In this online PD session recorded on 30 July 2015, primary school teacher Angela Schipper describes how she used the Butterflies resources from the Science Learning Hub in the classroom.
In particular, Angela’s year 4 students learned to be citizen scientists while learning science concepts related to butterflies and moths in New Zealand.
Thanks, this was very informative.
Teacher
This PLD session was based on the legacy Science Learning Hub however all the resources are still available on the new-look Science Learning Hub site.
Her students not only developed science skills and capabilities as they participated in citizen science but demonstrated long-term science learning and attitudes relating to the sustainability of the environment.
See above to view the video of this professional development session and the link below to download the PowerPoint presentation.
The Hub has two unit plans based on Angela's work: Butterflies – lower primary and Butterflies – upper primary.
| Topic | PowerPoint slide number(s) | Video timecode |
| NZC and citizen science | 2–3 | 00:40 |
| Butterflies science story – landing page | 4 | 01:20 |
| A butterfly story in the classroom with Angela – year 4 (lesson development) | 5–13 | 01:38 |
| Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust | 14 | 13:41 |
| Personal reflections about taking classroom science into the community | 15 | 14:40 |
| Science citizenship, the students and long-term learning | 16–19 | 14:58 |
| SLH resources that supported this learning | 20–27 | 20:57 |
| What happened following the science learning | 28–32 | 27:17 |
| Order promo material, SLH links, thanks | 33–34 | 28:57 |
Nature of science
Becoming citizen scientists helps students develop all aspects of the Nature of Science as identified in the New Zealand Curriculum – understanding about science, investigating in science, communicating in science and participating and contributing. Angela’s students also developed the science capability ‘Engage with science’ by contributing to a real-world science project.
Citizen science on the Hub
The number of opportunities to be involved as citizen scientists continues to grow, and teachers are increasingly using them to make science education more relevant and engaging and to develop students’ science capabilities. Explore the projects listed in the Citizen science section, find one that sparks an interest or is local and see these tips for planning your science programme.
Useful links
Visit the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust (MBNZT) website.
Check out the large collection of citizen science resources that we have curated in this Pinterest board.
