From students, to families, to interested novices … citizen scientists are people from all walks of life who participate in projects that help document biological and environmental trends over regions and timelines far broader than anyone could tackle by themselves. For teachers, citizen science is a way to motivate and inspire students through participation in research that is relevant both locally and globally. Students connect to the natural world as they make observations, collect data, and view their findings within the broader scope of the project.

In the new Citizen Science: 15 Lessons that Bring Biology to Life 6-12 book, scenarios of middle school classes engaging in citizen science are coupled with lessons that help teachers build citizen science data collection and analysis into their classrooms. From butterflies to birds, plants to frogs, turtles to squirrels—your students can collect meaningful data! Your students will not only learn science, they will be scientists. What better way to fulfill the NGSS mandate to couple science practice with content and give students a real-world context in which to apply what they are learning?

Here are five tips to consider as you and your students become citizen scientists on Earth Day… and beyond.

1. Foster a detective attitude
: Set the scene. Tell kids that they are detectives on an important investigation; one where making observations and asking questions will be the ultimate keys to discovery.  With this setup, you will have your very own team of Sherlocks ready to start inspecting the project at hand.  As you collect citizen science data, invite your students to observe closely and record questions that will pique their curiosity about the world around them.

2. Share the learning process: For example, if you’re participating in a citizen science project on birds, don’t be afraid to tell your students that you are not an expert and that you will learn about birds together. You may find them feeling even more empowered to become bird experts themselves. There is a wide variety of projects available and most projects offer online support, so whether you know a little or a lot, your students can be citizen scientists!

3. Keep track of observations in a personal journal: Scientists keep journals or field notes of their observations. Budding citizen scientists can too!  Keeping a journal helps develop keen observational skills. Encourage students to write descriptive notes and draw what they see as you work on your citizen-science project.

4.  Let them know it matters: As one teacher who participates in the eBird citizen-science project shared, “Citizen science gives students the ability to genuinely participate in science. When students realize that their bird observations are important data that will be used to make connections that couldn’t otherwise be made, they realize, ‘I am helping.’ This really motivates the kids to get out there and do science!” Citizen-science data has been used to make conservation recommendations, to document the spread of disease in wild animals, and to understand impacts of climate change. Your data matters!

5. Share your observations: Don’t just keep your data in a notebook or on a datasheet. Be sure you submit your citizen-science data to the project you are participating in. That way, your data helps researchers put the Earth’s puzzle together.  You can also share your actions on BirdSleuth’s Action Map (and have a chance to win a schoolyard habitat improvement grant or other prizes).

Wherever you are, and whatever your interests, there is a citizen-science project to meet your needs.  Many projects require few (if any) supplies, are free to participate in, and offer online support. You can explore options and search for a project at Citizen Science Central and SciStarter. For Earth Day and beyond… consider citizen science as a real-world, engaging way to teach science!

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Today’s guest blogger is Jennifer Fee, Manager of K-12 Programs at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (email: birdsletuh@cornell.edu).  Visit www.birdsleuth.org for resources, information, and inspiration related to school-based citizen science!

How many of us have said that students don’t study enough? A more fundamental question: Do they know how to study? Teachers may assume so, especially for secondary students. Many of the featured articles in this issue focus on strategies that focus on students learning how to learn and making the language of science accessible to all.
Beyond “Hitting the Books”* has concrete suggestions for helping students develop strategies for independent study and learning, including student-created tools such as science vocabulary notecards and study decks. Reducing Stress by Improving Study Skills notes that students’ parents list homework as a major source of stress (for the students). At the secondary level, if students have 4-6 major subjects and each teacher requires at least an hour of homework, it’s no wonder that students feel stressed, at least in terms of time. The author suggests that helping students develop their study skills could relieve some stress.

The article Vocabulary, Concepts, Evidence, and Examples states that “Strategies they [students] have used in other contexts, such as fiction reading, don’t usually help in reading science content.” In the elementary years, the emphasis is often on reading speed, but science text may require a slower, more focused style of reading (and rereading) that includes features of the text such as sidebars and captions on graphics. Our elementary and reading specialist colleagues may talk about students interacting with the text they’re reading, but what could that look like in science? The authors describe and share an organizer to help students as they read (examples of student work are provided). This looks like a powerful alternative to traditional reading guides with their “read the text and answer questions approach” to a focus on what scientists would find important.
Low-level recall questions, avoiding calling on students, watering down the curriculum—unfortunately, these strategies overlook the facts that ELL students have various proficiency levels and abilities even though they may struggle at first with the English language and the language of science. The authors of Leveling Up share a description of the five levels of proficiency, including starting, emerging, developing, expanding, and bridging. They then crosscheck these proficiencies with the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy to show types of activities that can be used to make sure that students of all levels have opportunities to demonstrate remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. The article includes both a chart and a more detailed description of this framework.
It might not be enough to teach just vocabulary, especially for English language learners. “A particular stand-alone science term is like a brick in a structure of students’ understanding of science, and the language structures that connect the bricks are the mortar that holds the edifice of science understanding together.” A Brick and Mortar Approach describes language structures related to crosscutting concepts and an example of what structures relate to the process of comparing. I could see how this would be helpful to any students who struggle with the language and concepts of science.
How can we provide choices for students to demonstrate their learning? The author of Tic-Tac-Toe: An Experiment in Student Choice* adds to the literature about this strategy for  differentiating instruction. Students are given a grid of nine different ways to demonstrate their learning. They choose 3 in a row. It was interesting that in the student feedback on the strategy, the students actually suggested additional tasks that could be used! The author provides two examples in the Connections* for this issue.
At a workshop I attended at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, we received t-shirts that said “We all live downstream.” But what if you don’t live near a body of water or you and your students can’t get to one during the school day? Upstream, Downstream* shows how to simulate a water quality activity. The 5E lesson includes a scenario and how to prepare water samples that relate to the situation. “Framing the lesson within a pretend community and a hypothetical problem helps with student engagement and deepens connections between individual and business actions and the health of aquatic ecosystems.” [SciLinks: Watersheds, Water Quality, Water Pollution]
If you’re thinking of involving students in scientific argumentation, Choose Controversies Wisely. The authors list several suggestions for insuring that the activity will result in science learning. For example: choosing topics that are scientifically controversial rather than those that are religiously or politically controversial; keeping the focus at a level the students can understand and within a reasonable scope; and providing resources that address all sides of the controversy. For additional ideas on how to engage students in choosing topics and developing skills in argumentation, check out a new publication from NSTA–It’s Debatable! Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy K-12 by Dana L. Zeidler and Sami Kahn.

Lisa Ernst models perseverance and critical thinking for her elementary students, encouraging them to persist when faced with challenges. Throughout her career, Ernst has developed project–based units that allow her students to tap into their creativity and curiosity while learning scientific and engineering principles, such as her cross–curricula  Building Bridges in Earthquake Country: From the Past to the Present unit. At a workshop during the first annual California STEM Symposium, Ernst’s students led educators through the bridges unit which spans physical and Earth science, technology, and history.

Ernst works to advance elementary science teaching through research as a co-developer with the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERF), being a field test teacher for the Understanding Language Institute at Stanford University, as presenter at national and regional conferences, and by organizing and leading informal science programs with entities including the Exploratorium, NASA, Chabot Space and Science Center, and the Monterey Aquarium.

 “She has stood out as an educator committed to developing skills that will assure that all students have a quality science, and STEM, education,” says Jerry Valadez, director of the Central Valley Science Project.

I inherited a classroom-lab from a retired teacher, and I want to replace some of the generic posters with displays of student work. One of my colleagues says this is not a good idea. She didn’t explain her reasons, but now I’m not sure what to do.
—Therese, Charlotte, North Carolina
I’ve worked on statewide projects in which I had the opportunity to visit K-12 classrooms. The classrooms were generally very colorful; the bulletin boards and walls included motivational posters, teacher-created displays related to seasons or holidays, or artifacts related to the teacher’s interests. But I was surprised by the lack of student contributions. In some places, the student work was limited to cookie-cutter artwork (e.g., snowflakes, hearts, pumpkins). In some classrooms, every available inch was covered with something, which I found very distracting. And there were a few with completely bare walls.
By having students create the displays or showcasing student work, you show that you value student work and that the classroom really belongs to the students. Students have a chance to learn from and celebrate each other’s work, as they demonstrate connections to the current content or the processes they are learning.
I would check with your principal or department chairperson to see if there are any guidelines about displaying student work. (There are some schools where this is not allowed.)
The purpose of student displays is to reinforce students’ efforts and creativity, not necessarily to reward perfection. I would not display answer sheets from tests or quizzes or assignments with teacher-awarded final grades on them. Likewise, papers or projects with a simple “good job” comment don’t provide enough feedback on why they are on display.
Here are some suggestions:

• Most science teachers have a bulletin board with important safety rules and lab routines. Instead of purchasing posters or making the signs yourself, have the students design and make them.
• With lab reports or other assignments, each group could select one from their group and use a sticky note to highlight a desired feature: This data table is well-organized. This graph shows…. Look at how the diagram is labeled. You may need to model this type of reflection and how to select and annotate the work. Students could use this strategy as a self-evaluation, too.
• Students could use digital cameras to document their activities and create mini-posters.
• Try to include something from as many students as possible during a semester or marking period.
• Invite students to contribute based on their interests and talents. One of my students did a good job of illustrating a lab report, so I asked her to create a larger version that I could use as a teaching tool with the class. (She was very pleased.)
• Remember that less is more and avoid cluttering every space. Students and classroom visitors should be able to focus on the work.
• Before you display a student’s project or report, ask his or her permission.
• My school did not have a laminator, so I used (and reused) plastic sheet protectors.
• Many of these ideas would also apply to displaying student work in digital formats on class webpages, wikis, or blogs.

I’ve seen elementary classrooms in which large walls or bulletin boards are divided so that each student has a personal space to show examples of their work, photographs, and articles. A middle school teacher I know started the year with totally blank bulletin boards (except for the one that posted emergency and safety information). As the year progressed, students filled them with their own work. At first the principal was concerned, but he eventually saw the ownership the students had in the classroom.
I am concerned about the practice in some classrooms and hallways of “data walls” on which student information is displayed. These often identify individual students by name along with their proficiency level or recent test scores. Having students chart their progress in their own notebooks can be useful, but I can’t figure out the purpose of a public display, other than perhaps to recognize the high achievers. The lower achieving students I worked with would not be motivated by seeing their names associated with low scores (They would think: I’m already at the bottom—why should I try?), and I would question the ethics of this public display in the context of student privacy. There are many other ways to make displaying their work a positive learning experience for students.
 
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rabi/2885547951/

It’s been one year since the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were adopted (on April 9, 2013). Since then, the National Science Teachers Association has been incredibly busy, learning what science teachers need, creating resources that will help with implementation, and most importantly, creating a new hub where all our resources are collated and that facilitates user-friendly access to the standards. Eleven states plus Washington, D.C. have adopted the NGSS, and we’ve been there to support science teachers every step of the way. Whether you’re in a state that has adopted the NGSS or not, you’ll find that the practices they describe can be applied in any science classroom. They are based on new research on how students learn best, and they are worth a look!

Earth Day 2014 is right around the corner (April 22), and I’ve noticed a huge number of NSTA members talking about Dr. Suess’s The Lorax on our members-only lists. Coincidence? I doubt it, because the book has a powerful message that appeals to both adults and children: We shouldn’t wait until it’s too late to think about becoming good stewards of the Earth. And that ‘s something that many of our NSTA authors focus on.
Steve Rich, author of Outdoor Science, urges us to get kids outside. Research shows that environment-centered education improves student achievement, and Rich shows teachers how to create outdoor learning spaces that can be used from year to year—with little extra effort or resources. These practical suggestions for creating, maintaining, and using outdoor classrooms work for both elementary and middle school students.
What’s your favorite book for getting students outside and into science?

For many students, science itself is a new language, with specialized vocabulary and an emphasis on observations and evidence, rather than feelings or opinions. Even the graphics in books and websites go beyond being decorative to include the language of tables, diagrams, graphs, captions, sidebars, and footnotes. The featured articles in this issue demonstrate classroom- and teacher-tested strategies for developing language skills in the school classroom.
“Poets and scientists both seek to observe, explain, and understand the world around them. Poetry’s brevity, conceptual focus, and rich vocabulary make it a natural teaching tool for connecting with science” is the big idea of Observe, Explain, Connect* The article describes how teachers can “take 5” to introduce and share poems. The authors also include a sample lesson plan in which poetry is used to jump-start a science lesson (I wonder if this would be the “Engage” part of a 5E lesson?) [SciLinks: Reading and Writing in Science, Recycling]
Friction in Different Languages* describes a “sheltered instruction” approach to working with English Language Learners in a science lesson. Using a 5E format, the instructors designed a lesson in which students investigated friction. The lesson incorporated video, hands-on exploration, and experimenting with different surfaces—a good lesson that could be adapted for all students. See What Causes Friction (Science 101) if you need a refresher on the concept. [SciLinks: Friction, Force and Friction]

Putting the “Her” in Science Hero* describes an interdisciplinary unit in which students are exposed to the work of female scientists. You might ask whether in 2014 this would be necessary? Try the activity suggested in the first paragraph: Ask students to name three scientists in one minute. As the author notes, many will say Einstein and struggle for the other two. The article describes a class activity in which students learn more about female scientists and create presentations on their work.
Assessments in the Arguments* describes how “round robin” journaling can be used to assess student knowledge before, during, and after instruction, followed by round robin white boarding. In both of these strategies, students examine each other’s work and evaluate their arguments.The author describes the logistics of what this would look like in a classroom, using light as the topic to be investigated. All of the language processes (reading, writing, speaking, listening) are represented in this lesson. [SciLinks: Light]
As the authors of The Poetry of Plants* (Teaching Through Trade Books) note, April is National Poetry month—a perfect time to integrate poetry and science. In addition to two featured books, the article has two 5E lessons: Is a Seed a Living Thing (K-2) and Food for Plants (3-5). In addition to the science concepts, students use and write poetry as a way to learn and communicate. (I once observed a lesson in which high school students created haikus based on their investigation of cells—very creative and engaging!) [SciLinks: What Are Living and Nonliving Things? Photosynthesis]
A lot of time is spent on reading and writing in the classroom, but sometimes speaking and listening—the other components of language—are overlooked. In Creating Effective Classroom Interactions* (The Early Years) the author describes her reflections as she examined a video of a lesson in her classroom in which young students were asked to share their experiences. She shares the lesson, along with suggestions on how to create and learn from your own class videos. [SciLinks: Ice]
Students are never too young or too old to hear a good book, article, or story read to them. Gather ‘Round* (Methods and Strategies) has suggestions that teachers of any grade level can use for doing read-alouds and includes activities for before and after the reading. (I liked the Science A-Z chart for identifying vocabulary.)
Discussing nutrition and food choices is the theme of A Healthful Balance* with an emphasis on portion size and caloric balance. [SciLinks: Nutrition]
*And check out more Connections for this issue (April/May 2014). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, there are ideas and links for lesson plans, handouts, background information pages, data sheets, rubrics, trade books, and other resources.
 

NSTA was in Boston last week, where more than 11.5K science teachers gathered for our national conference on science education. It was no surprise that all the selfies seemed to be group shots—because that’s what science teachers do, they share! So we can’t think of a better way to give you a taste of the rich, collaborative experience we had in Boston than to tell it through the voices of the attendees who shared their stories with us.
The conference kicked into high gear on day one with Mayim Bialik speaking on the power of one teacher. A “proud product of the public school system,” Bialik told us about the teacher who inspired her to become a scientist and then sat down with NSTA President Bill Badders to answer questions from the audience. One of our bloggers featured a great image of Bialik talking about “science, teaching, and the Big Bang Theory.”
But what about lesser-known presenters? Apparently the experience builds character. We already knew that science teachers were super heroes, and now we have the proof. The “Hashtag WORTH IT” blog post features one of our favorite stories of the week, and one we heard over and over in various iterations. One teacher, inspired… becomes presenter, sees herself in a new light, and becomes a next generation superhero!
Blogger Nicole Fuhrman shared some really fun stories with us that show the lighter side of the conference–especially focusing on the super networking–and talks about how important building relationships is in effective classroom management. And that’s what everyone was doing in Boston last week, learning and building their professional learning communities.
One of the most important professional collaborations we strengthened last week is focused around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). A day-long NGSS forum facilitated a deep dive into the Next Generation Science Standards with writers, state science supervisors, assessment experts, and  was the highlight of the week for many, especially the NGSS curators who gathered to learn to use the newly launched NGSS Hub, with user-friendly access to the standards.
Other conference highlights included Bill Nye speaking about Dancing with Mars, Meet Me in the Middle Day, the Elementary Extravaganza, the 2014 Teacher Awards gala (where NSTA’s own former Executive Director, Gerry Wheeler, received the NSTA Presidential Citation), a tropical flamingo roaming the Exhibit Hall, and these top 10 from Ms. Goldstein.
We heard over and over how energized teachers felt by the experience–and our staff felt the same. And it’s not over! NSTA will be heading to New Orleans next month for the 2014 STEM Forum and Expo. Ainissa Ramirez will be the keynote speaker, and strands will focus on Primary, Upper Elementary, Middle Level, High School, Partnerships, and Administrators.
See more of the story:

• Highlights, news and featured reports from the 2014 NSTA National Conference, 3-6th April 2014 in Boston, MA, from WebsEdge/Education TV.
• NSTA’s Boston 2014 Facebook album

Bonus Feature: Who was the most photographed personality at the conference? An extremely nonscientific survey of Twitter pics reveals a tie between YouTube guru Paul Andersen and the Flamingo, with the Geico Gecko and Schmitty the Weather Dog coming in a distant second…
 

With a nod to David Letterman, here are my top 10 reasons for spending time in the exhibit hall:

10.  Interacting with people. You get a chance to meet and talk with other members and vendors.

9.  Planning ideas for your summer “vacation.” Lots of information about summer programs, travel opportunities, and graduate study.

8.  Playing with cool science-related toys (I mean teaching materials), such as robots or models.
7. Getting ideas to share with colleagues and students. For example, organizations such as USGS, NOAA, NASA, and publishers have a wealth to share.

6. Learning new strategies at vendor mini-classes. And there’s usually a drawing at the end to win some of the tools.

5. Being introduced to new species, such as a big brown bat.
4. Picking up freebies to take home. How many birdfeeders will be put  up on Monday?


3. Seeing new technologies. This is the first time I saw a 3-D printer up close and personal.
2.  Gathering information on science equipment.

And… 1. Meeting a terrific group of students who are designing prosthetics and building biodiesel processors.
 
 
 

The Elementary Extravaganza was pulsing with energy as educators from many settings rushed in at 8am to get personal attention from the hundreds of presenters who were ready to share their work. Thanks to the sponsors–www.BioEdOnline.org, Delta Education, School Speciality, ScienceCompanion, and Carolina, as well as NSTA.
The setting with presentations at round conference tables made it possible for everyone to do the hands-on activities, share their experiences, and ask their questions.
To find the handouts for the many presenters, go to the NSTA Boston conference sessions schedule, search for “Elementary Extravaganza” and click on the links to the handouts.
Which Elementary Extravaganza or conference session did you find useful? Share your resource links in a comment below.
The Ramps and Pathways table I was staffing featured physical science and engineering design materials–see how they engaged the educators! (Handouts ran out but will be uploaded onto the NSTA session schedule.)