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Week 12 · Citizen Scientist

Thursday

Honest data
// Your records help protect living things
⏱ about 15 min

Thursday: Honest Data

Rocket holds up a page and grins. "I wrote that I saw ten hawks on Tuesday."

Raven raises an eyebrow. "Ten? I was with you. We saw one bird, and we were not sure what it was."

Rocket turns red. "It felt like ten. It was exciting."

Nova dims to a soft cyan. "Exciting is fine," she says. "But a record must say what you saw, not what you felt."

The rules of honest data

Citizen science only works if the records are honest. Here are the rules real scientists follow.

Write what you saw, not what you hoped to see. One bird is one bird.

If you are not sure what it was, say so. "Small brown bird, not sure" is a good record.

Never guess a name to make a record sound better. A wrong name is worse than no name.

Count the same way each time. If you count for five minutes on Monday, count for five minutes on Friday.

Write it down right away. Memories change by dinner time.

Keep every record, even the boring ones. "Nothing seen" is data too.

  • Saw it, not hoped it.
  • Not sure? Say so.
  • Never guess a name.
  • Same method every time.
  • Write it down now.
  • Keep the boring records.
HONEST OR NOT?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Rocket saw one bird but wrote ten. What should he do?
You see a bird but cannot tell what kind. What do you write?
You watched for five minutes and saw nothing. Is that a record?

Why honesty matters so much

Your record joins thousands of others. Nobody can check each one.

If many people round up or guess names, the pile of records lies.

Then a town might plant flowers for an insect that was never there.

Or it might miss a real warning sign, because fake sightings hid it.

One honest "not sure" is worth more than ten exciting guesses.

Scientists also protect living things by being careful about places.

Keep the exact spot of a nest or a rare animal private. Share it only with your grown-up.

A record must say what you ____, not what you hoped to see.
If you cannot tell what kind of animal it was, write "not ____".
Count the ____ way each time so your counts can be compared.
StatementTrue or false?
It is fine to round one bird up to ten if it was exciting.?
"Nothing seen" is a useful record.?
A wrong name is better than no name.?
You should write records down right away.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEHonest counts, honest names and quick notes keep the pile of records true.
Try it
With a grown-up, watch one spot for exactly five minutes. Set a timer.
Record everything you see, including "not sure" and "nothing".
Tomorrow, watch the same spot for five minutes again. Compare the two records.
Safety first
Stay with your grown-up the whole time.
Look with your eyes. Never touch a wild animal, nest, egg or unknown plant.
Some insects sting and some plants itch. Keep your hands to yourself.
Wash your hands when you come back in.
What should a citizen scientist write when they cannot name what they saw?
WHY THIS EXERCISEAn honest "not sure" with a description is a good record.
Draw Rocket's fixed record. Show one bird, the date, the place and "not sure".

Honest data, explorer! Tomorrow you build the Explorer Report from twelve weeks of records.

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