Prairies Teacher's Guide

Prairies are awesome, for a lot of different reasons. Not too long ago, before farms, crops and cities were a part of our landscape, prairies were nearly everywhere in Iowa! But now, prairies are rare and in need of being preserved and restored.

Iowa Core Standards

Science

• 2-LS4-1: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
• 3-LS4-4: Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.

Social Studies

• SS.2.17: Explain how environmental characteristics impact the location of particular places.
• SS.2.24: Describe the intended and unintended consequences of using Iowa’s natural resources.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think that prairies have almost entirely disappeared in Iowa?
2. What do you think the disappearance of prairies in Iowa has done to the populations of critters and bugs who typically live in prairies? 
3. Why do you think the roots of prairie plants are so important? What makes them different from other plants?
4. Do you think it is better or worse that prairies have largely been replaced by farmland?
5. What other changes to Iowa’s wildlife might be attributed to the loss of prairie habitat?
6. In what ways might prairies benefit people and the environment?
7. Do you have any prairie restoration areas near where you live?
8. What are some things that people could do to help restore some of Iowa’s prairies?

Suggested Activities

• Keepers of the Earth: These activities from The Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa help kids of all ages appreciate the wildlife around them and help them see themselves as keepers of the earth. 
• Exploring the Prairie:  Silos and Smokestacks have created an interactive interface with multiple prairie-related activities for kids. The activities include readings, simulations and opportunities to explore a prairie near you.
• How to Start a Backyard Prairie: This blog post from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation outlines ideas for how you might go about starting a backyard prairie. These can be rich to provide micro habitats for bugs that have lost their habitat in Iowa. 

Additional Resources

Prairie Ecosystems

• Find-a-Prairie: The Iowa Prairie Network has a list of prairies in the state, organized by county. This can make it easier to get out into a prairie near you.
• Iowa’s Prairie Resource Center: Iowa DNR’s Prairie Resource Center website provides background information for adults and kids, as well as resources for teaching prairies and ideas for how to engage with prairies.

Prairie Conservation and Reconstruction

• Neal Smith Prairie: The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge contains an important and rare component of prairie conservation – bison. The website for the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge contains information about bison and why they’re important to the prairie, as well as other information on prairie reconstruction. 
• Prairie Restoration: Iowa State University has an organized list of articles for those interested in planting their own prairie. There are a variety of factors to consider when pursuing this endeavor. 
• Prairie Roots Lesson Plans: The Tallgrass Prairie Center out of the University of Northern Iowa, has generated lesson plans for kids from grades 4-8. These lesson plans contain incredible educational activities.