This is not immediately relevant to the CSIC population change through time curriculum, but a teacher asked this question through email today and I thought I'd throw it up here with my response in case anyone is thinking about a research question around vectors next time (wow, long sentence).... Feel free to chime in with another way to approach vector analysis.
QUESTION:
"I forget how you can use Google Earth to show Vital Signs data and different vectors. Any suggestions you can give me?"
If you simply want to look at land use/ human population densities/ roadways/ waterways you can do a lot of quick vector analysis right on the VS Map page (Explore Data > View data on map). No exporting data, no spreadsheets, nothing complex and potentially distracting.
Explore Data > View data on map
Open the Advanced Search (right side)
Narrow your search by species, town, waterbody, etc.
Zoom in to check out land use, distance to roads, etc.
Change between map/satellite/hybrid map depending on what you're looking for ("Full Screen" looks lovely on the MacBooks :)
There's a distance scale on the map. You could have your students look for certain vectors within a 10 or 20 mile radius of each observation.... Just brainstorming.
You can also go to the Sort & Export page (Explore > Sort & export data) and turn on the "Habitat Analysis" data category. There's an "evidence of vectors" category that some people have filled in that'll give your students a better idea of vectors near each observation.
The analysis we did this summer was way more complex than necessary, BUT if you want to go that route (create kml file of VS data, overlay with outside information about boat ramps, habitat zones, population centers, etc) there's a tutorial in the Share Curriculum Resources (Tutorials) for how to make that happen.
VS in Classrooms > Share Curriculum Resources > "Tutorials" > How to create a Google Earth map layer of your own dataset
You can find the Google Earth layers we have available under "Analysis Resources"
This is functionality built into the Vital Signs website that scaffolds the use of a science notebook that a scientist might use. If you sign in as a teacher, student, or citizen scientists and then click on “My Vital Signs” in the upper right corner of the website, you’ll see an option to “Add new notebook” just under where you can “Add new investigation.” When you click on this, you are taken to a new page titled “My Science Notebook” and you can choose the investigation you want to related your entry to from a drop down list. When you select a completed investigation, the field notes that you recorded and uploaded will appear under the “Investigate” header.
There are fields on this page that prompt you (or your students) to enter their research question, make a prediction, reflect on their investigation and research question, and make a conclusion.
The way this actually works is that each student team will sign in (on one computer), go to “My Vital Signs,” “Add a new notebook,” select the right field trip (if they’ve only done one this will be easy!), and then work together to fill out the notebook. Once they have saved their notebook, they can return to it and print it to hand in to you.
For more about science notebooks follow the link provided in the 10-day curriculum write up (it appears a few times) http://vitalsignsme.org/vital-signs-science-notebook. There are also printed resources in your binder – look under Tab 2.
I am also stuck on what to do with the data analysis. It seemed to take a long time to get to this point. We celebrated the publishing of the species observations. Overall I was pleased with the thought and effort students put into their work. We have not yet discussed the concept of diversity (used that term specifically), but the kids know that invasives can crowd out, damage or take over an existing ecosystem. I'm wondering if I should bridge the gap by having them use data that answers the question, "Where is diversity greatest, where invasives are found or where invasives are not found?". This would flow nicely into many of the concepts that I still have not directly given instruction on (food webs, energy cycling, interactions among organisms, etc...). I think they will pick up on these concepts more readily with an experience to go with it.
With several frosts and the approach of hunting season, I don't think I will be able to do another full investigation until we do our watershed unit in the spring.
We found a great resource at Naturalinquirer.org (http://www.naturalinquirer.org/Invasive-Species-Edition-i-10.html). It is an amazing resource, and you can order up to 150 copies for free!! (USDA). It has several vignettes where you look at a specific invasive and its impact on a local ecosystem. Lots of math and Language Arts integration build right in.
They have several other publications available. All look good for MSchool.
Kathy Mj and I have no idea what to do with the data analysis. I just called up knotweed and got this .cvs file with all the data inputs in it. Now what? How do kids negotiate that? We need to move onward at this point, and although I know this data analysis is the critical thinking piece, making this data accessible to students is overwhelming. Is there a way to get actual numbers so kids can easily graph something? Am I just not asking the right question of the data?
If all the teams look for the same species, you could plot the percentage of quadrats in which it was found relative to all the quadrats where it was looked for (in other words, 6 teams looked in 6 quadrats for Species X, four found it, so 60% of quadrats had Species X). Then your students need to consider what else they observed when they were doing their research - what vectors were present that might introduce invasives that could compete with Species X? Is Species X invasive? If so, how might it move/ spread next year? or the next? Might this land be developed in the next year? what else could change? They need to use all these observations to make a prediction that they back up with evidence-based reasons. They make their prediction by filling in the graph for years 2001, 2012, etc. They can annotate this predictive graph with their evidence-based reasons using any of the methods suggested in the Mystery Graph activities (table story, arrows and explanations, pictures, etc.).
If your students didn’t all look for the same species, you will need to modify the Day 9 plan slightly. For example, if 4 teams looked for Native Species X or even if just 1 did, they can plot how many quadrats Native Species X was seen in. Change the up-down axis to “Number of quadrats with Species X”. Students would plot their data at year 2010. Then they need to think: did we see anything that might threaten Native Species X? Did any of our classmates see any invasive species that might occupy the same habitat as Native Species X? They write down all this information, reflect on it, and make a prediction for how much Native Species X would be present next year, backing their prediction up with evidence-based reasons. For example, in year 2010, maybe half the quadrats where Native Species X was looked for, it was found. Some of the other teams found Invasive Species Y, and some others found Invasive Species Z, both of which might spread and displace the Native Species X. But those species were on the other side of the field. So in 2011, I might predict that only 40% of quadrats would have Native Species X because two known invasives (Y and Z) were present and documented, I predict that they will spread and start displacing my Native Species X. In 2012, I might predict a steeper decline of Native Species X as the spreading invaders spread more. Etc.
Student teams can look at each others’ data online – they don’t need to go running around the classroom asking each other. Have them use the website, and use the Advanced Search box. If they search for the species they were looking for (use the scientific name pull down list or they may miss some data!!) and enter the town name in the keyword box, they should get the data that they need. They can use the Advance Search on the Explore Data page that makes it easy to see if the species looked for was found.
I am also wondering how to best approach the data. I know it's all about the question, and there I get stuck. I want to explore change over time, and I could have kids sort data by year or month, and that is about all I can come up with. I haven't hit on a solid question I like, and I feel the need to play guide once again. "Is the adelgid moth on the rise in Maine?" Count how many sightings each month, starting with earliest sighting and ending with now. That won't give reliable result because it depends on moth life cycle, how many people looked, and where they looked. They could sort by county, and by year, perhaps. Figure out which county has the most sightings in 2009, second most, and so on, then repeat with 2010. List counties on coast in order from southernmost to northernmost. Sorry, I would so have to research that one. Still depends on who looked but better. Maybe I could give them data fpr adelgid found, adelgid not found; showing the date, the county and see if they can come up with anything. Who else has ideas?
You're right, without narrowing your search, you get a pretty wild and unwieldy dataset! I agree it's not something you want your students tackling.
So what QUESTION are your students trying to answer with the data?
From there, I can help you use the Advanced Search options in the table to limit the data you'll have available to play with. In addition, if time is tight, I can help you create a data file for them to work from directly (skip downloading data with students, present the data, show them where you got it, point out THEIR data within the larger dataset, and get to work on analysis).
I'm all for keeping datasets simple and manageable, and making sure the focus is on "what it means" and not "how hard it was to get!" I'm ready to help!
Comments
vector analysis
This is not immediately relevant to the CSIC population change through time curriculum, but a teacher asked this question through email today and I thought I'd throw it up here with my response in case anyone is thinking about a research question around vectors next time (wow, long sentence).... Feel free to chime in with another way to approach vector analysis.
QUESTION:
"I forget how you can use Google Earth to show Vital Signs data and different vectors. Any suggestions you can give me?"
simple & complex approaches....
If you simply want to look at land use/ human population densities/ roadways/ waterways you can do a lot of quick vector analysis right on the VS Map page (Explore Data > View data on map). No exporting data, no spreadsheets, nothing complex and potentially distracting.
Explore Data > View data on map
Open the Advanced Search (right side)
Narrow your search by species, town, waterbody, etc.
Zoom in to check out land use, distance to roads, etc.
Change between map/satellite/hybrid map depending on what you're looking for ("Full Screen" looks lovely on the MacBooks :)
There's a distance scale on the map. You could have your students look for certain vectors within a 10 or 20 mile radius of each observation.... Just brainstorming.
You can also go to the Sort & Export page (Explore > Sort & export data) and turn on the "Habitat Analysis" data category. There's an "evidence of vectors" category that some people have filled in that'll give your students a better idea of vectors near each observation.
The analysis we did this summer was way more complex than necessary, BUT if you want to go that route (create kml file of VS data, overlay with outside information about boat ramps, habitat zones, population centers, etc) there's a tutorial in the Share Curriculum Resources (Tutorials) for how to make that happen.
VS in Classrooms > Share Curriculum Resources > "Tutorials" > How to create a Google Earth map layer of your own dataset
You can find the Google Earth layers we have available under "Analysis Resources"
I'm wondering about science notebooks...
I think I missed something - where are the science notebooks?
Science notebooks 101
This is functionality built into the Vital Signs website that scaffolds the use of a science notebook that a scientist might use. If you sign in as a teacher, student, or citizen scientists and then click on “My Vital Signs” in the upper right corner of the website, you’ll see an option to “Add new notebook” just under where you can “Add new investigation.” When you click on this, you are taken to a new page titled “My Science Notebook” and you can choose the investigation you want to related your entry to from a drop down list. When you select a completed investigation, the field notes that you recorded and uploaded will appear under the “Investigate” header.
There are fields on this page that prompt you (or your students) to enter their research question, make a prediction, reflect on their investigation and research question, and make a conclusion.
The way this actually works is that each student team will sign in (on one computer), go to “My Vital Signs,” “Add a new notebook,” select the right field trip (if they’ve only done one this will be easy!), and then work together to fill out the notebook. Once they have saved their notebook, they can return to it and print it to hand in to you.
For more about science notebooks follow the link provided in the 10-day curriculum write up (it appears a few times) http://vitalsignsme.org/vital-signs-science-notebook. There are also printed resources in your binder – look under Tab 2.
data
I am also stuck on what to do with the data analysis. It seemed to take a long time to get to this point. We celebrated the publishing of the species observations. Overall I was pleased with the thought and effort students put into their work. We have not yet discussed the concept of diversity (used that term specifically), but the kids know that invasives can crowd out, damage or take over an existing ecosystem. I'm wondering if I should bridge the gap by having them use data that answers the question, "Where is diversity greatest, where invasives are found or where invasives are not found?". This would flow nicely into many of the concepts that I still have not directly given instruction on (food webs, energy cycling, interactions among organisms, etc...). I think they will pick up on these concepts more readily with an experience to go with it.
With several frosts and the approach of hunting season, I don't think I will be able to do another full investigation until we do our watershed unit in the spring.
Articles
Does anyone have articles in MS-friendly language that define invasives and build background knowledge?
Invasives Reading
We found a great resource at Naturalinquirer.org (http://www.naturalinquirer.org/Invasive-Species-Edition-i-10.html). It is an amazing resource, and you can order up to 150 copies for free!! (USDA). It has several vignettes where you look at a specific invasive and its impact on a local ecosystem. Lots of math and Language Arts integration build right in.
They have several other publications available. All look good for MSchool.
nonfiction & fiction
National Geographic magazine - http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/spacescience/invasive-pl...
"The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupery - there's a great (fun) chapter about the invasive baobabs!
Data help
Kathy Mj and I have no idea what to do with the data analysis. I just called up knotweed and got this .cvs file with all the data inputs in it. Now what? How do kids negotiate that? We need to move onward at this point, and although I know this data analysis is the critical thinking piece, making this data accessible to students is overwhelming. Is there a way to get actual numbers so kids can easily graph something? Am I just not asking the right question of the data?
Ideas for data analysis, reflection
Here are some ideas that may help.
If all the teams look for the same species, you could plot the percentage of quadrats in which it was found relative to all the quadrats where it was looked for (in other words, 6 teams looked in 6 quadrats for Species X, four found it, so 60% of quadrats had Species X). Then your students need to consider what else they observed when they were doing their research - what vectors were present that might introduce invasives that could compete with Species X? Is Species X invasive? If so, how might it move/ spread next year? or the next? Might this land be developed in the next year? what else could change? They need to use all these observations to make a prediction that they back up with evidence-based reasons. They make their prediction by filling in the graph for years 2001, 2012, etc. They can annotate this predictive graph with their evidence-based reasons using any of the methods suggested in the Mystery Graph activities (table story, arrows and explanations, pictures, etc.).
If your students didn’t all look for the same species, you will need to modify the Day 9 plan slightly. For example, if 4 teams looked for Native Species X or even if just 1 did, they can plot how many quadrats Native Species X was seen in. Change the up-down axis to “Number of quadrats with Species X”. Students would plot their data at year 2010. Then they need to think: did we see anything that might threaten Native Species X? Did any of our classmates see any invasive species that might occupy the same habitat as Native Species X? They write down all this information, reflect on it, and make a prediction for how much Native Species X would be present next year, backing their prediction up with evidence-based reasons. For example, in year 2010, maybe half the quadrats where Native Species X was looked for, it was found. Some of the other teams found Invasive Species Y, and some others found Invasive Species Z, both of which might spread and displace the Native Species X. But those species were on the other side of the field. So in 2011, I might predict that only 40% of quadrats would have Native Species X because two known invasives (Y and Z) were present and documented, I predict that they will spread and start displacing my Native Species X. In 2012, I might predict a steeper decline of Native Species X as the spreading invaders spread more. Etc.
Student teams can look at each others’ data online – they don’t need to go running around the classroom asking each other. Have them use the website, and use the Advanced Search box. If they search for the species they were looking for (use the scientific name pull down list or they may miss some data!!) and enter the town name in the keyword box, they should get the data that they need. They can use the Advance Search on the Explore Data page that makes it easy to see if the species looked for was found.
Does that help anyone? Or spark more questions?
stumped
I am also wondering how to best approach the data. I know it's all about the question, and there I get stuck. I want to explore change over time, and I could have kids sort data by year or month, and that is about all I can come up with. I haven't hit on a solid question I like, and I feel the need to play guide once again. "Is the adelgid moth on the rise in Maine?" Count how many sightings each month, starting with earliest sighting and ending with now. That won't give reliable result because it depends on moth life cycle, how many people looked, and where they looked. They could sort by county, and by year, perhaps. Figure out which county has the most sightings in 2009, second most, and so on, then repeat with 2010. List counties on coast in order from southernmost to northernmost. Sorry, I would so have to research that one. Still depends on who looked but better. Maybe I could give them data fpr adelgid found, adelgid not found; showing the date, the county and see if they can come up with anything. Who else has ideas?
math
Maybe if I ask our math teacher(s) they can help me.
question drives analysis
You're right, without narrowing your search, you get a pretty wild and unwieldy dataset! I agree it's not something you want your students tackling.
So what QUESTION are your students trying to answer with the data?
From there, I can help you use the Advanced Search options in the table to limit the data you'll have available to play with. In addition, if time is tight, I can help you create a data file for them to work from directly (skip downloading data with students, present the data, show them where you got it, point out THEIR data within the larger dataset, and get to work on analysis).
I'm all for keeping datasets simple and manageable, and making sure the focus is on "what it means" and not "how hard it was to get!" I'm ready to help!