Annette

Rubrics are important as they give students clear and concise directions about what is expected. That being said, just using a rubric at the end of a unit with final presentations does not offer students any type of formative feedback. Therefore,  a rubric is only as good as the times you actually use it. rubrics need to be reviewed at the beginning of the project, after each section has been completed and then used as  a summative report. Reviewing a rubric at the beginning and end of a project lets students know the expectations and how they will be graded. Reviewing each section of a rubric while the project is in progress  can be done using peer reviews, small student & teacher groups or one on one with a teacher. This enables the student to gain feedback to improve their project as they are working on it.

I researched emammel, https://emammal.si.edu/. This is  a data management system and archive for camera trap research projects. You would need to have camera traps in order to participate in any of their projects. (I do know that some local  museums will lend these to schools - we are lucky enough at our school to have a set of 4.) This is a collection of camera trap projects and  you are able to establish your own  project for your school. I will say that the website took a while to understand and navigate. It would take time to figure out how to use this platform. I focussed in on NCSU Camera Trapping to look at their data. They have set up camera traps all over the local region in places such as greenways, golf courses, cemeteries and local parks. There was a variety of urban settings covered by 39 cameras. The data could be sorted by individual places (cameras were obviously moved as the project has been ongoing since 2015). The data was able to be manipulated into pie charts, bar graphs and tables. I like this as a table can be presented and students can then graph the data. There was also  a way through emammal to view the actual photos from individual projects. I think  students would need guidance to navigate into the individual projects but after mastering, they could easily research data. They would be able to focus on either a specific project, area, mammal and then add to the overarching research by creating their own project.

I participated in  the Greater NC Spring Biothon 2020. The project was simply to take pictures of biomass in and around the area where I live.  There were 2,651 observations recorded and 1007 species identified between 26 people. The data showed exactly which species we were  seeing most and least of ( Eastern Grey squirrel was spotted the most). It was very easy to take part in and I am sure that even my youngest Kindergarten students can participate.  I spent  a month taking hikes and actively searching for species wherever I went. I  even roped in the entire family and everyone was always on the lookout for plants, insects and creatures of any kind. I think it was a good way to start working on observations and I liked the fact that other participants were able to help me identify some of my unknown species. I think the inaturalist platform is a good starting point before advancing to another citizen science project. I think it can help foster awareness, observations and inquiry. I like how you can set up a challenge and it can be customized for my class / school.

This activity forces you to stop, think and concentrate on what is already around you. Not on what you are cramming into your brain via smart phones etc.  I think the time of ten minutes was needed because it took a while to settle down and really focus on everything. I sat for a while with my eyes closed and that helped me focus even more. I think having students complete this activity  is a good way to introduce them to the world around them and make then start to see / hear. it would be interesting to complete the map only focussing on other senses such as touch and smell. I can see a lot of extension activities for this concept.

I teach an entomology class and the students investigate various insects and creepy creatures such as hissing cockroaches, worms, millipedes etc. The students are in kindergarten and first grade. The first thing we always complete before any creature is revealed is a KWL chart - specifically the what I know section. This gives me an idea of what students think and if they have any misconceptions.  The critter is then presented for students to explore. After a few minutes the questions students have naturally start to fly. What do they eat? Where do they live?  How is the creature moving? and so on..  All of these are added to the chart and drive the lessons for the remainder of the week.  I also add my own questions to areas I want to guide the conversation such as exoskeletons, metamorphosis and life cycles. Therefore, the lessons become a mixture of guided inquiry and open ended inquiry. I had never really thought about what level of inquiry this is it just seemed natural to foster their curiosity. There is a lot of observation and research completed via videos and literature and the students keep a science journal to note their findings. I think if I added what if and had students focus in on a particular topic or question of their choice rather than my own interjected ideas  there might be a deeper understanding of one concept rather than an overview and a light dusting of many different ideas.  I believe where I am at is a good starting place but could be taken to a more meaningful level and increase investigation through observation.

I have not completed any citizen science projects with students. Over the last few years, we have completed Journey North which tracks the migration of Monarchs and logged their return from winter migration sites.  However, this was more for information purposes rather than students playing an active role in investigations. I am interested in  completing soil sampling around our school by specifically looking at insects as a indicator of healthy soils and  also air quality concerning the idling cars in our carpool lane. I think the most important  aspect is to have a community partner to help  understand which data is needed to be collected and  how it will be used. Students need to  know that their work is impactful and can make a difference in their community.  Real world application and student interest,  are to me, the most important factors when choosing a project to participate in.