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October 4, 2006

Classroom FeederWatch

"Purple Finch in Pines," by Sang-Hoon, a ninth-grade participant in the Classroom Feederwatch Program. (Date of Image: Spring 2003)

More about Classroom Feederwatch
Classroom FeederWatch was a research and interdisciplinary education curriculum designed for students in grades five to eight. The information collected from the project was used by ornithologists to track changes in the abundance and distribution of bird species that use feeders. By counting birds for Project FeederWatch and Classroom FeederWatch programs, students and teachers helped scientists understand the movement patterns and population fluctuations of many common birds and helped ensure their survival. The project also gave teachers a chance to integrate science with language arts, visual arts, social studies, math and technology. Students produced a newsletter describing their findings and feelings about the project and discussed questions in classrooms nationwide via electronically.

Classroom FeederWatch highlighted many of the important features of next-generation environmental science education including interdisciplinary approach, student involvement in research, use of networking technology and linking science with quality of life and public outreach. The program was developed under a U.S. National Science Foundation grant (ESI 95-50541), awarded to Cornell University.

While the Classroom FeederWatch project has been discontinued, the Cornell Lab of Orinthology offers other curriculum and activities for the classroom and citizen scientists. Further information is available Here.

Credit: Artwork by Sang-Hoon, Charlottesville, Va.

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