Resources - North America
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Phenology Resources
Find resources to prepare you for exploring phenology with your students.
Background information
- GLOBE Grandma: Autumn, Winter, and Spring Series geared toward early primary grade levels (source: Arctic and Earth SIGNS)
- GLOBE Educator One-Week Pacing Guide: Phenology (PDF): geared toward grades 4 to 8 (source: NASA Langley GLOBE Partnership)
- Winter Tree Identification Key (PDF) from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
- Leaf Snap
- iNaturalist
- Seek
- Ever Wonder How Trees Grow? from the USDA Forest Service (3 minute video with animation): "In this video, you’ll learn how trees change on a daily basis while growing larger over time. You’ll also get to see how fast a real Douglas-fir tree grew over 2 weeks in the summer."
- Tree Growth Strategies: Douglas fir Budburst from the USDA Forest Service (3 minute timelapse video): "Within a tree species, there can be substantial variation in many characteristics such as the timing of spring budburst and the rate of shoot growth. This clip shows two seed sources of Douglas-fir growing on a site near Centralia, Washington."
- Science of Fall Colors from the USDA Forest Service
- "Why do leaves change color in the fall?" video from the series of BeLeaf It or Not! videos by Michigan State University Extension
- A Year in the Life of a Tree playlist from The Woodland Trust follows many different tree species through the year with one minute time-lapse videos
- Leaf Budding Timelapses playlist from The Woodland Trust includes 10 videos of different tree species. "Watch as leaves unfurl and transform over time in these fascinating timelapses."
- Phenology Wheel (PDF) from the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management. Draw your observations of one tree as you observe it throughout different seasons.
Educator Green-Down SEQUENCE
Navigate the phenology campaign using a sequence of six short activities to guide you through the fall. The guides include age-appropriate activities and data sheets.
- K-8 Educators GLOBE Green-Down Sequence (for grades K-8, ages 5 -13)
- 9-12 Educators GLOBE Green-Down Sequence (for grades 9-12, ages 14 -18)
Resources from educators
Educators have been sharing their ideas for teaching phenology to their students. Here are a few highlights:
- Green-down wall display showing color changes graph at Moharimet School in New Hampshire
- The complete wall display showing Green-down investigation results at Moharimet School in New Hampshire
- Green-Down and Phenology slide show by Cheryl Williams, Palmer High School, Alaska
NASA Connections
- Earth Observatory for Kids (EO Kids) article and activity, Greening Up Globally: Forests and Farms (PDF)
- My NASA Data mini-lesson:
phenology campaign resources
See the resources, activities and webinars from the Europe/Eurasia campaign!
A brief presentation describing the spring North American Phenology Campaign.
A brief presentation describing the fall North American Phenology Campaign.
