Grades 3-6
26 activities—272 pages

Field Detectives is designed to encourage students to look closely at the diverse habitats of living things in and around their school playground. The school campus is the most accessible, the most inexpensive, and the most overlooked area for looking at habitats. What students learn from their playground studies can be applied to habitats everywhere.
Imagine the enthusiasm as students break into teams to find evidence of animal life in the activity “Good Looking.” Holes in leaves, a nest in a tree, or a partially eaten acorn will take on new meaning as students deduce these show signs of animals at one point on the playground.

Observation and deduction skills continue to be developed in “Telltale Clues,” where students study clues anonymously supplied from one another—such as a favorite toy or a picture of a pet—to find out information about each other and to create a story about their mystery person.

The explorations in this book let students work as detectives, searching for evidence of life and clues on the playground and in the classroom. Students will gain an understanding of the relationships among the plants and animals living there. In the process, students strengthen their observation and higher-level thinking skills, as well as learning principles that apply to habitats everywhere.

Students will discover plants and animals have basic needs that must be met in order for them to survive—food, water, air, shelter, and space. In Field Detectives, there is a section of hands-on activities for each of the five basic needs of habitat dwellers.

Detailed instructions are given for setting up terrariums and aquariums so that students can make careful observations throughout the school year. Songs and card games also provide a variety of learning experiences. Teachers will like the accessibility of the materials needed for the activities and the real-world applications they offer.