With testing behind you and a few weeks still ahead, now’s the perfect time to keep students engaged with something meaningful and fun.
Research Quest investigations are a great way to promote critical thinking, spark collaboration, and make these final weeks count. Whether your students are exploring fossils, analyzing evidence, or solving science mysteries, they’ll be learning in all the best ways—together.
And as you start looking ahead, remember: it’s never too early to plan how you’ll use Research Quest next school year! We’re here to help with ideas, resources, or anything else you might need.
Have a Research Quest success story from your classroom? We’d love to hear it—and maybe even feature it in an upcoming newsletter! Just reply to this email and share.
Thanks for all you do!
The Insect Apocalypse | What’s on the Menu for Bats?
Get your students investigating how changes in food sources impact ecosystems in The Insect Apocalypse!
In this investigation, students will explore how bats—vital to healthy ecosystems—adapt to shifts in their diet, specifically insects. Using virtual dissections and data from museum collections, students will analyze the diets of different bat species, guided by a research scientist.
They’ll investigate which bat populations are likely to thrive or struggle as insect populations change. It’s a hands-on, real-world look at the crucial link between food webs, adaptation, and ecosystem health!
LEARN MORE HERE.
“My students initially were horrified at the thought of dissecting a bat but then became very engaged with the lesson.”
Kaysville, UT
This month we are delighted to share an update from the classroom by Heather Sikes, a sixth-grade teacher.
My name is Heather Sikes. I teach at Wright STEM Elementary School. I began using Research Questwith my students during the COVID-19 quarantine period. My district’s elementary science specialist had made the recommendation, and it was a perfect tool to cover our 6.4 Strand: Stability and Change in Ecosystems (NGSS MS-LS2). The Natural History Museum of Utah had assembled all of the resources I needed…all I had to do was assign the Research Quest investigations to my class, lead class discussions, and monitor their progress.
Since that time, I have been using the Change in the Uinta Mountains Investigation to bolster my instruction every year. (To read more, please go here.)
Watch the brief video below to get a quick introduction to the investigation: What Dinosaur Did These Bones Come From?
TO LEARN MORE GO HERE AND LOGIN.
“Become engaged with the students as though it is your first time looking at the Investigation… Make sure you become familiar with it because there are some challenging spots.” Elementary School Teacher, Herriman, UT
Research Quest is a program of the Natural History Museum of Utah in partnership with The Utah Education Network
