Bird Curricula*

Grades K-4

Arctic Terns from North to South
Students map an arctic tern's migration route and consider why it wants to migrate so far. They conclude by writing paragraphs describing the arctic tern's migration route and explaining how they think it knows when it's time to migrate.  This lesson is best suited for grades K-2, and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Bird Baths: Cleaning Up Wildlife after Oil Spills
Students explore causes and effects of oil spills and contaminations. They experience first-hand the feel of oil spills, determine an environmental problem that affects their community, and develop an "action plan" to minimize risk to wildlife.  This lesson is best suited for grades 3-5, and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Bird Beaks
Students explore the relationship between a bird's beak and its ability to find food and survive in a given environment.  This lesson is best suited for grades 3-5, and adheres to Benchmarks for Science Literacy.

Bird Study
Students examine specific bird characteristics and become more aware of the ecosystems that support each bird. They engage in bird walks, mapping the areas where they find evidence of bird activity.  This lesson is best suited for grade 4, and adheres to Utah State Science Standards.

Bird Up
Students are introduced to using websites as resources for science content information.  Specifically, in cooperative groups or pairs, students find information on a bird of their choice by accessing online resources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, research databases, and bird association and organization web sites. They select, record, and organize this information into a bird profile and then present it to their peers. Finally, the class will use their bird profiles to compile a classroom bird guide.  This lesson is best suited for grade 3, and adheres to California Science Content Standards.

Bird Watching 101
Students examine the basics of bird watching, finding and interpreting bird clues and attracting birds to a particular location or habitat. They go on a birding hike after a lecture on what to look and listen for in the woods.  This lesson is best suited for grade 4, and adheres to Utah State Science Standards.

Building a Bird's Nest
Students identify local birds and their habitats by making a diorama with a description.  This lesson is best suited for grades 1-2, and adheres to Pennsylvania State Environment and Ecology Standards.

Crane Cam: Conservation and Community
Students examine the intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention by studying crane activity in the Platte River Valley, and by researching the effects of human intervention on bird populations.  This lesson is best suited for grades 3-5, and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Dawn Chorus
Working in groups, students role-play different birds in the dawn chorus and present a concert of different bird songs to the class. They learn the importance of songs and calls in bird communication. This lesson is best suited for grades K-5 and adheres to New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards.

Ecology Explorers - Birds
This Arizona State University Ecology Explorers website offers many different lesson plans about birds for all grade levels.  Lessons vary from bird identification, to watching bird behavior at feeding stations, to a study of nest preferences.  These lessons are best suited for grades K-12, and adhere to Arizona State Standards.

The Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count (or GBBC) is an event that takes place over 4 days in February each year.  It's very easy!  All you have to do is watch birds in your yard, a nearby park, or maybe at your school.  Then you tell us what you saw by entering your bird list online.  We collect that information from people all over the United States and Canada so scientists can learn what kind of birds are being seen in the winter and whether there are more or fewer of them than before.  Students of all ages can participate in this activity.

Hopscotch Migration
Students examine the use of wetlands by migrating birds by playing a game of hopscotch migration.  They discover how humans have affected wetlands and discuss reasons for their disappearance and the necessity for conservation.  This lesson is best suited for grades 2-6, and adheres to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Science Standards.

Marine Birds
Students research the evolutionary adaptations of marine birds and how these unique characteristics play into basic survival. They consider whether protecting the habitat of aquatic birds is as important as saving a better-known animal, such as the dolphin.  This lesson is best suited for grades 3-5, and adheres to National Science Education Standards.

Prairie-Chicken Pageant
Students explore the challenges of saving the prairie-chicken in its American habitat, and study the habits of prairie-chickens. They explore what is being done to save them, and conserve the areas in which they live.  This lesson is best suited for grades 3-5, and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Virtual Birding
This Illinois DNR website on birding in Illinois includes twelve lesson plans, as well as many supplementary materials.  Some examples include identifying bird characteristics, habitats and classifications, studying bird songs and courtship practices, and learning about threatened and endangered bird species.  Although these lessons are written with Illinois birds in mind, each can be modified to apply to any state.  These lessons are best suited for grades K-8, and adhere to Illinois State Goals for Learning.

Wetland Adaptation
Students participate in a simulation to investigate the impact of the wetland environment on the migration of birds. They discuss the patterns of migration they took and why they avoided certain wetlands.  This lesson is best suited for grade 4, and adheres to Utah State Science Standards.

Who-o-o-o's Out There?
Students utilize video and the Internet, to discover "who-o-o-o's really out there in the world of animals." Students describe the physical features of an owl, identify survival adaptations of an owl and recognize the owl's niche in an ecosystem.  This lesson is best suited for grade 5, and adheres to South Carolina State Life Science Standards.

Whooping Cranes and Their Human Friends
This lesson shows students how people are helping endangered whooping cranes by teaching cranes raised in captivity how to live in the wild and how to migrate. Students will view videos or photographs of whooping cranes being raised by mechanical crane-like puppets and being led in their first migration journeys by piloted ultralight aircraft disguised as birds. They will conclude by creating timelines showing the process by which whooping cranes are raised in captivity and taught migration routes.  This lesson is best-suited for grades K-2 and adheres to National Geography Standards.

 

Grades 5-8

A Place for the Birds: Mapping Observations of Birds across America
Students reflect on bird migrations and develop a project to collect data on bird species from across North America to further investigate the ranges and migrations of common birds.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-12, and adheres to McRel Science Academic Content Standards.

Bird Migration
In pairs or small groups, students play a migration game in which they represent a bird migrating from a refuge to the Pacific Northwest. In the simulated migration, the students encounter resources and challenges that migrating birds face, both human and natural. Students narrate their journey through writing and share their ideas with the rest of the class.  This lesson is best suited for grades 7-10, and adheres to Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements.

Bird Rap - A Guide to Local Birds
Students identify different species of local birds by their behavior, shape, song, color, habitat, and food requirements. Students apply this research in assessing the local status and health of wild bird species.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-8, and adheres to National Science Education Standards.

Birds of a Feather
This lesson is part of an interdisciplinary unit on birds which contains math/science and language arts components. In the math/science wing, students will prepare frequency tables and construct a circle graph of the species of birds observed at bird feeders.  This lesson is best suited for grade 7, and adheres to North Carolina State English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards.

Crane Cam: Conservation and Economics
Students examine the intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention by studying crane activity in the Platte River Valley, and by researching the effects of human intervention on bird populations.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-8 and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Ecology Explorers - Birds
This Arizona State University Ecology Explorers website offers many different lesson plans about birds for all grade levels.  Lessons vary from bird identification, to watching bird behavior at feeding stations, to a study of nest preferences.  These lessons are best suited for grades K-12, and adhere to Arizona State Standards.

The Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count (or GBBC) is an event that takes place over 4 days in February each year.  It's very easy!  All you have to do is watch birds in your yard, a nearby park, or maybe at your school.  Then you tell us what you saw by entering your bird list online.  We collect that information from people all over the United States and Canada so scientists can learn what kind of birds are being seen in the winter and whether there are more or fewer of them than before.  Students of all ages can participate in this activity.

Hopscotch Migration
Students examine the use of wetlands by migrating birds by playing a game of hopscotch migration.  They discover how humans have affected wetlands and discuss reasons for their disappearance and the necessity for conservation.  This lesson is best suited for grades 2-6, and adheres to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Science Standards.

How Can My Breakfast Harm Birds?
Students rank several pictures of farms based on conservation of bird habitat. They research sustainable coffee farming techniques with conservation of bird habitat in mind. They design two farms with sustainability of bird habitats in mind.  This lesson is best suited for grade 6 and follows national standards as compiled by McRel.

In a Class of Their Own: Applying the Science of Taxonomy to the World of Birds
Students learn about taxonomy and how birds are classified in this scientific system. They then use this knowledge to create entries for a field guide to birds that can be used to identify different species.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-12, and adheres to McRel Science Academic Content Standards.

Passenger Pigeons: Nomads Lost
Students explore the concept and implications of extinction using the example of the Passenger Pigeon, once an extremely abundant species that was completely eliminated by humans.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-8, and adheres to Benchmarks for Science Literacy.

Songbirds at the Crossroads of Migration
Songbirds at the Crossroads of Migration is a comprehensive curriculum guide that provides educators with information, hands-on lessons, and opportunities to involve students in learning about the importance of New Jersey's habitats and ecosystems as they relate to the needs of migratory songbirds. This lesson is best suited for grades 7-12 and adheres to New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards.

Virtual Birding
This Illinois DNR website on birding in Illinois includes twelve lesson plans, as well as many supplementary materials.  Some examples include identifying bird characteristics, habitats and classifications, studying bird songs and courtship practices, and learning about threatened and endangered bird species.  Although these lessons are written with Illinois birds in mind, each can be modified to apply to any state.  These lessons are best suited for grades K-8, and adhere to Illinois State Goals for Learning.

Who Gives a Hoot? Discovering the Intricacy of Food Chains
Students consider an unusually large wave of owl migration and its various impacts on the environment and food chain. They then understand how different biological and environmental factors affect a food chain by creating a model and posing questions about a particular species.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-12, and adheres to McRel Science Academic Content Standards.

Why Do Some Birds Have Two Homes When We Have One?
Students research different physical and behavioral characteristics of birds and create theories about their migratory behavior. They research the natural history of different migratory birds and create diagrams of the bird's annual cycles of behavior.  This lesson is best suited for grade 6.

 

Grade 9-12

A Place for the Birds: Mapping Observations of Birds across America
Students reflect on bird migrations and develop a project to collect data on bird species from across North America to further investigate the ranges and migrations of common birds.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-12, and adheres to McRel Science Academic Content Standards.

Bird Migration
In pairs or small groups, students play a migration game in which they represent a bird migrating from a refuge to the Pacific Northwest. In the simulated migration, the students encounter resources and challenges that migrating birds face, both human and natural. Students narrate their journey through writing and share their ideas with the rest of the class.  This lesson is best suited for grades 7-10, and adheres to Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements.

Bird Populations
Students gather data about bird populations. They study bird migratory patterns using the methods that researchers use. They write an essay explaining the differences between the four types of population movements.  This lesson is best suited for grades 9-12, and adheres to Benchmarks for Science Literacy.

Birds of Different Feathers: Species Specialization
Students explain differences in bird species and explain concepts of species specialization. They identify characteristics and features of birds that make them specific to their habitat.  This lesson is best suited for grades 9-10, and adheres to South Carolina State Science Standards.

Crane Cam: Intended and Unintended Effects of Conservation Efforts
Students examine intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention by studying crane activity in the Platte River Valley, and by researching effects of human intervention on bird populations.  This lesson is best suited for grades 9-12, and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Ecology Explorers - Birds
This Arizona State University Ecology Explorers website offers many different lesson plans about birds for all grade levels.  Lessons vary from bird identification, to watching bird behavior at feeding stations, to a study of nest preferences.  These lessons are best suited for grades K-12, and adhere to Arizona State Standards.

The Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count (or GBBC) is an event that takes place over 4 days in February each year.  It's very easy!  All you have to do is watch birds in your yard, a nearby park, or maybe at your school.  Then you tell us what you saw by entering your bird list online.  We collect that information from people all over the United States and Canada so scientists can learn what kind of birds are being seen in the winter and whether there are more or fewer of them than before.  Students of all ages can participate in this activity.

In a Class of Their Own: Applying the Science of Taxonomy to the World of Birds
Students learn about taxonomy and how birds are classified in this scientific system. They then use this knowledge to create entries for a field guide to birds that can be used to identify different species.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-12, and adheres to McRel Science Academic Content Standards.

Migrating Across Borders
Students research and map the migratory patterns of the golden-winged warbler. They develop a strategy to protect this species and, in teams representing different countries, negotiate treaties with each other to protect the bird.  This lesson is best suited for grades 9-12, and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Separate Vacations
Students plot the migration paths of birds using latitude and longitude data from a table.  This lesson is best suited for grades 9-12, and adheres to National Science and Mathematics Standards.

Songbirds at the Crossroads of Migration
Songbirds at the Crossroads of Migration is a comprehensive curriculum guide that provides educators with information, hands-on lessons, and opportunities to involve students in learning about the importance of New Jersey's habitats and ecosystems as they relate to the needs of migratory songbirds. This lesson is best suited for grades 7-12 and adheres to New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards.

Who Gives a Hoot? Discovering the Intricacy of Food Chains
Students consider an unusually large wave of owl migration and its various impacts on the environment and food chain. They then understand how different biological and environmental factors affect a food chain by creating a model and posing questions about a particular species.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-12, and adheres to McRel Science Academic Content Standards.

Do you have bird curricula you'd like to share?  Email it to us!

*The curricula listed on this webpage have been selected in light of their adherence to state, national, and/or NAAEE educational standards and are thus suitable for classroom use.