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How is coastal sand formed into barrier islands?: In Small sand volume barrier islands: Environmental processes and development risks, page 2; Coastal sand is organized into barrier islands when three conditions are met: There is a supply of sand sufficient to form islands; sea level is rising; and there are winds and waves with sufficient energy to move the sand around....; By Dirk Frankenberg.

Estuaries in North Carolina: A primer: Estuaries are places near the coast where freshwater and saltwater mix. Influenced by ocean forces yet partly sheltered from them, estuaries have unique and fascinating ecologies. This article explains what estuaries are, their geology and role in the larger...; By Waverly Harrell and Jennifer Godwin-Wyer.

Why does North Carolina have so many, and so many kinds of, monadnocks?: In Lonely mountains: The monadnocks of the inner Piedmont, page 2; North Carolina has more than a dozen monadnocks scattered among its Blue Ridge mountains, and another ten or more on its Piedmont Plateau. These monadnocks formed during dramatic and diverse events that occurred as the state's crust formed. Most of these geologic...; By Dirk Frankenberg.

Micromonadnocks: In Lonely mountains: The monadnocks of the inner Piedmont, page 3; The process of monadnock formation is often demonstrated in small scale when rocky fill dirt erodes during rainstorms. An example of such a “micromonadnock” in some eroded fill near Chapel Hill is shown in Figure 2. Note the flat rocks at the peak...; By Dirk Frankenberg.

Bedding planes: In Lonely mountains: The monadnocks of the inner Piedmont, page 8; The quartzite layers that make up the pinnacle of Pilot Mountain also comprise the erosion-resistant cap rocks of Hanging Rock and the two ridges that separate these pinnacles. This uniformity suggests a common origin of this material, and geologists theorize...; By Dirk Frankenberg.

Meeting North Carolina's mammals: Coyotes, deer, rabbits, and raccoons range nearly everywhere in North Carolina. By looking for signs and tracks around your school campus, students can learn all about them.; By Linda Dow.

All about life: A primary curriculum based around life and environmental science draws on children's natural curiosity to teach reading, math, and more.; By Myra Erexson.

Courses and causes: You don't need special skills, great physical abilities, or a lot of money to participate in environmental workshops — just the interest. Learning opportunities like those discussed in this article can invigorate your teaching, inspire your students, and get you involved in causes outside your school.; Format: article; By Linda Dow.

The secret cultural institution in your school: The school library: A variety of best practices and imaginative ideas that the school librarian can use to create an environment where students fuse together required learning with learning that is driven by individual interest.; By Kim Campbell.

A perspective on inquiry: In this interview, Norman Budnitz, cofounder of the Center for Inquiry Based Learning, talks about inquiry and how to teach with it in a K–12 classroom.; Format: article/best practice; By Waverly Harrell.

The unique beauty of the Roan Highlands: In Roan Mountain Highlands, page 1; The natural beauty of the Roan Mountain Highlands has been recognized since they were first visited by Europeans in the eighteenth century. The first naturalist to report on this site was John Fraser (for whom the Fraser fir is named) in 1787. Other reports...; By Dirk Frankenberg and Jennifer Godwin-Wyer.

What causes the great biological diversity of the Blue Ridge?: In Elevations and forest types along the Blue Ridge Parkway, page 2; Although the distribution of forest types in the Blue Ridge is best explained by the relationship between elevation and temperature, the great diversity of these forests is not. To understand the underlying causes of this diversity requires some knowledge...; By Dirk Frankenberg.

The spray zone: In Jocassee Gorges: Temperate rain forests of the Blue Ridge, page 13; One of the unique features of the Jocassee Gorges region is the plant community that flourishes in the spray zone around the base of the waterfalls. Figure 10 shows visible evidence of the spray that sustains these unusual communities. If you look closely...; By Dirk Frankenberg and Stephanie Walters.

Algae: In Jocassee Gorges: Temperate rain forests of the Blue Ridge, page 14; The rocks closest to the base of the falls get the heaviest spray. These rocks remain wet at all times and therefore make excellent places for the growth of attached algae. The green patches on the rocks shown in Figure 11 are algae. There are most obvious...; By Dirk Frankenberg and Stephanie Walters.

Why are the rocks and plant communities of Roan Mountain interesting to natural scientists?: In Roan Mountain Highlands, page 2; The rocks of Roan Mountain are interesting because of their age, their mineralogy, and the evidence they provide about the geological processes that formed them. The plant communities are interesting because they are southern examples of communities usually...; By Dirk Frankenberg and Jennifer Godwin-Wyer.

Classification and attributes: In Intrigue of the Past, page 1.7; In their study of classification and attributes, students will use “doohickey kits” to classify objects based on their attributes, and explain that scientists and specifically archaeologists use classification to help answer research questions.; Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

Stratigraphy and cross-dating: In Intrigue of the Past, page 2.3; Students will use an activity sheet to interpret archaeological strata using the law of superposition and apply cross-dating to determine the age of other artifacts.; Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

Name that point!: In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.4; In their study of projectile points (i.e., spear points or “arrowheads”) dating to the Archaic period in North Carolina, students use activity sheets to compare projectile point attributes and to identify and classify points based on clearly defined variables. They will also match projectile points to a chronology and determine when the points were made and why the information is important to archaeologists.; Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

A Siouan village: In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.6; In their study of an excavated village site, students will record observations about a site feature and infer how past peoples used individual features and the site as a whole. They will also summarize how archaeologists use observation and inference to determine past lifeways.; Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

A guided journey into the past: In Intrigue of the Past, page 5.7; In their study of archaeological resource conservation, students will use guided imagery to discover and judge an alternative way to enjoy artifacts without removing them from archaeological sites.; Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

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