We took a real action for living things in our grounds. Here is the big question for today: did our action help, and how would we know?
Hands up: what is one clue you would look for if the action had made a difference?
Today we check whether our action made a real difference. Scientists call careful counts that show this evidence of impact. To be fair we measure the same place the same way (a before-and-after comparison). Checking again later is monitoring.
With your group: what will you re-count today, and what one thing must stay the same so the comparison is fair?
Take your audit notes from earlier in this project, a hoop or string square, and your Investigation Journal. Go to the area of your action.
Re-count or re-observe using the method your group just agreed. Keep the place and the way of counting the same as the audit. Record what you find. Return every living thing gently when you finish.
This is the moment we find out what the numbers say, not what we hoped.
Bring your before numbers from the audit and your after numbers from today. On the board we will enter a few clear counts as their own rows. Watch the chart. Which bars changed? Which stayed the same? What does that suggest about our action so far?
On your Investigation Journal page, record the comparison, what the evidence shows, and one next step you would take.
Before and after our action
First, swap with another group. Each group has about one minute to tell the other:
- what action you checked
- what the before and after evidence showed
- one thing you would do next and why
Then a few groups will share with the whole class. Listeners: be ready to name one piece of evidence you heard that was clear. You may hold up your journal tallies if it helps listeners see the numbers.
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