Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking different times of day, times of year, and locations, they learn about the interactions and habits of a variety of species. The project naturally extends into volunteering to help identify species and allows scientists far more data than they could analyze on their own.

Concepts

making observations, observational skills, vegetation, ecosystems, adaptations, animal behavior, biodiversity

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Invite a local wildlife specialists to discuss the changes over time and ecosystem in your area
• Continue the project as citizen scientists helping to save the Gorongosa wildlife

Classroom Considerations

• Relies on prior knowledge of food chains and webs, ecological relationships, ecosystems, community interactions, and how to form scientific questions

Pros

• Designed to meet standards for Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, and IB Environmental Systems and Societies
• Includes a list of related resources for those wishing to learn more
• Easily adjusts for middle school, high school, and college level scholars

Cons

• None

Common Core

HSS-ID.B.5 HSS-IC.B.5 RST.9-10.7 RST.11-12.7 WHST.9-10.7 WHST.11-12.7