D Read the article in the school newspaper about citizen science and answer the questions.
Become a citizen scientist today!
By a quiet lake, a few students are looking for rare and interesting birds. “Over there,” one boy says quietly as he points to a spot on the water. “I think that’s a rare duck.” The others take photos of the duck and then share them in an online scientific community. This is an example of citizen science—and it’s very important! Citizen science is scientific work done by the public to help scientists. A citizen scientist collects and shares information about the natural world.
These students are bird lovers, and they use an app called eBird. On this app, people can record their bird sightings and share them with other users. This information helps other bird lovers find interesting birds in their area. But that’s not all! It also helps scientists learn more about the behaviour of different birds since they get more information about where these birds are and what they are doing.
Citizen science isn’t just about birds. Water testing is another great way for people to take part. You can easily head down to a local lake or river, test the water and share information with other citizen scientists. This can be very helpful since scientists need as much information as they can get! Scientists use the information from water tests to make sure that local water is safe and clean.
These are just a couple of ways to get started with citizen science. By taking part in this kind of science, we can help each other better understand our world. What are you waiting for? Become a citizen scientist today!
1 What are the students doing by the lake?
The students are looking for rare and interesting birds by the lake and taking photos of them to share in an online scientific community.
2 What is citizen science?
Citizen science is scientific work done by the public to help scientists, where citizen scientists collect and share information about the natural world.
3 What can people do on the eBird app?
On the eBird app, people can record their bird sightings and share them with other users.
4 What do scientists use the information from water tests to do?
Scientists use the information from water tests to make sure that local water is safe and clean.
5 What does the writer want readers to do?
The writer wants readers to become citizen scientists and take part in scientific work to better understand our world.
