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Description
Together for Birds provides students with the opportunity to explore and discover the ways in which birds and other living things depend on their habitat to survive. Designed to be flexible, the three activities can be used as stand-alone activities or all together as a unit.
In activity #1, after a warm-up discussion, students create an observation telescope out of a paper tube and use it to observe a tree and complete an “Observation Bingo” exercise. After returning to class they will share their observations. The students will again go outside and in groups of 2-3 to observe a specific part of a tree and identify which plants and animals rely on the tree as their habitat. Students will journal their observations and then complete the “What’s the Connection?” exercise in which they organize their observations, data and information into a booklet before sharing with the class.
Activity #2 begins with the students discussing camouflage and its benefits. Next they will participate in a relay race to simulate birds feeding on camouflaged bugs. They will chart the bugs they collect while discussing the ease or difficulty of obtaining each one. The students will use the data from the relay race to create a graph and discuss how coloration can be a benefit to birds. The students will then draw a bird that could hide in plain sight in different outdoor settings.
In the third activity students work as naturalists. In pairs they observe a designated area with an “Animal Count” sheet (provided) before sharing their discoveries with the class.
Each activity has assessment and enrichment suggestions as well as lesson adaptations for older students.
General Assessment
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?
The focus of this resource is to develop an awareness of the importance of trees as habitats for birds. Attention is paid to developing the observation skills needed to appreciate nature.
Strengths
- an abundance of background information for the teacher
- all materials provided
- interesting, engaging and differentiated activities
- enrichment ideas provided
- assessment suggestions support each activity
Recommendation of how and where to use it
Together for Birds is an excellent, well-rounded resource best suited for the early elementary classroom. It will help to address the curriculum outcomes related to habitats, ecosystems and the needs of living things. The activities can be used as stand alone experiences or can be used together as a unit of study.
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- Arts Education: Creative expression is a means to explore and share one’s identity within a community.
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- Analyzing and interpreting experiments in data probability develops an understanding of chance
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- Science 4: All living things sense and respond to their environment
Themes Addressed
Ecosystems (4)
- Appreciating the Natural World
- Biodiversity
- Interdependence
- Wildlife Protection
Land Use & Natural Resources (1)
- Forests
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | The activities in the resource allow the students to explore and discover how important habitats are for birds. They are given opportunities outdoors to take notes and collect data in order to make informed determinations. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Satisfactory | Although not directly addressed in the activities, the environmental and social dimensions of the issues are explored through the materials that are provided for the teacher. The health benefits of observing birds in addition to the environmental importance of trees are effectively addressed. The economic dimensions of the issue can easily be supported by a discussion with the students by the teacher. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Good | With a trend towards increasing urbanization, protecting trees and understanding the importance they play in an ecosystem is paramount. The resource creates this understanding through its activities. |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Satisfactory | The resource provides opportunities for the students to develop a deeper appreciation for the trees in their neighborhood and the habitats they provide for birds and other organisms. However specific actions/projects are not directly included. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Very Good | Through discussions and the activities the students develop their own values regarding the importance of trees and the dynamic habitats that they provide for birds and other organisms. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Poor/Not considered | This is not a focus of this resource. |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Very Good | The activities in the resource are geared toward fostering appreciation for the value of birds and the need to protect trees as important habitats for a variety of organisms. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Very Good | The foundation of the resource is to provide meaningful experiences outside to develop an appreciation for the importance of trees in the students' communities as crucial habitats. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Poor/Not considered | The resource doesn't directly address this criterion. It has more of a focus on the general importance of birds and trees. The teacher could through discussions, develop an understanding of the importance of trees from the past, present and future. |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | The lesson's activities provide an opportunity to develop a sense of the importance of trees through the students' own observations and discussions. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Very Good |
|
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Good | The students seek to understand how birds and other organisms use the trees that they are observing as habitats. They gather data and try to describe through shared discussions the important relationship between the trees and birds. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Very Good | This resource provides ample opportunity for all learning styles to be addressed by providing enrichment activities as well as suggestions for meeting the needs of diverse learners |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Very Good | The entire lesson is focused on developing attitudes and experiences out in nature. The students work on observing the habitats and the organisms that use those habitats. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory | |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Very Good | Each activity includes multiple assessment suggestions. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Satisfactory | |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Poor/Not considered | The lesson is not based on case studies. |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Satisfactory | As the resource is geared toward the early elementary level, there are not a lot of opportunities for choice of content. This does not detract from the quality of the resource. |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||