird species. Sightings can also be entered into a national bird watching database for... Read more »
NACD’s Soil Education Resources
Have a look at NACD’s soil resources: Soil to Spoon and Dig Deeper: Mysteries in the Soil. Existing tools feature a poster contest, student booklets, educator guides, and ideas for hands-on activities.
Epic! For Educators
Are you looking for new literature connections to support your favorite PLT lessons? This growing Epic! online library offers thousands of picture books, chapter books, early readers, and even nonfiction books (think Common Core Connections!) that elementary teachers can access free of cost. Registered users receive unlimited access to books and customized recommendations for readers’... Read more »
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