Whether you live in an apartment in the city, a house in the suburbs, or a farm in the country (or anywhere else!), you are surrounded by wildlife. It’s easy to forget that we share an ecosystem with many different species. Our publication “Lights, Camera, Tracks” aims to make that shared ecosystem more visible. In it, we share a research study that asks:
- What kinds of animals surround our homes?
- How do the actions we take in our yards and communities impact those animals?
- How does the way the land around us is used affect those animals, too?
Along the way, learn more about how scientists use camera traps to collect data without harming animals, how habitat fragmentation can impact animals, and what we can do to help.
Interested in reading the original study? We always include the link to the original study in our articles. Pairing our article with the original study is a great way to help more advanced students learn to read scientific articles. Here’s a lesson plan you can use to help!
Time to Get Hands-On!
After reading the article, use the FACTivity to think about how the land around your home is used. Satellite maps, like those on Google, are great for getting a bird’s-eye view of our communities. What surrounds your home? Forests? Other buildings and roads? Agricultural fields? Bodies of water? How do all these land types affect the wildlife you might see in your yard or community?
Want to make your own wildlife observations? Let this graphic organizer guide you through using your senses to make observations. You might notice more signs of wildlife than you think!
This activity comes from our Ecosystems LIVE program. This series of three short videos explores how we impact the wildlife that lives around us. Learn about the study in “Lights, Camera, Tracks,” tips for making your own wildlife observations, and what you can do to help the wildlife that shares your ecosystem. Each episode is paired with a graphic organizer and an activity.
Want to Learn More?
Explore the tabs on the “Lights, Camera, Tracks” product page to find:
- An educator guide with education standards correlations (NGSS, Common Core, and Social Studies), lesson plan suggestions, and Project Learning Tree connections
- Related articles from Natural Inquirer to learn more about human impacts on wildlife and land use studies
- Scientist profiles of the scientists who conducted the study to learn more about their work and what interests them in science
