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Observing Flowers

DO-AT-HOME INQUIRY ACTIVITIES 
WITH DATA


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STUDENT-DIRECTED CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECTS FOR INDOOR & OUTDOOR LEARNING

Teachers and parents across the country are currently exploring new ways of educating students. Many are seeking meaningful online science learning experiences for students at home. And for those who want their students to learn while enjoying the great outdoors, there are opportunities to contribute to citizen science! 


BSCS Science Learning has responded to the current situation by transforming a new set of citizen science lessons designed for classrooms into student-directed versions that can be done independently from home. Learn about and access these modified lessons at the links below. 

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LEARN ABOUT INVITATIONS TO INQUIRY

Invitations to Inquiry are short instructional modules designed to help middle and high school students work with data using FieldScope. FieldScope is an interactive mapping and graphing platform that allows citizen science projects to collect, visualize, and analyze environmental data. 


The modules allow students to learn about where the data is collected and then explore one or more questions with the data. Each lesson engages students in interpreting graphs or maps, or both, and figuring out what the data means. They are intended to increase student confidence in working with data and using visualization tools as part of the process.


Below you will find more information about the lessons and links to the materials. Each lesson presents an optional opportunity to participate in a citizen science project, presented on the first page.

**BSCS Science Learning recently released the full set of classroom materials for Invitations to Inquiry. To access the materials including Teacher's Guides and Presentation Slides, go here.


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ACTIVITIES

chesapeake---dissolved-oxygen.jpg

ASKING & ANSWERING QUESTIONS WITH DATA

Using graphs and maps of water quality data, students investigate relationships between variables to answer questions.

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BUDBURST - LILAC FESTIVAL

Students use graphs and maps of lilac phenology data to determine the best time to host a lilac blossom festival in their area.

frogwatch---habitats-and-invasive-specie

FROG EAT FROG WORLD

Using maps and Frogwatch data, students explore the natural and invasive range of the American bullfrog.

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FROG SYMPHONY

Using maps and graphs of data, students investigate the habitats and time of year and day to hear a full chorus of frogs.

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RESTORING OYSTER REEFS

Students use data from the Chesapeake Bay estuary to determine suitable sites for oyster reef restoration.

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GLOBE AT NIGHT - DARK SKIES

Students use maps and graphs of Globe at Night night sky brightness data to predict the best place to stargaze in Arizona.

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STOCKING RIVERS WITH TROUT

Students use data from a Colorado citizen science program to make recommendations on the best waterways for stocking trout.

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A NOTE ABOUT OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES

Many of these lessons designed for student-directed at home learning include an optional extension to participate in a citizen science project outside. Please follow all precautions and guidance from local, state, and federal agencies regarding social distancing, hygiene, and stay-at-home orders.

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REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY


The FieldScope tool used in these activities is an online tool that requires Adobe Flash. Flash is compatible with Chromebooks, and popular browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari used on laptops and desktop computers. Flash is not normally compatible with iPads or other tablets and mobile devices. 

If you have an iPad or other tablet device, you can download the Puffin browser, which is compatible with Adobe Flash; FieldScope should load normally when using the Puffin browser on iPads or other similar-sized tablet devices. 

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