Bird watching as an alternative to chick hatching

Apr 7, 2000 4:03 PM

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE I: Students will be able to identify some species of birds.

MATERIALS: Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds or other grade appropriate books for children which name birds and describe their anatomy and behaviors.

MOTIVATION: Find out what your class already knows about the subject of birds and have them begin to formulate some questions that will guide their study of birds. One methodology for doing this is some kind of semantic mapping or brainstorming activity. K.W.L. is one of these. The K.W.L. activity asks children to think of what they know about a subject (brainstorming), what they would like to find out about the subject (questioning) and what they learned about the subject as the unit progresses (summary). The K.W.L. activities are usually done as a chart. An example follows. Create the chart on large sheets of paper or on an overhead transparency, because you will want to save it and come back to add to the chart as the children acquire more information on the topic.

ACTIVITIES:

Look at and discuss the pictures in the Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds book or another book suitable for the grade level you are working with. Practice naming some of the birds in the book based upon their color, shape and size.

Read and discuss the book about birds with the class. This may take several days. Discuss identifying features of the birds shown. For example, which bird is almost completely red? blue and black? Which birds swim in the water? Chart this information in graph form. Be sure to include chickens, roosters and turkeys in your listing. Write or call United Poultry Concerns for their "Chickens Can Fly" packet which includes photos of chickens in trees.

Bird Habitats

Place a check in the boxes that apply

Type of bird Birds Who Swim Birds Who Nest in Trees etc.

• pigeon
• chicken etc.

and

Main Color of Birds

List as many birds as apply under each heading

• Red Birds
• Blue Birds
• Black Birds
• White Birds etc.
  
• robin
• bluejay
• crow chicken etc.

Have children label a drawing of a bird to show the crown, forehead, beak, throat, breast, belly, foot, leg, tail, wing, back and cheek.

Look out of the classroom window or take a neighborhood walk to look for neighborhood birds. Can you identify any of them? If possible, have a representative of the local Audubon Society, or other group knowledgeable about birds, talk to the class and show a video or slides about birds. Get pictures from a chicken sanctuary to show to the class.