Camera traps can be powerful tools to help with monitoring wildlife. Share this infographic with your students, and then ask them to explain in their own words how camera traps work. Have them explain why it’s helpful to have citizen scientists analyze camera trap images. Ask: What animals could we study using camera traps in our region? Where would we want to put the camera traps?

Have students select a camera trap project to work on from Instant Wild or Zooniverse. Ask each student to analyze at least ten images from one project. Then have students report out to the class on the project they selected, and the types of wildlife found there.

Consider also enrolling in National Geographic's free online course, Learning Through Citizen Science. Educators will gain experience with global citizen science and learn from National Geographic Explorers how to engage students of any age. Sign up for the course in English here or in Spanish here.