It all began when the students kept seeing turkey vultures circling high in the sky outside our balcony window. Students could be in the middle of building an epic block castle or at hard at work at creation station and if one student shouted, "Look! Turkey vultures!" they would all come running. That was when I knew what we would do as our last investigation: BIRDS.
They were thrilled!
We talked about our schema and then came up with quite a few wonderings!
(As we went through the unit and our questions were answered, we wrote the answers in black.)
We determined that in order to learn about birds, we needed to see them! And our classroom balcony was just the place. We researched bird habitats and learned that they need a place that is safe, has water (for drinking and bathing), and food (seeds, peanut butter, mealworms, nectar, fruit, nuts, etc.) We looked up different types of feeders and then the students each drew and labeled plans for how their feeders will look. I gathered supplies and they started creating them the next day!
We figured peanut butter has a strong smell so it would lure them to our feeders! Some students chose to spread PB and birdseed on toilet paper rolls.
Others strung Cheerios and apples onto pipe cleaners.
Then other students choose to create bird baths using recycled containers and yarn.
They chose where to hang their feeders (We tied some branches to the railing to give the birds a place to perch when they were eating!)
The habitat was all set up. Next, we wait!
The students loved watching the birds and working at our Bird Watching Station to identify birds using the field guides and document what they were seeing and learning about birds!
After many days of thinking this was a blue jay (he has a bluish tint about him and a "mohawk"), the students searched through our field guides and realized he didn't quite fit the picture. But, they persevered and eventually discovered that it was actually a Tufted Titmouse!
Our Bird Watching Station was a very popular place!
"bald eagle"
"A bald eagle is gliding to find fish."
Now that we were observing birds, it was time to start learning about them!
We learned four things all birds must have and then we learned about three different types of birds. (We focused mostly on birds found in Ohio)
We also drew a diagram of a bird!
First, we learned about songbirds.
This student brought a bird statue that belonged to her mom to show the class. They discovered it was a songbird called a black-capped chickadee!
Then, we researched waterfowl.
(I didn't have as many pictures of waterfowl in our bird binder so this student took it upon himself to search through a field guide and write the names of some waterfowl he would like for me to print. I love the determination!)
Finally, it was onto birds of prey! (Definitely a class favorite!)
We also explored feathers! We borrowed a bird education kit offered by the MetroParks in which we got to look closely at the feathers, wings, and even talons from some birds of prey! We learned that birds need feathers in order to fly. Birds have down feathers that keep them warm, and contour feathers that are on their wings that help them fly. Also, we got to explore how they are waterproof and help to keep the bird dry! Its hard to see but below is a picture of a water droplet sitting atop the feather.
We also learned about bird nests! We learned about many different types of nests.
Some birds build their nests on the ground so a few students spent their recess time building a nest in the dirt! They made sure to make it cup-shaped so eggs could fit and kept patting it down like we'd seen an American Robin do in a video we watched!
Then, we created our own nests using sheep's wool and straw (from Mr. Brisco's farm!) and other items we found on the playground! (including some litter since birds even use that!)
Students made sure to put soft material on the inside to help cushion eggs and keep them warm.
Then, with our extra materials, we filled mesh clementine and potato sacks with materials to help the birds with their nests!
The students adored watching videos of a hummingbird as well as an American robin building their nests!
Here was one of our favorite videos of American robin eggs hatching, growing, and then leaving the nest! It is definitely worth a watch!
The students got so into birds that during snack time, we would watch birds on live cams throughout the country. We've viewed osprey, bald eagles, hummingbirds, and penguins. Their favorite was the hummingbirds--we even got to see it soon after one of the eggs hatched!
Here is the link in case you're interested! (There are live cams for a bunch of other animals as well on this site!)
I think a highlight of this entire bird unit came when a student brought in a dead bird she and her mom had found. (Is it strange that I enjoy her first thought was to bring it into school to investigate it further? The mark of a true scientist!)
No worries, the bird was triple bagged!
Unfortuntely, I didn't get a good close-up photo of the bird but the students were completely enamored with it! They quickly figured out that it must be a songbird (since it didn't have webbed feet or talons) and the room was a buzz of excitement as they searched through all of our non-fiction books to identify this bird. We found a few pictures that looked similar but none that were exactly the same. We ended up bringing it to Aullwood to ask for their expertise. As it turns out, he was not actually a native Ohio bird at all! (Which explains why our Ohio field guides weren't helpful!) It was a Tennessee Warbler that must've been migrating back to Canada after spending the winter in Central or South America!
We researched the Tennessee Warbler online, saw a photo (yep, that was definitely the bird!), learned about what it eats, where it nests, etc, and heard his song/voice (which verified our suspision that he was a songbird!). This was also the perfect opportunity to explore migration!
And as if this dead-bird-to-school situation couldn't get any more interesting, Aullwood said they didn't have any Tennessee Warblers at the Center and were going to send that bird away to be stuffed and then used to help educate other kids and adults! How cool!
I have a feeling that if the school year hadn't ended, these kiddos would've happily spent another month learning about birds!
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Well, that's a wrap for this school year! It has been a blast teaching this goofy bunch and I can't wait to see what adventures we get into next year!
(Here is a close-up of the board one student worked so hard to create!)
Have a wonderful summer!
