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One of the biggest challenges is the "mindset" our students seem to have about learning in general. I teach in a low socioeconomic rural community. While I can often ignite curiosity and excitement for science inquiry-based activities, it's the follow-through that is often the problem. As teachers at the middle school, we work hard on building a family mentality with our class. We work hard on mindset and perseverance is a continuing theme. There is a quick and be done attitude and that's good enough that is popular with our students. I really think the Citizen Science aspect will help. It will make their data meaningful and more important. I always have a presentation aspect to my projects and I think this is really important. When my students know that they will present information to other students and teachers, it makes a difference. I invite any class that would like to come and view the projects and I always encourage them to ask questions of my students. My students know their former teachers will be surveying their work so they want to do well. By doing this, I am setting expectations for not only my present students but future students as well.

This will certainly be useful to me since we are putting up to 2 nesting boxes with cameras. Thank you!

Well, I am usually just as curious as my students are about things and that starts questions - they like having to find the answer or explore more when I am not the expert. I also throw the question back on them - What do you think? Are there other questions you might have? Look at -------. I challenge their thinking which leads to more or different questions. I invite other students in on the conversation - let the student who initially had the question to share her/his thoughts first. What ideas or questions can you add? Do you agree with what ----- is asking? What information might you need to explore this further? Taking a step back allows the students to take the lead.

I agree with you. I am often fighting a time constraint and sometimes attitudes. I especially like your comment: "I wonder how many more students I would touch, inspire, and motivate to love science if I left learning in their hands" - more often than I do.

I have done the Sound Map many times with children. I enjoy engaging in it also. I have never done this activity in my own backyard;  a few of the sounds, I realized later, were daily occurrences at the time I did the activity. One of the activities I have had my students do, I'm sure other people have done also, is sitting back to back. One student finds an object to describe in detail while the other student tries to draw what is described to them. It is great for honing observation skills and enhancing descriptive techniques besides being a lot of fun.

Probably the one I could be better at is: frame the work locally and globally. My students have presented their field study results locally: school and community but it's the Citizen Science piece that I need to get better at. This will have more of an impact on my students.

Investigating Photosynthesis This activity is about discovering what plants need for photosynthesis. My students usually know that we breathe out CO2 and that plants give off O2 - that there is a circle of life. They are asked to write down what they think plants need/consume/use and what they give off. Based on what they write, they are asked to give an equation for plant intake and give off. Ex. CO2 + water + soil + sunlight ----- O2 + food/fruit This activity would be considered Guided Inquiry because the next step gives them the question: Do plants use (consume) CO2 or release it when they are in light, photosynthesizing? The students then need to plan how they are going to investigate this - what's their plan for answering the question. How are they going to collect convincing evidence? How are they going to establish evidence of CO2? The students need to come up with a procedure and a data table. Students use a higher level of thinking because they are responsible for the design of the investigation. They need to be methodical in their procedure and figure out an indicator for CO2 (which involves researching). They are basically designing and conducting a controlled experiment, creating and using a data table, making observations, and then analyzing their findings. Their findings lead them to the concept of the activity and investigation of photosynthesis plus the higher level equation process from their original of CO2 + soil + water + sunlight  ------ O2 + food/fruit to plants use carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to make glucose, oxygen, and water. This activity could lend itself to an Open Inquiry because the initial question of what does a plant consume/need/use and what does it give, easily leads to other questions (and usually does). Since this activity is after I have done plant and animal cells and their functions, which they are always excited about, a deeper expanding realm of questions seems to follow.