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2011 Spring | Education & Outreach, Natural Science & Restoration

From the Field to the Classroom: Combining Citizen Science Programs with Grade School Science Curricula

Student(s):

Danica Hill

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Jane Dolliver

Partner(s):

  • Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team

Faculty advisor(s):

Julia K. Parrish, Program on the Environment, University of Washington

This project formats a citizen science program, Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) into a classroom setting program for young learners. Through this, I was able to tie together two realms of interest: education and the environment. Bridging these two resulted in a unique way for students to receive an environmental education, using data derived from a working science program. For grades K-1, I designed a curriculum titled, “Whose Feet are These?” using the COASST foot key guide and pictures of bird feet, children learn to identify which birds they belong to.