Jackie

This year we are considering having students record their presentation for science fair on Flipgrid and allow questions to be answered that way instead of in class presentations.   I have done posters before and it has been very successful for an invasive species project.

I took a look at Journey North. We have been discussing a native plant garden at our school and thought that this might be something to incorporate. I was looking at the journey maps. By their description they engage "citizen scientists from across North America in tracking migration and seasonal change to foster scientific understanding, environmental awareness and the land ethic". I was able to quickly access the maps that show the data, location and how the butterflies move. I think anyone would be able to look at the data and use it to make predictions. There are options to look at various years and make comparisons. Students would be able to start to draw questions about the patterns that they notice. Students would be able to use this data to create a project and possibly help create and help plan our native plant garden or other projects.

I used Seek. It was super easy to use. I was able to identify several plants and an insect. Even as an adult, I was getting excited about getting my badges. It was also neat to be able to have some things only being labeled as a dicot or insect. I definitely will need to spend some time explaining this to students. The first challenge I thought might be an issue would be having my students who are English Language Learners (ELLs). I really liked seeing the different language options. I had several students this past year that were struggling with their English skills. I think this would be a great introduction to citizen scientist concepts. I think making sure that students take good pictures and that the better the picture the more information can be recorded.  

I think for me it was a lot of heard was expected. For many of my student not having a "name" for the sound might be an issue and they may not write it down. I think we would need to talk about the fact that they may not have a name for the sound but it is still an observation and how important that is. I might be able to identify the bird call but a student might be able to tell that he bird sounds are different. When it comes to doing the observations in general and using all their senses I think it will be important to note that taste will be the hardest to note. I think having a conversation with kids about what it means to fully participate and observe will be one of the first things I have to start.  Brainstorm ideas of what that looks like and maybe even feels like. Sometimes middle schoolers have a hard time just sitting and listening.

I have not had the opportunity to conduct a citizen scientists projects with my students yet. With the fact that I have students who must complete a science fair project, one of these options could be a doable option especially since distance learning is such a real option this year. I would like to give my students the option of one of the options for a class led science fair project. I have classes each year that need a lot of guidance and support. By having these options for a citizen science projects would allow me to be more helpful and be able to build their confidence. It would definitely allow me to build their confidence.

My students participate in science fair every year as part of their requirements of the lab science program at our school. Science fair would be classified as open inquiry. Students are allowed to pick up a topic that interests them. This is usually after in class I have gone through some of the other levels of inquiry. I start the year with a lot of confirmation inquiry and work through the others. Science fair is to see if students grasped the other levels of inquiry. I know that they develop making their own questions, gathering data, and interpreting their data. One thing that I need to work on is that for some of my regular classes I need to walk through a guided situation with science fair for these students. They are in need of those supports where they are provided with the research and we as a group design the project together. I am hoping that this program will help me develop that.