Observe Like a Phenologist: Tracking Nature’s Patterns Over Time

• Cue Chapter 7, Observer (or select a clip)
• Choose an outdoor observation area (schoolyard, garden, sidewalk edge, etc.)
• Adapt Phenology Scavenger Hunt worksheet categories to reflect your local/seasonal phenomena using this template and these instructions (Tab 3).
• Pre-group students (pairs or small groups recommended)
• Print Student Viewing Guide and Phenology Scavenger Hunt worksheets

The goal for this video + reflection activity is to reframe what counts as science.

Step 1: Distribute Student Viewing Guide (1 min)

Hand out the worksheet Observer Chapter 7: Student Viewing Guide to each student.

Step 2: Before the film (5 min)

Prompt students with the “Before” questions:

• How do scientists “observe”?
• What can you learn from “observing”?
• How do you feel when you are outside in your environment? (connects to minute 6:50 when Dallas takes a break on the ground)

Step 3: During the film (30 min)

Screen Chapter 7 (or clip from it). You may have to stop periodically so that students can answer the questions under “During the film” section of the Viewing Guide.

Step 4: After the film (10 min)

Have students reflect on and answer the “After the film” questions in the Viewing Guide. 

Students participate as citizen scientists, using the Phenology Scavenger Hunt worksheet to record outdoor observations of their local environment. The goal for this activity is to get students to observe closely and collect real-world data.

What to look for during this activity:

• Careful observation of what is present and what is NOT (noticing detail).
• Early pattern thinking.
• Use of evidence-based language (“I saw…”, “I noticed…”).

Step 1: Weather Observations (5 mins)

Have students record their initial observations using the Northeast Phenology Scavenger Hunt worksheet or your own adapted Scavenger Hunt worksheet.

• Prompt the students:
  • “Before you start looking for plants and animals, record the weather observations for today.”
  • “What is the weather like? How might that affect what you see?”
• Have the students record in their worksheet:
  • Weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, windy, etc.)
  • Temperature (if available)
  • Students answer “Think like a Seasonal Scientist: What are the seasonal averages for temperatures and precipitation during this time of year?”

Step 2: Begin Observations & Data Collection (10 min)

• Prompt the students:
  • “Now begin observing. Move slowly, look closely, and record what you see using tally marks. Focus on plants and animals, and any signs of activity.”
• Have the students observe their environment carefully and record tally marks for:
  • Plants (dandelion, grass, tree leaves, select their own plant)
  • Animals (squirrels, robins, butterflies, bees, ants)

Step 3: Deepen Observation (10 min)

• Prompt the students (while circulating):
  • “What patterns are you noticing?”
  • “What surprises you?”
• Have the students: 
  • Continue observing and refining tallies
  • Discuss observations with partner
  • Begin identifying patterns (even informally)
  • Once students collect data, they will summarize their plant and animal observations, and predict how the plants and animals may be different next season.

Step 4: Sketch & Categorize (10 min)

• Prompt the students to get out notebooks or a blank sheet of paper:
  • “Now choose part of the environment to sketch. Include as much detail as you can.”
  • “After sketching, identify which parts are living and which are non-living.”
• Have the students draw a section of the environment and label or list:
  • Living components (plants, animals)
  • Non-living components (air, rocks, water, human-made objects)

Step 5: Wrap-Up & Transition (10 min)

• Bring student groups back together and prompt:
  • “Finish your last observation and return to our meeting area.”
  • “Write an answer to the reflection question and follow up question.”
  • “Be ready to share: one thing you observed and one thing that surprised you.”
• Have the students:
  • Wrap up drawing and listing
  • Return materials
  • Transition back for discussion

The goal is to have students make meaning from their observations and connect to scientific ideas about patterns, evidence, and repeated observation. The teacher will document observations made throughout the year in a spreadsheet.

What you look for during this activity:

• Use of evidence (“I saw…”)
• Pattern recognition (“many groups noticed…”)
• Early causal reasoning (“maybe because…”)
• Understanding of repeated observation
• Predictions for next observation

Step 1: Share Observations (10 min)

• Prompt students:
  • “Now that you’ve collected data like scientists, we’re going to make sense of what we observed.”
  • “Turn to your partner and share one thing you observed.”
  • “Now, let’s hear a few examples. What did you notice?”
• Have the students:
  • Share observations in pairs
  • Contribute to whole-group discussion
• Optional: While students are sharing, you record student observations on board (e.g., “lots of bare branches,” “no insects,” “birds feeding”)

Step 2: Identify Patterns (10 min)

• Prompt students:
  • “Let’s look across all of our observations. Do we notice any patterns?”
  • “Was there anything that showed up again and again?”
  • “Was there something that was mostly missing?”
• Have the students:
  • Look across shared data
  • Identify patterns (e.g., many bare trees, little insect activity)
  • As students share, make sure to help students:
  • Name patterns clearly
  • Articulate ideas using evidence

Step 3: Introduce Explanation Thinking (10 min)

• Prompt students:
  • “Scientists use patterns as clues to explain what’s happening in the environment.”
  • “Why do you think we saw [pattern]?”
  • “What might explain why something was missing?”
  • “How might the weather or season affect what we observed?”
• Have the students:
  • Offer ideas and explanations
  • Use evidence from their observations

Step 4: Introduce Phenology & Connect to Film (10 min)

• Prompt students:
  • “There is a word for studying changes like this over time. It’s called phenology.”
  • “The scientist in the video comes back to the same place every day to track these changes. Why would a scientist return to the same place again and again?”
  • “What could they learn that we couldn’t learn from just one day?”
• Have students:
  • Think and respond after each prompt
  • Connect their experience to long-term observation

Step 5: Reflection & Exit Ticket (5 min)

• Prompt the students:
  • “Today you used evidence (your observations) to understand the world. That’s what scientists do.”
  • “Scientists also look for patterns over time, not just in one moment.”
  • “And just like you, scientists use simple tools like notebooks to record their ideas.”
• Have the students:
  • Listen and reflect
  • Begin to see themselves as scientists
• End with an exit ticket:
  • “One thing you learned today about observation…” or “One thing you learned today about what it means to be a scientist…”

Same Spot for a Year - visit the same spot on your school grounds over the course of the year. Document your observations in a Phenology Wheel.  

Journals - for every outing take your phenology journal and record your observations using sketches and/or words. What connections can you make between the things you observe?  

Sense of Place/Social Studies Connection - Research the Indigenous people of your area.  Who are they?  How did they use the land? What species were there at that time?  Are these species still present? If not, which ones were lost?  What are some possible explanations to why? How can we communicate what is here now with future generations? 

Sound Mapping Activity - From Observer Activity Book

Build a Food Chain