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The Whole Scat Story

School: Palouse Prairie Charter School

City/State: Moscow, ID

Grade(s): 2, 3

Format(s): Books & Guides, Field guide: Natural science

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science and Technology, Visual Arts

Project Overview

Second and third-grade students at the Palouse Prairie School in Moscow, Idaho participated in a learning expedition called “The Whole Scat Story.” Students were introduced to the scientific concepts of ecosystems, food chains, and food webs through the lens of scat. The guiding questions that drove the expedition were:

  • How is energy transferred between organisms in an ecosystem?
  • What does scat tell us about the organisms that live in an ecosystem?

Students learned how to identify scat and determined what animals ate in connection with the food chain and food web. They conducted fieldwork with biologists at Phillips Farm (a local public nature park) to gather data by identifying and examining scat in the field. They also visited an expert, Dr. Lisette Waits, at the University of Idaho to learn more deeply about scat identification and the story scat tells. 

The final product was an informational board that contains models of all the different animal’s scat of Phillip’s Farm along with an informational writing piece. The display board also features realistic drawings of a food pyramid highlighting the animals that visit Phillips Farm. The display board was placed in Phillips Farm to educate others, serving the student's mission. In addition, photographs of the scat were placed in a field guide for families that they can download at the Phillips Farm website.

How This Project Can Be Useful

  • Highlights a unique way of looking at organisms in an ecosystem that will appeal to younger students
  • Excellent example of a local field guide with an authentic audience
  • A well-designed layout that combines photographic illustration with detailed descriptions in text boxes
  • Demonstrates how multiple products can be created with the same information

Additional Standards

  • 3.S.1.2.1 Make observations, collect data and evaluate it.
  • 3.S.3.1.1 Describe the adaptation of animals to their environment.
  • 3.S.3.2.1 Describe the energy needed for living systems to survive.
  • 3.S.3.2.2 Compare and contrast the energy requirements of plants and animals.
  • 3.S.3.2.3 Label a food chain that shows how organisms cooperate and compete in an ecosystem.
  • 3.S.3.2.4 Diagram the food web and explain how organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems.
  • 2.S.3.2.1 Identify four basic needs of all living things (food, shelter, water, space).
  • 2.S.3.2.2 Discuss how animals are suited to live in different habitats.
  • K.VA.3.1.3 Apply the elements of color, shape, and line in artwork.
  • K.VA.3.1.4 Demonstrate skills of observation in the production of artwork.
  • CCRA.R.3.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
  • CCRA.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  • CCRA.W.3.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • CCRA.W.3.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
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