See the many birds that spend their summer in the Arctic in this video segment from Nature.
This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the amazing birds that live in or migrate to the polar regions. The issue was co-produced with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In addition to content knowledge articles and lesson plans, the issue includes information about bird-themed citizen science programs from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
This article assembles free resources from the Arctic and Antarctic Birds issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.
Third Grade science unit about inherited traits with a focus on birds.
There are almost as many types of bird beaks as there are types of food that birds like to eat. This collection of images shows a wide range of beaks and the types of foods handled by each.
By paying attention to the sounds and behaviors of birds, students are introduced to a whole new way to experience and observe what’s happening in their surroundings, both during their field experience and back home. In this Focused Exploration activity, students pay attention to the birds around them. After listening as a group, students imitate calls and notice differences between them. Students think about and discuss the different messages birds might communicate, then they individually watch and listen to birds from a Sit Spot. When the group gathers again, students compare their observations and make a large map of the bird vocalizations and behaviors they observed.
This article features children's literature about arctic, Antarctic, and migratory birds.
In this Nature video, learn about the extraordinary impact that birds have on the agriculture of a small Indian community.
Join us on a special trip up to Bathurst Island to record birdsongs, and learn about how you can use bird observations to create scientific inquiry in your classroom using ebird.org and birds.cornell.edu/birdsleuth.
This variation on the classic bird beak activity demonstrates variation of beak size within a population and shows how the proportion of big-, medium-, and small-beaked birds changes in response to the available types of food. The birds with binder clip beaks live in Clipland where the large population becomes divided into two smaller populations by a mountain range. Popcorn, lima beans and marbles are the three types of food available in the two areas. Food is spread out for the birds to eat and then after 15 seconds it is counted to see whether birds have gathered enough food to survive. The big billed birds need to eat more than the medium and small billed birds to survive and each bird needs to eat more than the minimum amount of food for survival to be able to reproduce. Four years pass during the simulation and students are asked to describe what happened to the Clipbird populations and what they think caused the changes. A link to Rosemary and Peter Grants research on finch populations in the Galapagos is identified for those teachers who want to connect the simulation to a real life example.
This article discusses misconceptions about birds (and penguins in particular). It provides tools for formative assessment and ideas for teaching correct scientific concepts.
The significance of -- Bear River Bird Refuge -- is discussed in this media item extracted from the 22-part video series THE GEOGRAPHY OF UTAH, conceived and written by Albert L. Fisher, PhD (University of Utah). The series encompasses the political, cultural, historical and sociological geography of the state of Utah. It describes the activities, the land and the people. Much of the video material was videotaped on location throughout the state of Utah, giving the student and interested viewer valuable field trip experiences. === The Great Salt Lake is a primary link in the migratory flyway between Canada and Mexico. The lake shore provides resting and feeding grounds for millions of migratory birds, including blue herons, cormorants, geese, and many duck species. Most birds land in one of the five bird sanctuaries that border the lake. The largest, the Bear River Refuge, is located at the mouth of the Bear River. During late summer, as many as two million birds may be found at the Bear River refuge alone, including the largest Whistler Swan population in the United States. Lake levels are important to the bird refuges. When the lake rises above the 4,202-foot level, brackish water invades the sanctuaries and upsets the food chain. When the lake drops below the 4,196-foot level, the marshes dry out and small animals can prey upon the birds. ===
This article provides links to lessons and units about birds, bird characteristics, and penguins. Ideas for literacy integration are included, and all lessons are aligned to national standards.
This article discusses the physical and behavioral adaptations that allow birds to survive in cold climates such as the polar regions.
This article provides an overview of scientific inquiry and how citizen science programs run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provide opportunities for inquiry about birds.
This article introduces the 17 species of penguins and shows how a study of penguin habitats and life cycles can fulfill national science content standards for K-grade 5. The author provides links to web resources and suggests books. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.
Child(ren) will read the book Mel Fell with an adult for the first time. Story will be re-read several times during the week.
This video aims to provide an illustrative lesson about the respiratory system in birds and how the adaptations of that system over time have made it different than that of other living creatures, especially mammals. Birds are omnipresent in our lives, and students will come to understand and appreciate the fascinating inner workings of these beautiful creatures. This lesson discusses avian features and differences for 20 to 25 minutes, with approximately 20 minutes of in-class student activities.
In this video segment from Nature, scientific experiments test how ravens think.
This formative assessment item uncovers students' prior knowledge about the distribution of penguin species throughout the world. Teacher resources are given, including information about the content, instructional strategies as well as alignment to The National Science Education Standards. Additional resources include information, pictures, and lesson ideas involving penguin facts.