Topics Related to Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation
Phenomenon Description: A large boulder looks as if it has been bent and folded.Location: BuncombeGrade Level or Course:Grade 4Question: Why does this boulder appear to be bent and folded?Crosscutting Concept: Cause and Effect: Mechanism & ExplanationScience Domain: Earth and Space ScienceNC Standard:ESS.4.2 Understand patterns of change in the Earth's surface over time.
Phenomenon Description: Sea turtles come to North Carolina beaches in the summer (May to August) to lay their eggs. Location: Dare County, Outer BanksGrade Level or Course: Grade 4
Phenomenon Description: A large swarm of dragonflies (a mix of common green darners and wandering gliders) flying over a grassland at an environmental education center in Raleigh.Location: Wake County, Prairie Ridge Ecostation Grade Level or Course: Grade 5 Question: Why did this swarm of dragonflies form in this location? Other related Questions:Why does this behavior matter to our environment?
Phenomenon Description: North Carolina often experiences minor earthquakes, but the state is not located near a tectonic plate boundary. Location: North Carolina Grade Level or Course: Earth and Environmental Science
Phenomenon Description: Blue ghost fireflies (Phausis reticulata) emit their unique nighttime glow Location: Pisgah National Forest, North CarolinaGrade Level or Course: Biology
Phenomenon Description: Tilled vs Non-tilled SoilLocation: Rockingham County, Reidsville Grade Level or Course: Earth and Environmental ScienceQuestion: Why do some farmers choose no-till farming practices?Provide other related questions you considered about the phenomenon:What are the pros and cons of both tilled and no-till methods of farming?How does tilling affect erosion, runoff, and the health of nearby rivers and streams?
Phenomenon Description: Kudzu growing along the roadLocation: Wake CountyGrade Level or Course: BiologyQuestion: How can a single plant grow up to a foot per day and what powers that kind of speed?Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect: Mechanism & Exploration Provide other related questions you considered about the phenomenon:What makes kudzu so unstoppable in the U.S., but not in its native environment?
Phenomenon Description: The North Carolina mountains are home to several species of fireflies, most notably the synchronous and blue ghost fireflies, which put on stunning light shows in late spring and early summer.Location: Graham Grade Level or Course: ChemistryQuestion: How and why do fireflies create light?Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect: Mechanism & ExplorationScience Domain: Physical Science
Phenomenon Description: Unusual orange growth on an Eastern Red Cedar. Location: North Carolina Grade Level or Course: 8Question: What is that strange orange growth on this tree?Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and EffectScience Domain: Life Science NC Standard: LS.8.1 - Understand the hazards caused by agents of diseases that affect living organisms.