Designing Citizen Science for Both Science and Education

In January 2017, eleven field science advocates gathered in an unlikely location: indoors. These individuals were educators, scientists, and web platform developers participating in the Designing Citizen Science for Both Science and Education workshop, hosted by BSCS Science Learning (BSCS) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The workshop focused on georeferenced field studies, which are projects that … Read more “Designing Citizen Science for Both Science and Education”

Categories: Citizen Science, Citizen Science News, EarthSchool, Education, Events, Science Practices, Workshops

NASA Go Clouds

Citizen Science in the Classroom: NASA Globe Observer Clouds

Citizen science can be an excellent way to engage learners in the process of science and to address the Practices as outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In each issue of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Journal, Science Scope, a citizen science project from the SciStarter Project Finder is featured! In the … Read more “Citizen Science in the Classroom: NASA Globe Observer Clouds”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Do-It-Yourself, EarthSchool, Ecology & Environment, Education, Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Project Profile

Picnic Redux: Citizen Scientists Invite Ants to Lunch

Scientists need your help to find out what ants in your neighborhood like to eat. Would you ask an ant to join you for lunch? A team of researchers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh calls on citizen scientists around the world to flip the picnic concept – they want *us* to feed the … Read more “Picnic Redux: Citizen Scientists Invite Ants to Lunch”

Categories: Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Insects

Trophy marks new era for citizen science in the classroom

By Egle Marija Ramanauskaite, Citizen Science Coordinator at EyesOnALZ December 21st, 2017, just might enter the history books as the first day a citizen science trophy was ever awarded to a school. The trophy, bestowed to 250 students for contributing to Alzheimer’s research, is now proudly displayed next to sports trophies & special achievement awards at a … Read more “Trophy marks new era for citizen science in the classroom”

Categories: Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Education, Guest Contributor, Health, Other, Project Profile

Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story

Join Jojo and her family counting bats as citizen scientists in the soon-to-be-released book Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story! You can read — and listen to — a free digital review copy today.  The story, written  by Philadelphia-area author Anna Forrester and illustrated by Susan Detwiler, encourages kids to get involved in citizen science and make it their … Read more “Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story”

Categories: Animals, Bats, Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Nature & Outdoors, Other

Why it’s OK to fail: empowering students to discover

By Lea Shell Middle school students are presented with a bucket of what, at first glance, looks like dirt. They pull handfuls onto their lab bench and carefully begin to sift. “I found a shark tooth!” one student exclaims,  prompting the other students to peer more intently at their own piles. Before long, they see … Read more “Why it’s OK to fail: empowering students to discover”

Categories: Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), EarthSchool, Education, Guest Contributor, Science Practices

Back To School With Citizen Science: A Conversation with Ben Graves

In the next two posts, as part of our SciStarter in the Classroom collection, guest contributor Ben Graves will share his personal experiences and advice for using citizen science in the classroom. Graves is a fellow with the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation, which supports a small cohort of early-career teachers across the United States with intensive professional development. … Read more “Back To School With Citizen Science: A Conversation with Ben Graves”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Guest Contributor, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards, Science Practices

Citizen Science in The Classroom: Monarch Migration

Editor’s Note: This post has been republished and shared in celebration of SciStarter’s Back To School campaign where you will find 10 citizen science projects aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.   Using Journey North’s Monarch Project to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards Citizen Science and Monarch Migration as a Teaching Tool … Read more “Citizen Science in The Classroom: Monarch Migration”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards

Citizen Science in The Classroom: Urban Birds

Using Celebrate Urban Birds (CUB) to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards   Grades: K-12th Description: Celebrate Urban Birds (CUB) is a project through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is a year round project specifically designed to engage classrooms with local urban birds and citizen science. Cornell offers a free classroom kit for … Read more “Citizen Science in The Classroom: Urban Birds”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Birds, Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Developing and using models, EarthSchool, Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Planning and carrying out investigations, Science Education Standards, Science Practices, Using mathematics and computational thinking

Citizen Science in the Classroom: School of Ants

Using School of Ants Citizen Science to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards in the Classroom Discovering Ants Grades: K-12th Description: School of Ants (SOA) is one of many urban wildlife citizen science projects hosted through the Your Wildlife project. Your Wildlife and School of Ants focuses on biodiversity and citizen-scientist driven inquiry … Read more “Citizen Science in the Classroom: School of Ants”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Developing and using models, EarthSchool, Engaging in argument from evidence, Insects, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Planning and carrying out investigations, Science Education Standards, Science Practices, Using mathematics and computational thinking