CitizenScience:ProductsofOurEnvironment

Overview:
AllspeciesoflifeonEarthreactwiththeelementsintheirenvironments.Somespeciesadaptto
procreate,someadapttolimitedfoodsources,andothersadaptinwaysnotyetexploredby
modernscientists.Ourjobashumansandasmusiciansisalsotointeractwithourenvironment
anditsmanyelements.

Objective:
Learnhowdifferentspeciesofbirdsinteractwithotherspeciesandoftheirownspecieshow
theyinteractwiththeirenvironmentsandhowtheirenvironmentsshapetheiractionsaswellas
theirbeautifulcalls.AttheendofthedaystudentswillbetterunderstandtheScientificMethod
andhowtheycanuseitinothercontextsthatinterestthem.

QuestionstoProvokeThought
1. Whocandefinewhatascientistis?
2. Doesanybodyknowwhatacitizenscientistis?
a. Canwefigureitoutbybreakingitdown?
3. Whowantstobeascientistwhentheygetolder?
a. Whowantstobeascientistrightnow!

1. Whocantelluswhatthescientificmethodis?
a. Wherehaveyouseenoruseditbefore?
b. Doyouthinkwecoulduseitinmusic?
i.
How?
2. Howmanystepsareinthescientificmethod?
a. Whatarethey?

Setting:
LocalPark.Studentswillbeallowedtoobservehowbirdsinteractwiththeirenvironments/other
livingthings.Dotheyreacttohumanpresence?Studentswillkeepadiaryofthebirdthatthey
seeandwhatitdoesiftheyobservetwoofthesametypeofbirdtheywilllogthesimilarities
anddifferences.Theprimaryconcernisntthetypeofbird,buthoweachbirdfitsintotheir
environment.

Procedure:
1. Formgroupsof45people.
2. Comeupwithaquestion.Whatdoyouwanttoknowaboutbirdsandhowtheyinteract
withtheirenvironments(andchangesintheirenvironments)?

3. Constructahypothesisforyourquestion.Examplesinclude:
a. If______than______
b. Wethinkthat______willhappenwhen_____
c. Wepredictthatthisbirdwill______because______
d. Ifwedo______to/atthebirdthantheywillrespondby______
4. Keepadiary(asdetailedasispossible)ofthebirdsthatareseenandwhattheydo.
a. Didtheyreacttohumans?How?
b. Weretheyinteractingwithotherlivingornonlivingthings?How?
c. Whatdidthebirdsdo?
i.
Weretheyeating?Whatweretheyeating?Howisthewaythattheyeat
differentfromanotherbirdthatyounoticedeating?
1. Samequestionsforhowtheytravel,howtheysing,andhowthey
completeotherdailytasks.
5. Nowinteractwiththebirds.
a. CHOOSEONE:
Makeasinglenoiserepeatedly,makeasinglemovement
repeatedly,ORmakeasinglecallrepeatedlytopurposefullyinteractwiththe
birdsthatyouareobserving.
6. Discussasasmallgroupwhatthegeneralobservationswere.
a. DidyoufolloweachstepoftheScientificmethod?Ifnot,pleaseanswerthose
questionsnow.
i.
Whatisyourquestion?
ii.
Whatisyourhypothesis?
iii.
Whatdidyoudotochangethebirdsenvironment?
iv.
Howdidthebirdsreacttothischangeintheirenvironment?Wasitwhat
youexpected?
v. Makeyourconclusion.Didyourexperimentandobservationsansweryour
question?Diditchangehowyouthink?Inwhatways?
7. Shareyourfindingswiththeclass.Didyounoticehoweverybodysquestionswere
(probably)different?
a. Whatdidyoulearnfromyourclassmatesexperiments?
b. Howdoyouthinkthistiesintomusic?(Nowronganswers)
i.
Whyisitimportanttotalkaboutnatureandmusicashavingsimilarities
anddifferences?
ii.
Howarehumanssimilartobirds?Dohumansinteractwiththeir
environmentsandrespondtochanges(bothunexpectedandexpected)?
1. Dothesechangesmakeanimpactonmusic?How?
2. Wouldyouchangethewayyoumademusicifyousuddenlyfound
outalotofgreatnews?Whataboutbadnews?

FinalThoughts:
Humansarejustasmuchaproductoftheirenvironmentasbirds(oranyotheranimals)would
be.Wereacttochangesinemotion,setting,andtheotherlivingandnonlivingthingswe
interactwithonadailybasis.Byobservingbirdsintheirnaturalhabitatalongsidebirdswho
haveexperiencedadisturbance(theexperimentinthiscase)studentswillrecognizejusthow
everypieceoftheenvironmentworkstogetherandhowonelittlethingcanchangehowanimals
behave.Connectingthelessonstaughtintheirscienceclasswithmusicclass,studentswilllearn
howtousewhattheyknowaboutscienceandapplyittobroaderconcepts(Inthiscase,how
musicianreacttochangesinemotions,changesinenvironment,gettinggood/badnews,etc.).

Studentswillleavewiththeideathattheycanbecitizenscientistsandconductexperimentson
theirownitdoesntjusthavetobeaboutsciencetopics.Learningtothinkinabroadercontext
andapplythescientificmethodtoanyexperimentthatstudentswanttolearnaboutisgreatly
usefulinhelpingstudentsmotivatethemselves.