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Turn Your Students into Citizen Scientists: New Learning Scenarios from CROPS & Scientix®
If you want students to feel like real scientists — asking questions, collecting evidence, and helping solve global challenges — we’ve got something for you.
CROPS, in collaboration with Scientix®, has released five new Learning Scenarios that bring citizen science straight into the classroom.
Designed for both primary and secondary education, these interdisciplinary lesson plans empower students to take part in ongoing citizen science projects. Learners work with real data and practical investigation tools — and, even better, they actively contribute to the five EU Missions: adapting to climate change, restoring oceans and waters, creating climate-neutral and smart cities, ensuring healthy soils, and advancing cancer research.
What are these new Learning Scenarios about?
Climate Adaptation — Tracking the Asian tiger mosquito (ages 14–17)
Students become citizen scientists contributing to Mosquito Alert, a Europe-wide project monitoring mosquito species linked to climate change. They document potential breeding sites and sightings in their own community, compare their data with observations from across Europe, analyse how warmer temperatures support mosquito spread, and design local actions to reduce public-health risks.
Students join the global effort of Marine Debris Tracker as they investigate how litter in their streets, parks and riversides can ultimately reach the ocean. They document what they find, clean and visualise their data like real researchers, and use the evidence to create a Community Action Plan that inspires their school and local area to cut waste and protect waterways.
Climate-Neutral & Smart Cities — Measuring comfort in public spaces (ages 16–18)
Through the Our Outdoors citizen science project, students explore what makes public spaces feel safe, comfortable and welcoming. They combine environmental measurements — such as temperature, humidity and lighting — with emotional responses from people using those spaces, then transform their findings into practical recommendations for greener and more inclusive urban design.
A Soil Deal for Europe — Is our schoolyard soil healthy? (ages 10–12, adaptable for older students)
Students work with the LandPKS citizen science project to investigate the condition of the soil in their schoolyard. Using hands-on tests and soil-health indicators, they determine how well the soil can support plants, water retention, and biodiversity — and conclude by developing a School Soil Health Plan to protect and improve this essential resource.
EU Mission on Cancer — Protein folding with Foldit (ages 15–18)
Students contribute directly to cancer-related research through Foldit, a citizen-science game that challenges players to fold real proteins into stable shapes. While experimenting with how structure affects function — from alpha helices to beta sheets — they learn how misfolding can lead to disease, and their successful solutions are sent to researchers working on protein design.
Why use these Learning Scenarios?
Citizen science gives learning real-world relevance. Students collect evidence for ongoing research and discover that their ideas and actions can make a difference — a powerful motivation that helps them engage more deeply and confidently with science.
These Learning Scenarios make it simple for teachers to bring that experience into any classroom. With clear guidance, ready-made resources and activities that support curriculum goals, teachers can easily support authentic scientific investigation without needing specialist equipment or training.
All five Learning Scenarios are now available on the Scientix Resource Repository — free to download and ready to teach.
And if you’d like to start creating your own, you can also join the CROPS MOOC and learn how to design citizen science experiences tailored to your school and community.