Biodiversity Counts
http://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections/biodiversity-counts
Biodiversity Counts is a project created by the American Museum of Natural History in conjunction with educators and curriculum specialists from across the country. The creators of the project believe that students learn science best by engaging in authentic scientific research, and base this site’s curricula and materials upon that belief. They also want to teach students about the vast diversity of living things, especially plants and arthropods (a group that includes insects and spiders), and want to engage them in learning about the ecosystems of their own back yards. The project offers an exciting and creative context for involving students in the scientific process while introducing them to the rich diversity and beauty of their local ecosystems.
In keeping with the belief that students learn best by engaging in research, the curricula of this program is inquiry based and built upon a hands-on, collaborative style of learning. The project models fieldwork done by the museum’s staff of biologists, and students learn fundamental research skills as they move through the lesson plans and activities. All of the activities address national scientific standards and emulate real scientific research. The site also provides profiles of scientists and museum staff for students to read, in order to give them insight into career opportunities in science.
The resources provided by the site are broken into units, with an abundance of materials available for each unit. Lessons come with step by step instructions, accompanied by useful diagrams. They also include meaningful assessments, supporting materials, and a list of corresponding national standards. The lesson plans and other materials provided by the site are in a ready to use format, although they encourage teachers to adapt materials to fit the needs of their particular students. The site offers full and abridged versions of the curricula, as well as ideas for potential combinations of curricula units. In this way, teachers can choose how much time they would like to spend on the project, while still ensuring that students receive the full benefits of the program. One of the wonderful aspects of this site is that they offer detailed support materials, including webpages created specifically for students to use as they complete various activities from the curricula.
As the final unit of the project, the site provides lessons and materials for having students plan and design a final exhibit of their work. The creation of the exhibit is based upon the way in which museum specialists bring together real scientific exhibits, and students are asked to take on the role of specialists as they work together to decide the best ways to show others what they have learned during their fieldwork and research. This requires students to apply what they have learned and to think critically about the information. Resources are also provided for helping students to design audience evaluations of the exhibit and to give them a chance for self-assessment. This kind of final project is well aligned with current thought on the value of making students’ work public and authentic, and in giving students a chance to reflect on what they have done in order to enhance their learning experience.
