Four unique investigations, developed through a National Science Foundation DRK-12 grant, use museum collections to examine multiple phenomena that impact ecosystems and the organisms that live in them. Each investigation takes students through the same research questions and processes used by our own museum scientists and allow students to gather and reason with data they gather through the study of these collections. In each investigation, students will be guided by museum scientists and use digital interactives to engage in their research. 
This work was supported by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF-DEB #1927224).Investigations
Each of these FREE, curriculum-aligned investigations includes a series of activities that can be used as designed or adapted to fit your students’ needs. The instructional guides will provide tips on pacing, implementation, and curriculum alignment of each investigation. Use one or use them all! Click on the investigations below to take a closer look.
Ecology
Who wins and who loses in a rapidly changing forest?
Target Audience: 6th-8th Grade • 165 mins
Ecology
How is energy transfer and matter cycling affected in a changing ecosystem?
Target Audience: 6th-8th Grade • 170 mins
Ecology
How will bat populations be impacted by the insect apocalypse?
Target Audience: 6th-8th Grade • 120-180 mins
Paleontology
What dinosaur did these bones come from?
Target Audience: 6th-8th Grade • 90 - 120 mins
Paleontology
What happened at Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry?
Target Audience: 6th-8th Grade • 90 - 120 mins
Paleontology
What physical features helped a dinosaur survive?
Target Audience: 6th-8th Grade • 50 mins
Archaeology
What do the artifacts from Range Creek tell us about the people who lived there?
Target Audience: 6th-8th Grade • 170 mins