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Learning activities
| Resource type | Theme | Title | Teaser | Grade Level |
Name |
Comments | Post date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning activities | Scientific inquiry | Organize to Analyze | Organizing data before students start the analysis process is a critical and often overlooked step. Students use the Vital Signs Sort & Export table to find the data they need (their own, that of their classmates, and data from their comparison site). They use Venn Diagrams and T-charts to organize data before trying to make sense of it. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 0 | 2009-11-04 |
| Learning activities | Scientific inquiry | Persuade and Motivate | This lesson guides students' creation of an action project. Persuasive writing may be something that students are unfamiliar with or unpracticed at, but they all have personal experiences to draw from where they tried to get someone to do something they wanted them to do. This writing guide will help them formulate the perfect persuasive, motivational message. Students then design, create, and publish their own media projects to convey their message to their audience. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 0 | 2009-11-04 |
| Learning activities | Biodiversity | Spot the Difference | Spot the difference is a high energy, competitive activity that helps students develop and hone their observation skills. Students play Spot the Difference to train their eyes to closely observe plants and animals, and to find characteristics that make them the same species or a different species. Species observation skills built while playing Spot the Difference will be used by students during their fieldwork to help them decide whether or not the native or invasive species they are looking for is at their study site. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 1 | 2009-11-04 |
| Learning activities | Scientific inquiry | Devour or Savor | Students are challenged to slow themselves down to make careful observations about what they see, smell, hear, and taste. Self awareness gained and observation skills built during this activity will be invaluable during fieldwork as students must slow down in order to closely observe species and habitat at their study site. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 1 | 2009-11-04 |
| Learning activities, Field work resources | Scientific inquiry | Vital Signs Quality Assurance & Peer Review | Before observations are published to the Vital Signs website and made public, data must undergo a Quality Assurance Check and an optional Peer Review. The Quality Check is a first step in the online review process to ensure that the data entry form is complete, and jives with the Vital Signs site policy. Peer Review is a process the scientific community uses to critique and validate scientists’ work before it is published. A combined Quality Check and Peer Review is the very best way to make sure that a data collector's very best work is available for the Vital Signs community to use. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 0 | 2009-11-04 |
| Units of study, Learning activities | Biodiversity, Invasive species, Scientific inquiry | Invasive Species Impacts on Biodiversity in a Maine Watershed | How diverse is my local ecosystem? Students compare local biodiversity counts to those in other areas of their watershed. Watershed Experiences get students outside to observe, ask questions, investigate, take action, and deepen their scientific understanding and connection to their local watersheds. They begin with a current environmental issue and research question of direct meaning and importance to students and local communities. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 1 | 2010-02-11 |
| Learning activities | Scientific inquiry | Online Comments & Community Review | The VS community actively reviews all species observations, projects, and curriculum resources. Community involvement in the review process lets us applaud great work, and share our own expertise in ways that help others learn and improve. This activity offers a structure for deciding what type of feedback you (and your group) would like to leave, and for creating your own set of norms to guide you as you leave comments for other participants. |
Middle school (grades 6-8) High school (grades 9-12) Professional development |
vitalteach | 0 | 2010-03-23 |
| Learning activities | Scientific inquiry | Species in focus: A photo critique activity | Through a thoughtful critique of this collection of good and bad species photos, learn what it takes to take great species photographs. Create your own list of "what makes a great species photo," and then practice taking and critiquing your own. |
Middle school (grades 6-8) High school (grades 9-12) Professional development |
vitalteach | 1 | 2010-07-27 |
| Learning activities | Ecosystems, Scientific inquiry | Oh Deer: Invasive species style | In this active and competitive game, students experience how a community of native animals and plants changes over time in response to resource availability in their habitat. Students collect data during the game and then graph and analyze how predators, limited resources, habitat health, and INVASIVE SPECIES can disrupt the natural ebbs and flows of native communities. Students visualize and analyze their results using graphs and story telling. |
Middle school (grades 6-8) High school (grades 9-12) Professional development |
vitalteach | 8 | 2010-07-27 |
| Learning activities | Constancy & change, Scientific inquiry | How many are there? Practice counting & estimating coverage | Before you do your fieldwork, use this skill building activity to practice counting stems and estimating percent cover of plants and sessile animals. Counts and coverage can change quickly from one growing season to the next – especially when invasive species are involved – so it is important to master this skill and monitor the change in coverage frequently. |
Middle school (grades 6-8) High school (grades 9-12) Professional development |
vitalteach | 0 | 2010-08-12 |
