Student role Make the feeder and hang it outside a window for the birds. During the closing activity, talk about the kinds of birds that will eat at the feeders. The children will anticipate which birds will eat from which feeder. Set aside free time during the week in which the children have the opportunity to bird-watch. Suggest that they can include their observations in their journals.
Considerations Allow one hour for bird feeder construction and observation.
The teacher will be able to assess the children's understanding of the many different bird characteristics and their attitude toward birds by reading their journal entries. Since bird watching will be an option during free time, the teacher could initiate group discussion about observations. After a month of observation, have the students identify which birds are most common to the area based on frequent use of the feeders. Math can also be incorporated by having the students graph the number of times certain types of birds appear at the feeders. As a class, make a bird book with colored pictures of the most common birds in the area.