Birds and Balance
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Procedures for Teachers is divided into two sections:
Prep -- Preparing for the Lesson.
Steps -- Conducting the Lesson.




Student Prerequisites:
Read through the entire lesson. Plan to configure the execution of the project to your time and technological availability. If your students go to a computer lab, you might want to include the lab teacher in the project.

Materials:
bullet Reference materials/library resources (print, Internet, CD-ROMs, etc.)
bullet Digital camera, or regular camera with scanner, if photos are to be incorporated
bullet Projection monitor (optional)
bullet Scanner (optional)

Bookmarks:
The following sites should be bookmarked:

bullet NATURE: Fire Bird - World of the Fire Bird
http://www.thirteen.org/nature/firebird/html/intro.html
This Web feature on the NATURE program FIREBIRD offers a multitude of facts about the lesser flamingo.

bullet Safari Mate - Flamingos Flee Lake Nakuru
http://www.safariweb.com/safarimate/flamingo.htm
Information about why flamingos are fleeing one of their primary habitats.

bullet Tell Me Why: What's an Ecosystem?
http://www.lme.mankato.msus.edu/ci/June/Why.html
This Web page gives a clear and simple definition of an ecosystem and provides examples.

bullet The Fort Worth Zoo - Flamingos
http://www.rwnet.com/FWZoo/frames/flam.html
Visit the flamingos, but please don't feed them.

bullet Planet Flamingo
http://www.planetpets.simplenet.com/plntflmg.htm
More flamingo facts.

bullet Facts about Birds
http://www.nceet.snre.umich.edu/Curriculum/birdfacts.html#pesticides
This is an excellent resource offering a full gamut of information from food chains to societal factors affecting birds.

bullet Interactive Birdwatching
http://www.caller.com/birds/
Share birdwatching tips and get advice on birdwatching from some expert ornithologists. There's also a search for many bird varieties.

bullet Ask an Ornithologist
http://www2.upatsix.com/chats/ask-experts/
Come to this site and post your bird questions to the experts.

bullet  Smithsonian's Migratory Bird Center
http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/zoo/zooview/smbc/fxsht2.htm
This page explores the bird's role as a secondary consumer.

Computer Resources:
You will need at least one computer with Internet access to complete this lesson. While many configurations will work, we recommend:
-- Modem: 28.8 Kbps or faster.
-- Browser: Netscape Navigator 3.0 or above or Internet Explorer 3.0 or above.
-- Macintosh computer: System 7.0 or above and at least 16 MB of RAM. CD-ROM player recommended.
-- IBM-compatible computer: 386 or higher processor with at least 16 MB of RAM, running Windows 3.1. Or, a 486/66 or Pentium with at least 16 MB of RAM, running Windows 95. CD-ROM player recommended.

For more information, visit What You Need to Get Connected in wNetSchool's Internet Primer.

Software:
Any software that has a slide show feature, such as ClarisWorks, KidPix, GraphicFX, or PowerPoint. For this project, ClarisWorks is used as an example.
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There are five lessons in Birds and Balance:
  • Lesson I: Introducing the Project (2 class periods).
  • Lesson II: Learning to create a slide show (1-2 class periods).
  • Lesson III: Preparing the Project (2-3 class periods).
  • Lesson IV: Producing the Project (1-2 class periods).
  • Lesson V: Presenting the Project (2 class periods).
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Lesson I:  
Introduce the project and familiarize students with the lesser flamingo (2 class periods).


1.

Introduce the project and familiarize students with the lesser flamingo. If possible, connect your computer with Internet access to a large monitor and take your students on a Web tour of Fire Bird - World of the Fire Bird.


2.

Tell the class that they will be studying the lesser flamingo's habitat, the ecosystem it belongs to, its diet, nesting and mating behaviors, and threats, if any, to its survival. Explain to students that they will then research a bird of their choice and create a multimedia food chain using the slide show feature of your chosen software.


3.

Divide students into groups. Groups will study one or more of these aspects of the lesser flamingo: diet, nesting behaviors, mating behaviors, habitat, ecosystem, and threats, if any, to survival. Pass out the Study Guide to help them focus on relevant information. Students will use online resources, CD-ROM reference resources, books, magazines, encyclopedias, and videos from the library to conduct their research. Provide each group with an opportunity to present one or more findings to the class. This will give you a chance to assess whether or not the class grasps the concepts they are about to study on their own.


4.

As a class, discuss the concept of a food chain. Use the research the students have just done to illustrate this. The food chain could be illustrated on a chalkboard or, if time permits, the illustration of the food chain could double as a demonstration of using the slide show feature of your chosen software.

Homework: Have students choose a bird and begin their research. Students should gather research materials from a library and bring them into class. They should use the Study Guide again to help focus their research.


Lesson II:  
Learning to create a slide show (1-2 class periods).

Give your students a tutorial in using the slide show feature of your chosen software. If you're using ClarisWorks, you can refer to the ClarisWorks Slide Show Tutorial.


Lesson III:  
Preparing the project (2-3 class periods).


1

Students should begin to plan their slide show on paper. Use the storyboard for help with this step.


2

When they have created a storyboard, students should use the software package to draft text and mark place holders for graphics.


2

Students may create their own graphics using a software package like ClarisDraw, KidPix, etc. Utilize any clip art you have on CD-ROM, or that you have gathered from the Web.


2

When they have finalized and edited their text, students can start to place the graphics on each page.


Lesson IV:  
Producing the project (1-2 class periods).


1

Before students begin creating their slide show, instruct them to check their project for the following:
  • A title
  • A minimum of five slides per presentation
  • A reference slide that lists at least two sources
  • Clear and readable text
  • Correct spelling and punctuation
  • Purposeful slides that point to the content
  • Graphics that support content, and don't override it


2

Have students begin creating their slide show. Each slide (or page) should be linked in sequential order.


Lesson V:  
Presenting projects (2 class periods).

If possible, connect the computer that will be used for presentation to a large display monitor.

Each group will be responsible for presenting their work to the class. Time should be budgeted for questions and answers for both the scientific content and the technological aspects of the project.



Submit a Comment: We invite your comments and suggestions based on how you used the lesson in your classroom.

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