Issue 14

The Natural Inquirer Journal

Written and designed as a science education journal, the Natural Inquirer rekrafts Forest Service (FS) science articles for middle school audiences. Available in both Spanish and English, the journal encourages critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and investigation while learning about natural resources and the environment.

The publication includes a “meet the scientists” section, where students learn about FS researchers and how they conduct their studies. Students can also read about specific research projects in articles written in the same format as those in scientific journals—but at a more accessible level. “Reflection sections” are located throughout each article, and a hands-on activity for the classroom allows students to become further involved in the scientific process. The online version of the journal includes additional resources such as podcasts, slideshows, and glossaries.

The Natural Inquirer’s nonprofit partner is the Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association located in Brevard, NC. The journal publishes a special monograph series in partnership with the association, presenting published science from SRS researchers in the same format and grade level as the Natural Inquirer. The latest monograph presented research on invasive earthworms, and an upcoming monograph investigates the relationship between hemlocks, water flow, and effects from the invading hemlock woolly adelgid.

Edited by social scientist, writer, and educator Barbara McDonald, the Natural Inquirer is distributed to approximately 700 classrooms per year; around 1.2 million copies of the magazines have been distributed in the 10 years of publication.

For more information:

Kristen Nelson at 202–205–1406 or kristennelson@fs.fed.us