Why don’t all birds look the same?

Created Feb. 6, 2024 by Julie Jarvis

Unit Title

Why don’t all birds look the same?

Grade Level
5K

WMELS Standards Addressed:
V.C.EL.1, V.C.EL.2,V.C.EL.3V.C.EL.4

ELS Standards Addressed:

Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability: ELS.C1.B.e, ELS.C1.C.e, ELS.EX2.B.e, ELS.EX3.B.e, ELS.EX4.A.e, ELS.EX5.B.e

Checklist for Quality

Yes/ No	Criteria
Yes	Does the unit: Engage students physically in exploring, investigating, and manipulating elements in their environment?
Yes	Does the unit: Involve students in asking questions, probing for answers, conducting investigations, collecting and analyzing data?
Yes	Does the unit: Address questions that are relevant to the child?
Yes	Does the unit: Encourage children to engage in science process skills such as predicting, observing, classifying, hypothesizing, experimenting, and communicating?
Yes	Does the unit: Invite students to create, test, and revise theories?
Yes	Does the unit: Provide opportunities for students to share their observations and ideas with peers?

The preceding checklist is provided to assist with reflecting on whether the unit lessons support the development of scientific thinking in young children.

References

Selly, Patty Born. Teaching STEM Outdoors: Activities for Young Children. Redleaf Press, 2017.

Wilson, R. “Promoting the Development of Scientific Thinking.” EarlychildhoodNEWS, www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleId=409%20. Accessed 18 Oct. 2019.

Wisconsin. Early Learning Standards Steering Committee. Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards: with Introduction. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction, 2017.

Lesson 1: Winter Birds

Learning Targets (As a result of this experience outdoors, the student will know and be able to do): I can use my senses to to gather evidence about whether birds live around our school during the winter.
Success Measures (The student will know they are successful if they can): Students will observe birds and tally how many they see and hear. Students will use the data to answer the question, "Do birds live around our school during the winter?"
Essential Question: Do birds live around our school during the winter?
Big Idea (I want my students to understand that…): One type of animal that lives in our community is the bird. Some birds live in our community during the winter.
Materials Needed: Recording sheet to keep tally of birds seen and heard, pencils Set up ahead of time: Prepare and print recording sheets Children are prepared and will bring outdoors: Dress for the weather. Bring recording sheet (1 per group) and pencils (1 per group)
Connect
Circle-Up/Opening	Teacher	Review what students learned/experienced about birds in the fall. Today we are going to try to answer a question about birds: Do birds live around our school during the winter? To answer our question, we are going to use our senses to observe birds while walking around outside our school. We will record what we notice. Ask what senses they think will be most helpful in observing birds today. State that we will be recording the number of birds we see and the number of birds we hear. Show recording sheet and demonstrate how, for each bird seen or heard, the group will make a tally mark. Discuss what they are looking or listening for/ what are the characteristics of a bird? Where do they think we should go to see birds? Where do you think the birds will be? (Likely up in the trees.) What kind of behavior might help us see birds? How can they alert the group that they see or hear a bird without scaring the bird away? Divide into groups. Put on outdoor clothes. Notify the office if necessary. Head outside.
Explore
Inquiry What inquiry will students be involved in to develop skills/understanding of the learning target?	All	In small groups, walk around the Thoreau grounds looking and listening for birds. When a bird is observed, make a tally on the recording sheet.		Formative Assessment Looking for students engaged in using their eyes and ears to search for birds and participating in recording what they notice.
Engage
Reflection/Synthesis	All	Return inside. Invite students to share something from their personal experience outside today looking and listening for birds. What did they notice today? We started today with a question: Do birds live around our school during the winter? What is our answer? Are there birds here in the winter? What is our evidence?		Formative Assessment: Student responses to questions including sharing their noticings about birds and using the evidence to determine if birds live around the school during the winter.
Review and Closure		Review the learning target- Today we used our senses to observe birds in our community. We recorded what we noticed. We learned that birds DO live around our school during the winter!

Lesson 2: Bird Size and Shape

Learning Targets (As a result of this experience outdoors, the student will know and be able to do): I can describe the size and shape of birds. I can record information about the birds that I observe.
Success Measures (The student will know they are successful if they can): Students will observe bird body sizes and shapes and record their observations.
Essential Question: Why don’t all birds look the same? Investigative Question: What are the characteristics of the birds at our school?
Big Idea (I want my students to understand that…): One type of animal that lives in our community is the bird. Different bird species have different characteristics, including different sizes, shapes and colors, that help them survive.
Materials Needed: Recording sheet to record data on birds seen, pencils Set up ahead of time: Prepare and print recording sheets Children are prepared and will bring outdoors: Dress for the weather. Bring recording sheet (1 per group) and pencils (1 per group)
Connect
Circle-Up/Opening	Teacher	Read Bird Count by S.E. Richmand. Make connections between the book and the bird walk last week. Introduce the strategy of comparing bird size to a known object, as well as utilizing other items in the vicinity of the bird. Engage students in using their whole body to engage in the process of estimating bird sizes in the examples.
Explore
Inquiry What inquiry will students be involved in to develop skills/understanding of the learning target?	All	In small groups, walk around the Thoreau grounds looking and listening for birds. When a bird is observed, ask students to notice: What shape is the bird? Is the bird bigger, small or the same size as (we used the classroom stuffy) Optional: What color is the bird?		Formative Assessment Looking for students engaged in using their eyes and ears to search for birds, using their sense of sight to identify the characteristics of the birds, and participating in recording what they notice.
Engage
Reflection/Synthesis	All	Gather as a whole group to review the data. Invite students to share the characteristics of the birds they observed. Encourage them use this sentence stem to compare: “They both have ___________________. Only the ________________ has _____________.		Formative Assessment Student responses to sharing their noticings about birds and comparing the characteristics of different birds.
Review and Closure		I can describe the size and shape of birds. I can record information about the birds that I observe. .

Lesson 3: Bird Body Parts

Learning Targets (As a result of this experience outdoors, the student will know and be able to do):I can observe bird body parts and behaviors and notice their similarities and differences. I can record information about the birds that I observe.
Success Measures (The student will know they are successful if they can): Students will observe bird body parts and behaviors and record their observations.
Essential Question: Why don’t all birds look the same? Investigative Question: What are the characteristics of the birds at our school?
Big Idea (I want my students to understand that…): One type of animal that lives in our community is the bird. Different bird species have different characteristics, including different sizes, shapes and colors, that help them survive.
Materials Needed: Recording sheet to record data on birds seen, pencils Set up ahead of time: Prepare and print recording sheets Children are prepared and will bring outdoors: Dress for the weather. Bring recording sheet (1 per group) and pencils (1 per group)
Connect
Circle-Up/Opening	Teacher	The students work together to label the parts of a bird: wing, beak, tail, feet, feathers. Break into small groups to discuss how the students have observed birds using these body parts. Set the target for today’s observation: to observe bird behaviors and how they use the various parts of their body.
Explore
Inquiry What inquiry will students be involved in to develop skills/understanding of the learning target?	All	In small groups, walk around the Thoreau grounds looking and listening for birds. When a bird is observed, ask students to notice: What bird body parts can we see? How are they using the body part? What bird behaviors do we see?		Formative Assessment Looking for students engaged in using their eyes and ears searching for birds, identifying bird body parts, how they are using those body parts, and bird behaviors, as well as participating in recording what they notice.
Engage
Reflection/Synthesis	All	Invite students to share what body parts and behaviors they observed. Highlight noticings of how the body parts influenced the birds behaviors, for example: I noticed a black bird flapping its wings to fly. Reflect on how they noticed that all birds have some similar body parts, although they might look different in different kinds of birds. We also observed birds in nature using those body parts in lots of ways.		Formative Assessment Students sharing their observations of bird body parts and behaviors. Students noticings about how body parts are used.
Review and Closure		Review the learning target- I can observe bird body parts and behaviors and notice their similarities and differences. I can record information about the birds that I observe.

Lesson 4: Flapping or Soaring?

Learning Targets (As a result of this experience outdoors, the student will know and be able to do): I can use my senses to observe birds and notice similarities and differences in their behavior. I can record information about the birds that I observe.
Success Measures (The student will know they are successful if they can): Students will observe bird flying behaviors and record their observations.
Essential Question: Why don’t all birds look the same? Investigative Question: What are the size and shape of the birds at our school?
Big Idea (I want my students to understand that…): One type of animal that lives in our community is the bird. Different bird species have different characteristics, including different sizes, shapes and colors, that help them survive.
Materials Needed: Recording sheet to record data on birds seen, pencils Set up ahead of time: Prepare and print recording sheets Children are prepared and will bring outdoors: Dress for the weather. Bring recording sheet (1 per group) and pencils (1 per group)
Connect
Circle-Up/Opening	Teacher	Watch a series of short videos providing examples of birds soaring, flapping, flying in a group, and flying together. Eagle soaring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azQJKhN1yNs Various examples: soaring, flapping, alone, group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1wp1RnC7kk&t=386s Invite students to share their observations and discuss similarities and differences in movements and behavior among the videos. Established the vocabulary of “soaring” and “flapping,” by inviting students to practice the movements with their own bodies. Briefly predicted what they might see on today’s bird walk.
Explore
Inquiry What inquiry will students be involved in to develop skills/understanding of the learning target?	All	In small groups, walk around the school grounds looking and listening for birds. When a bird is observed, ask students to notice: How is the bird bird flying? Is it flapping or soaring? Is it alone or with other birds? Record noticings on the data sheet.		Formative Assessment Looking for students engaged in searching for birds, identifying, noticing how the bird is flying, noticing if it is alone or in a group and participating in recording what they notice.
Engage
Reflection/Synthesis	All	Gather as a whole group to review the data. Invite students to share their observations of the birds they observed. Encourage kids to describe in words and possibly with their bodies how different birds fly.		Formative Assessment Students sharing their observations of bird behavior.
Review and Closure		Today we observed birds and how they fly including whether they soar or flap and if they fly alone or with other birds. We recorded what we observed.

Lesson 5: Walking Field Trip to Duck Pond

Learning Targets (As a result of this experience outdoors, the student will know and be able to do): I can describe and explain how different birds have different beaks and bodies. I can record information about the birds that I observe.
Success Measures (The student will know they are successful if they can): Students will observe bird characteristics and record their observations .
Essential Question: Why don’t all birds look the same? Investigative Question: What are the characteristics of birds at the pond?
Big Idea (I want my students to understand that…): One type of animal that lives in our community is the bird. Different bird species have different characteristics, including different sizes, shapes and colors, that help them survive.
Materials Needed: Recording sheet to record data on birds seen, pencils Set up ahead of time: (Optional) Completion of Bird Buffet activity from Growing Up Wild or an adaption thereof where students attempt to use a folded straw piece to pinch small objects and using a cut paper cup to scoop the same objects, notice the effectiveness of each model beak, and share their observations with others. Permission to take a walking field trip to the pond. Secure additional adults to increase the adult to child ratio. Teacher to bring radio/ phone and first aid kit. Notify office staff when leaving. Children are prepared and will bring outdoors: Dress for the weather. Bring recording sheet (1 per group) and pencils (1 per group)
Connect
Circle-Up/Opening	Teacher	We have observed a lot about the birds at our school. We have noticed that all birds have beaks, feathers and wings. And we have noticed that different kinds of birds have different colors, body shapes and sizes and fly in different ways. Today we are going to go on an adventure to the duck pond to look at birds and notice how they are the same and different from birds at our school. Review any safety/ behavior guidelines regarding leaving school property.
Explore
Inquiry What inquiry will students be involved in to develop skills/understanding of the learning target?	All	Walk in small groups to the duck pond. Search for birds living in and around the pond. Hopefully the kids will see ducks. Engage students in the Beetles protocol: I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of, I think maybe… to investigate the birds at the pond. Record their observations.		Formative Assessment Looking for students engaged in searching for birds, noticing bird beak shapes and bird behaviors. Students using the protocol of I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of.
Engage
Reflection/Synthesis	All	Gather as a whole group to share their observations. Try using the sentence stem: “The birds at school and at the pond both have ___________________. Only the birds at the ________________ have _____________. Invite students to hypothesize why different birds have different shaped beaks and bodies.		Formative Assessment Students sharing their observations of bird beaks and behaviors and comparing the beaks and behaviors of birds at school with those of the ducks at the pond.
Review and Closure		Review the learning target- Today we walked to a different habitat. We noticed that birds that live in the pond habitat have different looking beaks than those that live in the woods. We recorded what we noticed.

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