Comparative Investigations
Invasive Species questions
 Does area 1 or area 2 have a greater number of ___________ (invasive plant)?
 Does area 1 or area 2 have a greater variety (different kinds) of invasive plants?
 Can you find more name of plant growing in the open prairie or wooded area?
Weather questions
 Is the air temperature higher on the south side or the north side of the main building?
 Is air temperature on a sunny day cooler in the forest or the open field?
 Is air temperature higher in the sun than the shade?
 Is wind speed greater in the forest or out in the open area?
 Is our rainfall at Camp greater than at……Elementary school?
 Does more rain reach the ground under a conifer or in an open area ?-5th
 What is the effect of cloud covre (cloudy or sunny) on % humitity at________?5th
 Is the rainfall greater under the conifers (in the forest) or in the open area?
 Where are the largest puddles: location #1 or location #2?
 Which location A, B, or C has the highest temperature on top of the ground? Or air temperature?
Soil questions
 Which habitat(A, or B) has the most sand in the soil?
 Which area (habitat) 1 or 2 has the fastest percolation?
 Are soil temperatures higher on the south side or the north side of the building? 3rd
 Where are soil temperatures the coolest 5cm, 10cm, or 15cm below the surface?
 Which area (1, 2, or 3) has the most rocks in the soil?
Invertebrate questions
 Where do you find the most Isopods (potato bugs) under a log or under bushes? Which habitat
_____or______ have the greatest average number or Isopods? 2nd
 Where are the most insects found on the grassy area or under a log?
 Are more insects found at camp in April, May, or June?
 Are more insects out during the morning or afternoon? (or be more specific and say at 9:00 in
the morning or 2:00 in the afternoon)
 Are more slugs found on the paths during the morning or afternoon? (again be more specific
about times) Or are more slugs found in habitat 1 or 2?
 How many days in May do we see butterflies in the schoolyard? 1st
 Do butterflies prefer sunny days or cloudy days? 1st
Tree and Plant questions
 Which area_____or______has the greatest number of dandelion/clover plants?-4th
 Which Habitat 1, 2, or 3 has the most sword ferns along the trail? Or other plant
 Does the forest habitat by (specific location) have more small trees or large trees?
 Which habitat 1 or 2 has the most snags(dead standing trees)? Or seedlings?
 Are mature deciduous or conifer trees taller?
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Which tree #1 or #2 has the largest crown spread (the area under a tree that would be shaded if
the sun were directly overhead)
Which grows faster in spring the twigs on plant #1 or plant #2?
Did twigs from plant #1 or plant #2 have more growth last year?
Is there more twig growth on the North or South side of the-----shrub?-book
Do maple seeds or dandelion seeds travel farther when blown with a fan? (you could use many
types of seeds)
Does more moss grow on the north or the south side of trees?
Do sword ferns grow close to water or away from water? How does forest location; close to
water or away from water affect sword fern numbers?
Does salal (or sword fern) grow more under deciduous trees or coniferous trees in a forest? How
does type of forest affect salal numbers?
Are understory plants more dense on south or north facing slopes? How does direction of slope
affect the density of understory plants?
Water questions
 Do pond areas or creeks at camp have higher temperatures?
 How does depth of water 10cm, 20cm, or 30cm affect temperature? Or which depth has the
coolest temperature in a pond: 10cm, 20cm, or 30cm?
 How does season; fall, winter, spring affect how clear a pond (or stream or creek) is?
 Where does the current run fastest upstream or downstream?
 Does the stream have more caddisfly larvae than dragonfly larvae? Use any macro invertebrates
and possibly categorize them.
 Compare pH, temperature, or other water quality
Sound Questions
 Are traffic sounds louder at the entrance to school or behind the school? (or 2 other locations)?
 Do birds sing more in the morning or in the afternoon?
Bird questions
 Do robins (other bird) sing more in the morning or afternoon?
 Do Stellar Jays (other bird) spend more time in trees, shrubs, or the ground?
 Are there more ___________ or ___________ birds in the forest (or prairie) in spring?
 Are there more different kinds of birds in the schoolyard or the forest?
 Which month (season) has the most different types of birds using the schoolyard habitat?
 Which habitat________,__________,or__________ on the schoolyard or park has the greatest
average number of ____________________? Another way to say this is: Which habitat do
_______________ie robins prefer?-2nd
 Which habitat _____________,_________________,___________________has the greatest
diversity of birds (most different types of birds)?
 Do robins feed on the grass more during 9:00am to 10:00am or 2:00pm to 3:00pm?
 Which part of the canopy _________ or_____________do ___________________spend most of
their time?
 Are _________ birds in the schoolyard less reactive to people than __________ in a park?
 Do towhees or Steller’s Jays spend more time on the Forest Floor?