Asking Questions in Biology

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 26.06.03

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction/rationale:
  2. Student Background And School Demographics:
  3. Rachel Carson And The Sense Of Wonder:
  4. Rachel Carson And The Question That Started A Movement:
  5. Citizen Science:
  6. Migratory Birds In Chicago:
  7. The Endangered Piping Plover:
  8. Teaching Strategies:
  9. Activities
  10. Appendix On Implementing District Standards
  11. Bibliography:
  12. Student Reading List:
  13. List Of Materials For Classroom Use:
  14. Endnotes:

Rachel Carson and the Questions that Helped Save Bird Populations

Nancy V. Ibarra

Published September 2026

Tools for this Unit:

Citizen Science:

Going back to the beginning of this unit and the idea of kids ‘doing science’, some parents may think, well, I’m not a scientist; how do I teach my child about science when I do not know one bird from another? And the answer is that we can. In exposure and allowing our kids to wonder, Carson describes emotions developed during these observations as the fertile soil where the seeds of knowledge will grow.[24] When I look back at those moments under my pine trees, I think of the emotions I must have felt, not only the sense of wonder and curiosity, but also safety and peace, and most importantly, the reciprocity that Kimmerer writes about in Braiding Sweetgrass, citing the importance of the relationships that we share with the natural world.[25]

In recent years, Citizen Science has made an important contribution to the scientific world by encouraging everyday people to collaborate with professional scientists on research. Volunteers collect and enter data into websites such as Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird, and Merlin Bird ID. Although the term Citizen Science is relatively new, the idea has been around for some time. Wells Cooke, a member of the American Ornithologists' Union, began a program to study bird migration patterns in the late 1800s. It expanded into the North American Bird Phenology Program. A network of volunteers began collecting information about migratory bird patterns on information cards.[26] Those information cards are now heavily used by scientists.

Studying birds and the obstacles they overcome, as advocated by those who asked the tough questions, is a way to engage students in conservation efforts.

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