Urban Ants

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Students in kinder, third grade, sixth grade, and high school collaborated with university researchers to learn about ants in their urban and natural environments.

INSTRUCTORS

Andrea Frias, Kristin Komatsubara, Matt Leader, Shelley Glenn Lee, Stephanie Lance

SCHOOL SITE

High Tech Elementary North County, High Tech High North County, High Tech Middle, High Tech Middle Media Arts, High Tech Middle North County

LEVEL

Elementary School (k-5), High School (9-12), Middle School (6-8)

SUBJECTS

English, Math, Science

ELECTRICITY USAGE

Electricity & Wifi

LESS THAN FIVE MATERIALS

False

TEACHERS NEEDED

Multiple Teachers

BOOK CHAPTER

II: In the World, With the World

Project Introduction

San Diego is a biodiversity hotspot, with thousands of different species of plants and animals.This includes several hundred species of ants, each of which plays a unique role in the ecosystem. The introduction of the invasive Argentine Ant disrupted local habitats and is therefore of great interest to scientists.

Students in kinder, third grade, sixth grade, and high school collaborated with researchers at the University of California as part of the San Diego Urban Ant Project. This citizen science project is aimed at mapping the presence of the invasive Argentine Ant, which has been responsible for the decline and absence of native ants.

As citizen scientists, students participated in the scientific process through data collection, data analysis, and communication of findings. This unique opportunity to contribute to a long-term ecological research study provided a real world context for students to learn the science of living things and their interdependence on each other and the environment.

Students investigated ants in their urban and natural environments. From schoolyards, backyards, and neighborhood parks to local natural reserves and protected areas, students assessed and reported their findings to university and community partners to further understanding of the impacts of invasive species on local ecosystems. They created art and published work in various formats to explain insects, biodiversity, and local ant species phenomena.

Want to see the whole project? Click the button to download the pages from the book that discuss this project!

Want to see the whole project? Click the button to download the pages from the book that discuss this project!

changingthesubject.org

Project Learning Goals

Learning Goals for Kindergarten

  • Explore what science is and what scientists do
  • Learn about arthropods from a variety of habitats
  • Learn interviewing skills through face-to-face meetings with experts
  • Learn math, counting, and graphing skills
  • Experience scientific field observation and journal-keeping
  • Develop writing, critique, revision, and collaboration skills
  • Develop supported research skills while creating scientific sketches of animals.

Learning Goals for Third Grade

  • Develop data collection, analysis, and graphing skills
  • Develop non-fiction reading skills and understand what makes effective non-fiction text
  • Understand biodiversity and the role of native and invasive species
  • Develop writing, critique, and revision skills
  • Develop collaboration and presentation skills
  • Produce informational text about 1 of 24 ant species and produce a scientific sketch

Learning Goals for Sixth Grade

  • Use critical observation to notice and wonder
  • Explain how animal behavior and specialized structure affect the probability of survival and reproduction
  • Collect, analyze and interpret data to distinguish between causation and correlation
  • Obtain, evaluate, and synthesize scientific information from multiple sources
  • Write, critique, and revise The San Diego Urban Ants Field Guide

Learning Goals for eleventh grade

  • Develop skills to utilize academic papers and first person accounts as source material
  • Develop analysis of data using statistics to explain shifts in populations
  • Evaluate evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in changes in the number of species
  • Identify and refine solutions to reduce the impact of humans on natural systems
  • Further develop scientific writing, critique and revision skills

Students participated in multiple field studies to collect data on ants in various settings. Kindergarteners studied habitats and built model habitats as a mini-project. As a final project, kindergarteners created “All About” books about a particular insect and collaborated on an “A is for Arthropod” alphabet book. Third graders collaborated on a field guide covering local ant species. They also designed solutions to the invasive ant problem in San Diego.

Eleventh graders worked on a variety of products individually and in groups. A first mini project was a personal statement about how they came to study Formicidae (ants) — whether their focus was on biology, ecosystems, sociology and behavior, or another lens. The students conducted experiments and wrote a joint scientific paper analysing the impact of irrigation on ant populations, and the invasive ant phenomena. They wrote “Antllegories,” fictional works related to some aspect of ant behavior that intrigued them. They also created informational “ant farm” art pieces with laser cut wood, paint, and plexiglass to illustrate aspects of their research.

Exhibition & Ongoing Work

All grade levels participated in an exhibition at the university, which was attended by family members as well as academics and community experts. This collaborative project has evolved over several years and expanded to include teachers and students in other grades and campuses — each of which contributes data to the ongoing university research project.
More detailed information can be found at: https://sdurbanantproject.weebly.com/

Project Resources

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