First Graders Become Bird Enthusiasts

They could set their sights on nests lodged high in the cottonwood trees. They might find owl pellets and crack them open to see what a predatory bird had for dinner. They could watch a researcher weigh, measure and band a migratory bird making its way south to a Spanish speaking country. So many possibilities, so many opportunities.

 

You could argue that the whole idea was hatched in the science classroom, where Michelle Benge has been teaching first graders about bird anatomy and habitats for years. 

“The summer grant allowed us the time to get together and plan out how we could teach lessons about birds across different disciplines,” Ms. Benge says. “My part focuses on the characteristics of birds—they have feathers, wings, they’re warm blooded, they have beaks instead of teeth. We learn that birds’ feet tell us where they live and their beaks tell us what they eat.” 

To demonstrate this lesson, Ms. Benge takes students into the Gates Innovation Lab where they design and build bird beaks that can pick up small objects like dry beans or pasta using materials like plastic utensils, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners and rubber bands. Per the engineering design method, they tested the beaks and then followed up with changes to improve their designs.

The result of this in-depth knowledge, combined with their learning in other disciplines and from other teachers, is a deeper understanding of birds. For Ms. Benge, the experience collaborating with her peers was invaluable. 

“Having the support of my colleagues and being able to bounce ideas around was so helpful,” she shares. “There was a sense that we were all invested in working toward the same goal and I loved how thoughtful and intentional the planning process was. I’m excited to see how the bird unit turns out and to reflect together on how we can make it better next year.”

 

Kelly Viseur says she jumped at the chance to write brand new Spanish curriculum that complements the bird unit. “I love birds and have kept parakeets as pets,” she says. “It’s also fortuitous that our school mascot is an eagle, because I can tie that into my teaching in a lot of ways.”

During her bird unit, one of Señora Viseur’s main objectives was for students to identify countries that speak Spanish, especially in Central and South America where birds often migrate. “I love the geography piece, because first graders don’t have much experience reading maps,” she says. “They really get the concept that birds want to go where it is warm and there is good food.”

A portion of the summer grant work was also focused on developing an index of common terms and skills that teachers can use in Spanish that will reinforce language arts skills in English. Employing this strategy across disciplines has improved overall teaching quality. Señora Viseur believes “layering” the unit on birds by teaching it from different angles is the best approach for long-term retention of key concepts. 

“First graders often come in and teach me things they have learned about birds from another teacher,” she shares. “It’s like poetry when it all comes together for them, and it’s invigorating for me to create new, cohesive lesson plans that support their other learning in meaningful ways.” 

 

Given her last name, it’s no surprise that art teacher Andrea Crane wanted in on the bird unit action. She normally teaches birds as an art subject to Graland second graders, but has shifted her curriculum to complement the first grade focus. After reading a book about birds to her first graders, Mrs. Crane guided them in sculpting three-dimensional birds out of papier-mâché and paper clay. Then, students learned to mix paint before creating a habitat for their birds on canvas and gluing their sculptures onto the multimedia piece. “It’s fun for me to participate in this project with other teachers and to hear kids using their bird vocabulary in a different context,” she shares. “I’m constantly surprised by the things they say!”

 

 

Sitting on 1,900 acres, Barr Lake State Park is a short drive north of Denver where 346 species of birds make their homes and numerous other migratory birds rest and refuel. Its cottonwood trees, grasslands and marshes make it an ideal bird habitat and research hub for ornithologists. On a visit to the sanctuary earlier this year, students spent more than an hour in the fresh air gaining knowledge about concepts of bird biology and conservation. Have you ever seen a ruby-crowned kinglet get its “bracelet” so researchers can track its migratory patterns? First graders have.

Now, they are taking their learning and applying it close to home by working to make Graland a more bird-friendly campus. Guided by Sarah Shutts, groundskeeper, students are learning about some of the dangers on campus, such as clear windows that reflect open skies, and the opportunities to provide food and water sources for local birds. Together, they will determine some solutions and work with administrators to get those approved and implemented.

One of the benefits of the unit, says Mrs. James, is that it requires students—and teachers—to slow down, to be still and quiet, and to go outside where they can observe wildlife. “Our busy lives are programmed from morning to night,” she says. “This unit has inspired me to look at other ways I can help students connect with nature.” 

 

The mother hen of the whole project, Mrs. Ross, says first graders were hooked from the moment the school mascot, the Graland Eagle, entered their classrooms to help kick off the unit. “When kids get excited about something, they gravitate to it,” she explains. “Their curiosity and intrinsic motivation to learn more and more about this subject is driving our instruction.” Besides the specials classes, students get exposure to bird themes in literacy, math and other classroom lessons. In small groups, they will use the library to research a specific bird species to gain more in-depth knowledge before writing a group report.

Mrs. Ross and other teachers have noticed that students are more observant of their surroundings. “We’ll catch them having organic conversations about birds and using their vocabulary to talk about the different species they’ve seen at home or around Graland and how they work together as a community,” she shares. “It’s so fun to watch them dive deep and really see the connections between the different lessons.”