Hummingbirds Citizen Science and Journey North Thinking Carefully About Methods Background Journey North is a "citizen science" project. As the name implies, citizen science involves regular people in a scientific study. Journey North involves the public in the data-collection step. As the rufous and ruby-throated hummingbird migrations take place, thousands of observers across the continent collect and report data. When you interpret the results, keep questions such as the following in mind. Who's Watching for Hummingbirds? Here is a map showing where Journey North participants are located. Describe what you notice about the distribution of Journey North observers. Why is this map important to keep in mind when you interpret migration sightings? Learning From Real-life Examples This sighting occurred during the 2006 hummingbird migration:   Travel Tale: A Rufous Hummer in Indiana Tip for Teachers  See Inquiry Strategies for help in guiding class discussions Journaling Questions Review the real-life example above with the following questions in mind:  Think about the methods of our spring migration study, and describe them carefully. Who is involved in gathering data? Where are they? Exactly what they are doing? Can you be confident that Happy Broadhead actually saw a rufous hummingbird? What's your evidence? What examples can you think of that could make citizen science challenging (e.g., people might mis-identify a species)? How are field observers one of the variables in Journey North studies? Explain. Describe how Journey North could "control" this human variable so the data is as valid as possible. Read about "effort," as described by biologist Andrew Davis. Can you add to your responses to the questions above? Extensions See related lesson: You're the Scientist: Verifying Data Collected by Peers Assessment Introduce the concept of citizen science at the beginning of the season. Have students watch for examples as the season progresses, and include them in their journals. Watch how class discussions and journal entries increase in sophistication. National Science Education Standards It is part of scientific inquiry to evaluate the results of scientific investigations, experiments, observations, theoretical models, and the explanations proposed by other scientists. Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2024 Journey North. All rights reserved.