Education
activity:education

#Welcome On this page you will find programming, activities, and resources related to formal and informal education. From here, you can: Join the conversation Learn how to integrate community science practices into your classroom Browse community science lesson plans from the Public Lab team Find activities for your classroom from the community Ask a question, answer a question, or follow future questions on education ## What Does Community Science Look Like in Your Classroom? Public Lab defines community science as community-led scientific exploration and investigation to address community-defined questions, allowing for engagement in the entirety of the scientific process. Unlike traditional citizen science, Public Lab’s approach emphasizes local and traditional knowledge, community ownership of research, and working together in scalable networks to encourage collaborative learning and civic engagement. [![Screen_Shot_2021-04-15_at_6.34.42_PM.png](/i/43663)](/i/43663?s=o) Classroom community science projects are youth-led with an approach that emphasizes participant and community ownership of research, from question identification through analysis, and working together to encourage collaborative learning and civic engagement. After identifying their interests, students conduct research as they join the efforts of people and organizations already working on these issues and take the lead in aspects of study design, data collection, and analysis. The data collected from these student-designed projects supports community action and civic engagement. [Read more about integrating community science methodologies into your classroom here](https://publiclab.org/notes/mimiss/04-16-2021/community-science-in-the-classroom). **** ## How Can You Get Involved? We're looking to build a strong community of practice where educators of all experiences can share resources, knowledge, and lend a hand. Here are some ways that you can help build Public Lab's educational community ### Join the Conversation Get notified about new #education posts by subscribing to related tags. Click the button below, and subscribe to tags like "education", "classroom", "lesson", as well as other topics that you're interested in. Subscribe ### Try These Lessons in Your Classroom and Share Your Experience After using one of these activities in person, let us know how it goes in the comments. We appreciate your feedback and encourage you to share how you modify the lesson to better fit your classroom. - [Classroom Community Science](https://publiclab.org/wiki/student-led-community-science-in-the-classroom-a-curriculum): An adaptable curricula for bringing student-led environmental projects into your classroom. - [Messages from the Mississippi](https://publiclab.org/wiki/messages-from-the-mississippi-lesson-plans): A 6-part series investigating microplastics in local bodies of water culminating in student artwork and advocacy. - [Wetlands Remote Sensing & Management](https://publiclab.org/wiki/wetlands-lesson-plans): Hands on lesson plans to introduce students in grades 8-12 to oil spill cleanup, monitoring wetlands, and managing natural resources. - [Air Quality Class](https://publiclab.org/wiki/air-quality-class): An 8-week program in which students work with air quality sensors to monitor indoor air pollutants. Participants catalog and analyze the environmental air pollutant hazards that affect neighborhood homes and will share their findings with other community members ________________ ## Activities Here are some different activities particularly suited for use in the classroom: [activities:education] **** ## Questions [questions:education] **** ## Resources To learn more about the methods, successes, and challenges in developing these programs, check out our reports and evaluations from these funded projects: 2021 National Academy of Sciences Project Evaluation: Community Science in the Classroom 2022 EPA Impact Report: Messages from the Mississippi 2022 EPA Environmental Education Evaluation: Messages from the Mississippi **For more information on funding resources for educators, [click here](http://publiclab.org/wiki/funding-sources-for-science-teachers) ** [![PartsNCraftsSpectralTurntable.jpg](/i/47464)](/i/47464?s=o)...


Author Comment Last activity Moderation
liz "Hi @zengirl2 , you are awesome for re-working the wiring diagram! i just followed your updated instructions in preparation for doing this activity ..." | Read more » over 5 years ago
warren "I think the best method I've seen is to actually assemble it and loosely attach the cover. Then see where the spectrum falls on the screen. You can..." | Read more » over 5 years ago
khov "Does anyone have some helpful advice on how to make sure the angles are right? I am using a usb camera, which means I had to add an aditional layer..." | Read more » over 5 years ago
khov "Hey! Before you tape the bit of DVD into your spectomoter, make sure that you soak the purple dye out and avoid leaving fingerprints. Here is a hel..." | Read more » over 5 years ago
zengirl2 "This is a great write-up on this activity. As @warren mentioned I did this activity at MakerFaire with a very broad age range 6-60. Because I was b..." | Read more » over 5 years ago
warren "Love this! Super :smiley: Our breadboards didn't have nice Vcc or Ground sections like those pictured in the activity, so we decided to use one ro..." | Read more » over 5 years ago
jaksch "Hi spectrometrists :) I've just ordered the Lego-parts and I'm going through the instructions now. I don't really follow the step: "Tape or glue ..." | Read more » almost 6 years ago
DrJohnBarrett "I have more sophisticated instruments for water quality testing, if needed.. " | Read more » almost 6 years ago
warren "Hi, @rjboyd00, please don't use disrespectful language in any Public Lab space -- we work hard to preserve a respectful and welcoming environment, ..." | Read more » almost 6 years ago
rjboyd00 "Your paper liner really sucks and doesn't fold well at all. I will be designing and 3D printing an opaque enclosure to replace most of the legos an..." | Read more » almost 6 years ago
stevie "Also, we split up the kit before the workshop. We had the students divide into groups and rotate through the testing, so everyone was able to get h..." | Read more » almost 6 years ago
stevie "Here's the page we put together to make a worksheet for students. It's from the materials in the book, but since we were doing this with 10 or so s..." | Read more » almost 6 years ago
warren "Hi, @MoparWade, I believe @amanda followed up on this and sent a cable -- sorry -- this was an oversight. They went out a few days ago -- sorry, we..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
Glenn "I do miniature kite workshops frequently... and I'll build 40 kites with kids tomorrow. It's quick and easy when you're prepared. See the Kite Wor..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "We'd love to see a photo of your final build! Thanks for sharing!!! " | Read more » about 6 years ago
MoparWade "So, I didn’t receive the black piece of cardboard. No big deal I can work with that. What is a problem is that I cannot see any way to connect the ..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "Great write-up, thanks @SuziT9! I've posted this to the blog -- http://publiclab.org/blog " | Read more » about 6 years ago
xose "@xose awards a barnstar to SuziT9 for their awesome contribution! " | Read more » about 6 years ago
xose "Fantastic @SuziT9! Is it possible to have a digital copy of the step-by-step instructions? Looking forward to try these minikites! " | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "I love this! It's so great!!! Tell us how the fair goes! " | Read more » about 6 years ago
warren "@warren awards a barnstar to RoRo for their awesome contribution! " | Read more » about 6 years ago
jpschaaf "@asnow -- I did not order a kit so nothing to worry about from that perspective; I just would like to see the page edited in case someone else gets..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
asnow "Hi @jpschaaf You are right! The kits should come with 4 x 3036 plates, not one as mentioned above. Regarding use of the 3004 bricks, which step in ..." | Read more » about 6 years ago
jpschaaf "The parts manifest should show Four 6 x 8 plates - 3036 instead of one. I'm also pretty sure that building the illustrated item also requires two..." | Read more » about 6 years ago