About the Investi-gator

The Investi-gator is a free science journal for upper elementary level students.  This journal is created in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association.  The journal focuses on contemporary, Forest Service research and is written in the format of a scientific article. 

Each article has the following components:

Meet the Scientist- An introduction to the scientist or scientists who conducted the research.

Glossary- Possible new terms you will find in the article.  Glossary words are printed in bold in the article.

Thinking About Science- A short introduction to something about the scientific process that is related to the research being presented. 

Thinking About the Environment- A short introduction to something about the natural environment that is related to the research being presented.

Introduction- The part of the written scientific paper that introduces the scientific problem or question the scientists want to solve or answer.

Method- The part of the written scientific paper that describes how the scientists collected and analyzed their data or information.

Findings- The part of the written scientific paper that describes what the scientists discovered.

Discussion- The part of the written scientific paper that summarizes the research and offers any new insights.

Reflection Sections- These are questions placed behind the Introduction, Methods, Findings, and Discussion sections.  The purpose of the questions is to help students think about what they have read.

FACTivity- This is an activity that supports the article and can be done with your class. 

Each edition also has a lesson plan, word games, answers to the Reflection Sections, and correlations to National Science Education Standards at the back of the journal. 

The Investi-gator is the newest member of the Natural Inquirer family.  This Natural Inquirer is a similar publication that targets a middle school and high school audience.  Please visit www.naturalinquirer.org for additional information.