Collaboration with Elementary Schools
Elementary school pupils in Nahariya became partners in the jellyfish citizen science project: they studied, investigated, met scientists, went out to the shore and reported sightings.
What the collaboration set out to do
Three goals guided the collaboration between the research group and the school's educational staff.
Reporting from Nahariya's shores
Pupils joined the jellyfish citizen science project as active reporters of sightings along their own coastline.
A positive bond with the sea
Learning about the marine environment, and spending time in it, builds affection for it and a sense of responsibility towards it.
Meaningful learning
The school's educational staff sought diverse, meaningful and relevant learning, and the project offered exactly that.
How the programme ran
Step 1
A syllabus built for the classroom
The TCSS developed a dedicated syllabus through which pupils studied jellyfish and carried out their own small investigations.
Step 2
Lectures by the research group
Scientists from the lab visited the school and presented their work in language the pupils could follow.
Step 3
Open discussion
After the lectures the pupils and the scientists discussed what had been learned, asked questions and challenged ideas together.
Step 4
A tour on the beach
A representative of the scientists met the pupils on the Nahariya shoreline and explained how to observe and report jellyfish.
Step 5
A visit to the University of Haifa
The pupils came to campus for a guided tour with members of the research group.
Step 6
Working with real data
In a data research workshop run by the TCSS, the pupils explored records gathered by the Meduzot Ba'am project.
In the classroom
Meetings with scientists, open discussion and hands-on investigation with pupils and staff.
What the pupils produced
Posters the pupils created following their investigations and presented to the school community.
