Backyard Ecology through Long-View@Home
As schools around the country work to figure out how to support students in learning throughout the rest of the school year, Long-View science teachers have enthusiastically taken on the challenge. They’ve designed a creative and accessible solution to keep kids engaging in the practices of actual scientists, a key goal in the Long-View science program no matter where our learners are. Rather than resorting to worksheets or apps or other inauthentic online options, our young scientists are diving into a study of ecology. What’s the setting? Their backyards, of course! Front yards will do, too, as well as any patch of land or greenery they can find — the point is that kids are studying organisms, the relations to one another and to their physical surroundings, getting outside, and doing authentic science work while engaged in the Backyard Ecology content stream.
On March 30, our first day “back” to school after spring break, learners returned to learning not at Long-View Micro School but from their homes through various content streams offered by our teaching team. The Backyard Ecology content stream replaced our daily Science Block at school. All of the content was thoughtfully created by our science teachers; they worked hard to manage the constraints brought on by the sudden need to be learning from home — our kids no longer had access to high quality science equipment, not all of them had adults at home able to support their inquiries, and all kids had a variety of time constraints due to family needs and situations.
Backyard Ecology kicked off with a video in which our science teachers discussed an excerpt from John Muir Laws’ nature journals, covered some naturalist basics, and taught learners that scientists use nature journaling to observe more deeply, zero in on important features, and remember what they’ve seen. The process of nature journaling involves both drawing and writing together to show observations, thoughts, questions, and memories. Scientists also use arrows, mapping, and lists to organize and show their information. After watching this introductory video, learners moved outside to begin capturing information in their journals.
The following week, science teachers Ms. Swanson and Mrs. Winchester, extended the work of observing the backyard environment by introducing the concept of mapping. The week’s assignment asked our young scientists to map their backyards, or whatever outdoor space they were studying. They used Google Maps as a starting point and then were asked to include important landmarks and symbols with a key to show meaning. Some learners included a compass to show direction and/or used scale and others used digital programs to make their maps extra precise.
By the third week of this Backyard Ecology stream, learners had a solid foundation and were split into three strands, allowing for specialization and deeper learning.
Strand 1 focused on a Biogeographic Survey. Learners choosing this strand will ultimately be creating field guides for the plants, birds, insects, flowers or other organisms in their backyards. Learners were asked to make two decisions as they set off this week: Define your geographic area and define your subject(s). Mrs. Swanson also encouraged learners to start to define the content they want to include about each species they will discuss.
Strand 2 is an investigation of Armadillidium vulgare (AKA pill bugs or roly pollies). Did you know they are actually classified as an isopod, not an insect? Their closest relative is actually a crawfish. Mrs. Swanson provided this interesting information, along with a lot more information in a prerecorded video and accompanying document with instructions to lead scientists through this study. The goals for the Pillbug Investigation strand this week were to find and observe pill bugs, create a detailed journal entry, and turn that journal entry in by submitting a photo with a short reflection.
Strand 3 is a Biodiversity Comparison Study, and this is the most complex strand in terms of planning and data analysis. The guiding question is, “How can you identify the plants and invertebrates living in two different regions of your backyard and make mathematical comparisons of species in the area covered and/or overall biodiversity of these two regions?”
In her video and slides in Google Classroom, Mrs. Winchester outlined this strand for learners. First, Mrs. Winchester taught about population sampling. Next, she taught about how to make a quadrat, which is a common monitoring unit that is used in ecological/biodiversity studies. Finally, she told the scientists about their goals for this week, including encouraging them to decide if this is a comparison, association, or abundance survey, as well as thinking about their experimental design.
Even as our Backyard Ecology stream splits this week, the scientists remain united because of the way the unit started as well as the overarching concepts being studied. As with all content areas at Long-View, we leverage peer feedback and insights. Weekly, learners are encouraged to submit their journal entries on a public Google slide where other learners can offer feedback or gain new ideas for themselves. Social distancing hasn't hindered Long-View’s collective scientific progress!
