Search results

Jocassee Gorges: Temperate rain forests of the Blue Ridge

A Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations “virtual field trip” that explores the geology and botanical diversity of the Jocassee Gorges region of North Carolina's mountains.

Format: slideshow (multiple pages)

Forests on the highland plateaus

In Jocassee Gorges: Temperate rain forests of the Blue Ridge, page 9

The upper slopes of the Blue Ridge support forests similar to those found at lower elevations much further north. Figure 6 shows one of these that are dominated by the Canadian hemlock and many other species, including the beeches and birches that characterize...

By Dirk Frankenberg and Stephanie Walters.

Diverse species

In Jocassee Gorges: Temperate rain forests of the Blue Ridge, page 10

The forests of the high slopes are mixed mesophytic forests found on creek and river slopes. Those found below 2,500 feet in open areas are characterized by a greater richness of species than is found in any other vegetation type in the region. This richness...

By Dirk Frankenberg and Stephanie Walters.

North Carolina's rain forest

In Jocassee Gorges: Temperate rain forests of the Blue Ridge, page 1

The Blue Ridge escarpment is the steep slope that separates North Carolina's mountains from its Piedmont plateau. The escarpment trends north and east across the state from South Carolina to Virginia. In many places it is steep enough to rise over 1,500 feet...

By Dirk Frankenberg and Stephanie Walters.

Forest growth in Thailand

Format: image/map

Trees damaged by acid rain on Clingmans Dome

These are trees on Clingmans Dome that have been damaged by acid rain. Disease, pests, and acid rain kill hundreds of trees on the mountain every year. Clingmans Dome is the second highest point in the eastern United States, trumped only by Mount Mitchell....

Format: image/photograph

Slipsliding poetry

Students will work with a partner to write an original piece of poetry to express information learned about the rain forest and an animal that lives in that habitat. Students will share their poems by creating a multimedia slide show.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Science)

By Angela Hodges.

Why are there so many rare plants in Jocassee Gorges?

In Jocassee Gorges: Temperate rain forests of the Blue Ridge, page 3

The topography of Jocassee Gorges is responsible for the incredible rainfall the area receives, and thus is also ultimately responsible for the many rare and endemic plants of the region. The shape of the gorges causes the rising air, thunderheads, and rainfall...

By Dirk Frankenberg and Stephanie Walters.

At home in the tropical rainforest

Students will choose one rainforest animal to research using print and electronic resources. They will work cooperatively with a partner to create a Hyperstudio card with the following information: photograph of the animal, the layer of the rainforest it inhabits, sound the animal makes, and an interesting fact about the animal.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts and Science)

By Sally Eller.

The Red-eyed Tree Frog and Hyperstudio

Students will read The Red-eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley then plan and put together a Hyperstudio which retells the story.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Computer/Technology Skills and English Language Arts)

By Jody Shaughnessy.

The growth of tourism: Southern Pines

In North Carolina in the New South, page 5.10

Report on a trip by doctors to Southern Pines, North Carolina, suggesting that its healthful climate made it an excellent destination for urban tourists and people recovering from illnesses. Includes historical commentary.

Format: article

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

Natural diversity

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 1.1

North Carolina has within its borders the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River, a broad, low-lying coastal area, and all the land in between. That variety of landforms, elevations, and climates has produced as diverse a range of ecosystems as any state in the United States. It has also influenced the way people have lived in North Carolina for thousands of years.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Horizons Unlimited

This wonderful education center and museum provides hands-on programs for students in the areas of history and the physical and biological sciences.

Format: article/field trip opportunity

Packaging resources

In Web Publishing & Collaboration Guide, page 2.3

LEARN NC is especially interested in publishing "packages" of resources that integrate instructional plans, best practices, and/or materials for student learning, including primary sources and multimedia. Teachers will be more likely to use and adapt upon...

Format: /help

From the North Carolina Gold-Mine Company

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 6.3

An 1806 report on North Carolina's gold mining region, including notes on geology and a description of the early work of mining. Includes historical commentary.

Format: book

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

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.

The natural history of North Carolina

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 1.2

If the five billion years of the earth's history were condensed into a single day, humans would have arrived in North Carolina just two tenths of a second before midnight! This article summarizes the major biological and geological events in North Carolina's history and explains how the land and environment of today came to be.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

The regions of North Carolina

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 1.2

In this lesson, students analyze the differences between North Carolina's geographical regions: the Mountains, the Piedmont, and the Inner and Outer Coastal Plain.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Africans before captivity

In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.1

Most Africans who came to North America were from West Africa and West Central Africa. This article describes some of the cultures and history of those regions prior to the beginning of the slave trade.

Format: article

Resources on the web

Forest features

Students concentrate on the tropical rain forest and learn about explorer Michael Fay's Congo Trek through the African rain forest. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Science and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic