Science Investigation and Developing Students’ Science-Process Skills Through Citizen Science

Abstract

It's 7:15 on a Friday morning and the 'early birds' have arrived. Eager students don their binoculars for Ms. Vigeland's before-school birdwatching club. Ranging from fourth to eighth grade, these Hilltop Country Day School students gather every week to fill in their data sheets with bird species they identify for eBird, a citizen science project offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "I started Early Birds because my former and current students just couldn't get enough of bird watching," Ms. Vigeland said. "My students' observational skills have grown so much since September. Now they look for beak color, field marks, and size."