Count Down

An Activity on Using Online Science Data Sources




Overview/Introduction:

This lesson introduces students to using web sites as data sources. Specifically, students will make bird population predictions and then find and use bird count data from an online source to test their predictions. They will record, organize, and graph these data and then share the results with their peers at a mock Ornithology Conference. In addition, they will be introduced to the basic idea of sampling.

Purpose or Objective:

  1. To access and use online data,

  2. To organize and present data,

  3. To share scientific information with peers in a scientific forum,

  4. To discuss similarities and differences among data,

  5. To summarize data analysis results, and

  6. To discuss the importance of sampling and to identify some problems in gathering data.

Skills: Basic data research and organizing, comparing, graphing, reporting, and communicating scientific information.

Time Required: 2 to 3 hours

Materials, Tools, and Resources Needed: Graph paper, colored pencils, Bird Count Data Sheet, computers with access to the Internet, large North American map, name tags, labels and thumb tacks.

Web Sites:

BirdSource Great Backyard Bird Count Data

Animal Diversity Web

USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

BirdSource Presents Great Backyard Bird Count

Christmas Bird Count

Teacher Preparation and Notes: Before starting this lesson, you may want to review the module sections on assessment and web site accuracy, longevity, and copyright issues.

Graphing Note: Before proceeding with the Bird Count Data Activity, you may want to review with your students how to create a scale on the y-axis of a bar graph that accommodates a wide range of numbers (bird counts) and how to place the three bird types on the x-axis. Students need to be guided in how to graph large numbers, e.g. in thousands.

Prerequisite Student Knowledge:

Science: Bar graphs

California Science Content Standards for Grade 3-LS 3a, b; Grade 2-IE 4e

Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:

  1. Plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
  2. Examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
e. construct bar graphs to record data using appropriately labeled axes.

Technology: Basic computer skills, e.g., clicking, scrolling, getting online, opening and navigating around web sites, accessing content information online (Bird Up Activity).

Procedure:
    Introduction and Preassessment

  1. Ask the students what they think is the most numerous type of bird in California and North America. How many are there? How many different types of birds do they think there are? Record their answers on chart paper. Ask why they chose those birds and numbers. Save their answers for the summary discussion.

  2. Introduce the Count Down Activity to the students. Explain that each student is going to be a bird specialist-an ornithologist-and will search through actual scientific data for answers to the questions: What is the most numerous bird in each state and province? What is the most numerous bird in North America? And, how many different types of birds are found in each state or province?

  3. Have each student select two states or provinces. Make sure each state or province has been chosen at least once. Explain that the students will use online data to fill in a bird data report for each of their states or provinces and share their results at a class Ornithology Conference. If you are unable to access the listed websites go to 1999 Backyard Bird Count Data. During this activity ask that the students call each other by the title "Doctor" and explain that the title means that they are experts on birds, not on health, like medical doctors.

    Bird Count Data Activity

  4. Pass out the Bird Count Data sheets, graph paper, and colored pencils. Ask your students to open up the online activity "Count Down" or pass out printouts of the activity. Have them read and do the activity. Give them a specific amount of time to do their data gathering. Have students graph the data they found in a graph (You may wish to have them follow this activity by using a spread sheet/graphing program such as AppleWorks or Excel [Excel Tutorial].)

    Use an observation checklist to assess each student's online work. Since each student must go online individually to get data, depending on the number of computers with web access you have, you may want to introduce the activity to the entire class and then assign each student a specific time to go online during the day in your classroom, the library, or computer lab

    Ornithology Conference
  5. Set aside a period of time for a class Ornithology Conference. Let the students know that you will be the conference leader and review the conference rules, e.g., they should raise their hands to share ideas, call each other by their title and last name, present their data in a clear and efficient manner, follow the agenda, and offer explanations and information in a courteous manner. Also, review the presentation criteria. Older students may want to decide on presentation criteria themselves and then create a checklist or rubric for grading the presentations.

    Conference Agenda

    Opening Remarks. Introduce yourself as the conference director, pass out name tags, review the agenda (Opening Remarks, Individual Professional Reports, Data Review, and Summary Remarks), and remind them of the questions the conference was set up to answer. Students should have their Bird Count Data reports with them.

    Individual Professional Reports. Place a large map of North America on the wall and have each student (ornithologist!) tack a label with his or her bird type and count on their selected areas. Use count overlaps as checks. Review the top ten bird list (see data table that follows). You may want to graph this information as a class. If there is time, have each student share some information about the most numerous birds. Have students go online for the data or use the bird count data table that follows for the GBBC 1999 results for each state, province, and the top ten for North America if your classroom does not have access to the web.

    Data Review. Put the chart of the bird questions and predictions on the board. Discuss what the data on the map tells them about the most numerous bird in each state, province, and North America.

    Summary Remarks. Review the results and ask them why the data did not really tell them exactly how many birds were in California and North America. Elicit answers such as the birds were only counted in small areas for a short period of time and the counters had different counting and bird identification expertise. Discuss the idea of sampling. Have each student fill in a Conference Summary Report. After collecting the summaries and the Bird Count Data sheets, officially close the conference and thank them for their attendance.

  6. Review how the Internet helped the students find scientific data. Reinforce the idea that they can find a great deal of science data online.

  7. If there is time in your curriculum, ask the students if they are interested in doing a bird count of their own (see the Counting Gulls, Backyard Birds, and Becoming A Birder Activities), an investigation sharing data online (see the investigation lessons in this module), or finding content information on each bird to determine why it may be so numerous (see the Bird Up Activity).

Student Handouts/ Record Sheets

  1. Bird Count Data Sheet

Assessment:

Evaluate the Bird Count Data Sheets and Conference Summaries using a checklist with point values for completeness, accuracy, and clarity. Final evaluation should include a review of the Bird Count Data Sheet, student observations, conference presentations, and Conference Summary Reports.

Grades 4-6 Life Sciences

California Science Content Standards Addressed:


Grade 4-IE 6a, c, e

6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

a. differentiate observation from inference (interpretation), and know that scientists' explanations come partly from what they observe and partly from how they interpret their observations.

c. formulate predictions and justify predictions based on cause and effect relationships.

e. construct and interpret graphs from measurements.

Grade 5-IE 6 g, i;

6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

g. record data using appropriate graphic representation (including charts, graphs, and labeled diagrams), and make inferences based on those data.

i. write a report of an investigation that includes tests conducted, data collected or evidence examined, and conclusions drawn.

Grade 6-LS 5e; IE 7b, c, d.

5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:

e. the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition.

7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

b. select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.

c. construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships between variables.

d. communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and verbal presentations.

National Education Technology Standards for Students Addressed:

3. Technology productivity tools

  •  
    		•  Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity

  •  
    		•  Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology

    4. Technology communications tools

  •  
    		•  Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.

  •  
    		•  Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

    5. Technology Research Tools

  •  
    		•  Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources

  •  
    		•  Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness to specific tasks


    The Integrating Technology into Science Instruction webpages project is partially funded by grants from The Boeing Company and The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. Integrating Technology into Instruction is a project of Target Science (target@laep.org) and is displayed on the Los Angeles Educational Partnership Learning Exchange. Target Science is an initiative of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership.
    Updated May 2000