Elise

My very first memories and connection with nature started when I was a child, my family and I took daily family trips to our local Metro Park in Columbus, Blendon Woods. Even when I visit the park today I am immediately transported back in time to walking the trails, visiting the nature center, or playing on the playground with my sister as a child. The smell and the crunch of the leaves floods me with nostalgia. It feels like a warm embrace being at that park. Even visiting the zoo every week as young child connected me to nature. I wondered and learned about the various animals and the consistent trips made me feel connected to the animals getting to see them often. These things encompass my favorite memories of outdoor childhood play. As a first grade teacher, I wish for my students to develop the same connection and embrace I feel from Blendon Woods and the zoo. No matter how I am feeling, visiting these places always lifts me up and reminds me that nature is always present for us. This started because of my visits there as a young child. I worry as a teacher that because of technology, my students may lose that connection early on with nature. I pray and hope I can connect them to nature so they grow to love it as much as me. Me & Nature Below...:)

I researched eBird. This tracking system, allows any birder to input their bird data from their birding experiences. Scientists can then use the data submitted from average birders to understand migration, bird types, sounds, etc. Thus eBird directly playing a role in citizen science. This database is accessible to anyone and someone who has not participated in the project can use the data. For example, let's say a student is researching tufted titmouses and they want to know where the are primarily located. On ebird, the "species map" allows any individual to type in a bird type and the map shows where the bird type is directly located. (As seen in the screenshot image.) A student could then take their research project even further, and use the species map to locate what cities or areas the tufted titmouse is located more heavily in versus not. They could graph their findings and conduct further research on their prevalence in more areas than others. The second image shows in specified areas of the city of Columbus where the tufted titmouse was reported using ebird. 

I am a first grade teacher collaborating with another 1st grade class to participate in Project FeederWatch. The biggest challenge we face is seeing birds at our feeders consistently. Our school is located in a more urban area. Therefore, the amount of noise in our area I fear prevents the amount of birds we observe. This citizen science project has opened our students' eyes to the wildlife right outside their door. I often would hear discussion about zoo animals but now they discuss birds and their pleasure in documenting our observations of them outside. They begin to see how the living things and wildlife around them is impacted by themselves.

The most impactful thing for me when creating the sound map, was how much "man-made noise" I heard. For example, cars, bikes, planes, etc. I had hoped to hear more of not "man-made noise". It was cool to hear bird sounds as I hear them frequently where I live. When doing a sound map, I love closing my eyes to be fully immersed in the sound. I will encourage my students to do the same.

I wish to model UC Davis' teaching practice, "position youth as people who do science". What I love about project feederwatch and apps like Merlin and ebird, is ANYONE can feel like they are apart of science and scientists. My students are beyond engaged because they are directly playing a role with their observations they have seen. I want to create more opportunities like this for them, because I do not want them to think scientists are just older men in lab coats. When they think of a scientists, I want them to think of themselves.

Every spring, I conduct a living thing units to adhere to our first grade science standards, "living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical environment" and, "living things survive only in environments that meet their needs". A lesson I give students to help them generate an understanding of living things and how they retrieve their basic needs is with the animal adaptation of bird beaks. I explain to students what an animal adaptation is, and how a bird beak for example is adapated to birds accordingly to help them retrieve food in the specific environment they live in. Then I have students conduct an investigation where they are given different materials ("beaks") that they must use to retrieve different foods. The materials ("beaks") they are given are: (1 singular) Tweezers, paper clips, chopsticks, and clothespins. Following the materials ("beaks"), they are given: Gummy worms, beans, and noodles. Using their "beaks" they must see which beak is able to retrieve what food the best. Following the investigation, the students and I discuss the findings and their understanding of how an animal adaptation like a bird beak, assists a bird (a living thing) in surviving in its environment. Therefore, this would fall under the inquiry level, "confirmation inquiry level (students are confirming the scientific principles behind needs of living things)." Students are confirming with this investigation, that a bird beak is formed in the way that it is in order for a bird to get the food it needs to survive. The students see that through using a tweezer, to retrieve a bean, that their bird beak tweezer would help them survive to get their nutrients. (A.k.a. the beans.) To modify this lesson, I may add a follow up investigation, that relates to different habitats or environments. I would group students into different "environments" or "habitats" and give the certain animals that live in that habitat or environment. Once grouped and with knowledge of their "environment" or "habitat" and animal, I would give them different challenges to see if their animal could surivive the challenges faced in their habitat or environment. This could relate to the structured or guided inquiry level because students will learn what can impact a habitat the directly affects the survival of their animal. I would conduct a lesson on this thus guiding their understanding of the post investigation.