SciStarter in the Classroom

Here are our picks of the week for educators and learners (and, really, aren’t we all life-long learners?). Each project includes lesson plans aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards.

Ooooooh! The school bell is about to ring. Here’s to a great year of learning and contributing to science.

Cheers!
The SciStarter Team

Students Discover offers projects about that are sure to ignite students’ interest in science. With lesson plans and hands-on activities, these projects are a great fit for any classroom.

Location: Global

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Learn about the secret life of your outdoor cat by using inexpensive GPS technology to track your cat’s every move! You can also compare your cat’s behavior to other cats in the Cat Personality Survey, an affiliated project.

Location: Global

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Take a walk, find a stream and snap a selfie with it! Stream Selfie asks that you snap a picture of your local stream to help researchers map streams across the country, and then start testing the waters!

Location: United States

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Do all squirrels look the same to you? Did you know there were up to three different species climbing around your playground? Count how may squirrels you see during recess to keep track of squirrel populations to better understand tree squirrel ecology.

Location: Global

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Chances are if you have plants, you’ll have a ladybug or two! But, many native ladybug species in North America are in decline. Help study and protect these tiny critters by reporting any sightings, along with a photo, to this project.

Location: North America

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With just a few inexpensive supplies, US students can construct a trap to monitor and catch bark beetles, some of which can have a devastating effect on forests and agricultural farms. The main trapping season is in spring but students are welcome to set traps throughout the year.

Location: United States

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NOVA offers a variety of projects, covering topics ranging from RNA to renewable energy to evolution. Videos, interactive websites, and online resources are all available for teachers.

Location: Global

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BirdSleuth K-12, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is now offering a free webinar series designed to help educators connect students to nature and develop science skills through citizen science.

Location: Online, various dates and times

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Practitioner Workshop for Deploying SciStarter Affiliate Tools To Support Strategic STEM Learning

Raleigh, NC
November 8-9, 2018

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Discover more citizen science on the SciStarter calendar. Did you know your SciStarter dashboard helps you track your contributions to projects? Complete your profile to access free tools. Want even more citizen science? Check out SciStarter’s Project Finder! With 1100+ citizen science projects spanning every field of research, task and age group, there’s something for everyone!

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About the Author

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Lea Shell

Lea worked at North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. She previously managed education initiatives and authored SciStarter's bi-weekly newsletter. Lea is also a co-founder and co-owner of Essential Montessori, where she designs and hand-crafts learning Montessori-inspired materials for young children.