Lesson Plan: Bird Beak Buffet Author: Betsy Rivera Subject: Evolution Topic: Extinction of a Species Grade Level: 4 th 9 th Academic Content Standards: 7th grade Science Standard 4c: Extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics are insufficient for its survival. 9 th -12 th Biology/Life CA Science Standard 8a: Students know that a greater diversity of species increases the chance that at least some organisms survive major changes in the environment. Summary: Students will play Bird Beak Buffet to discover how bird beaks have adapted to eat a certain type of food. When that food source disappears, the bird must move, adapt, or die. Learning Context: In order to learn how changes in the environment lead to extinction, students will learn about the adaptive qualities of bird beaks. Learning Objectives: Students will explain why animals must move, adapt or die when an environment changes. Advanced Planning/Preparation: Teacher must prepare 5 of each of the materials: A Bowl with a spoon, tweezers, clothespin, and a straw, with a bag of Cheerios, bag of minimarshmallows, a bag of raisins, and a bag of sprinkles. Key Concepts to develop: Adaptations, Survival, Habitat, Evolution Content/skills Obligatory: Students will need to know how an adaption allows living things to continue living despite the changing environment. Visual Strategies: Graphic Organizers, Powerpoint pictures of beaks, Data Graph Procedure: 1. Anticipatory Set: a. Each Student will draw a bird from memory and label the parts they know. b. We will fill out a graphic organizer as a class, see example to the right. c. Engage: Each students will share the last time they saw a bird dead or alive. 2. Teacher Input: (20 minutes) Teacher will present the following information with visuals via powerpoint presentation. Teacher will adapt the information to the level of the students. Students will continue to fill out graphic organizers.
Background Information: A bird's beak is basically a lightweight, bony elongation of its skull. The beak is covered with skin that produces keratin, the same material found in human fingernails and hair. On most birds, the keratin condenses and dries, forming the beak's hard, glossy, outer covering. The tip and cutting edges of the beak are constantly renewed as they wear away, just as human nails are. Bird beaks are multi-functional tools. Birds use them to weave nests, defend their territory, attack competitors, groom feathers, communicate, and most significantly, to gather or capture food. Over the years, a wide assortment of bird beaks has evolved. Though many birds have straight beaks that are adapted to general feeding, some birds' beaks are examples of unique adaptations. Unusual Bird Beaks and Their Uses: Eagles and other raptors have strong, hooked beaks for tearing fish. Anhingas and herons have dagger-like bills for spearing and grasping fish and frogs. Pelicans have pouched beaks, used as nets for scooping up fish. Hummingbirds' beaks protect their long tubular tongues, with which the birds extract nectar from flowers. Swallows and whippoorwills use their wide, gaping beaked mouths to catch flying insects in mid-air. Cardinals and grosbeaks have short, cone-shaped beaks for cracking open seeds. Snipes have long beaks for probing in mud and water to find worms and other small animals. Woodpeckers have chisel-like beaks for searching under tree bark to find insects. Yellowbellied sapsuckers have drill-like beaks for boring into trees to feed on sap and the insects attracted to it. All animals are adapted to their environment in unique ways. A very important adaptation for food gathering in birds is the size and shape of the beak. In this activity, we will focus on different types of bird beaks and discover how each type of beak functions in collecting specific types of food. 3. Modeling: Teacher will demonstrate by putting a spoon in her mouth and attempting to pick up dried fruit and putting them in her stomach. 4. Guided Practice: Distribute one type of "beak" (utensil) to each student, instructing them to hold it in one hand and place the other hand behind their back. Place a "stomach" (cup) in front of each student. Place one type of food in each group's feeding area (plate) and instruct students that, at your signal, they must compete for as much of that food resource as they can gather with their "beaks". Students will get into groups of four or five and will use their hands to pick up the tools provided that will serve as beaks. We will play one-minute rounds with one food source provided. 5. Activities and Grouping: Student groups will be cooperative learning groups predetermined by the teacher. They will remain together for the remainder of the activity.
Remind them that their survival depends on their ability to gather food. Give the signal, then allow each group 5-10 seconds to "feed". All food must go into their "stomach" (cups)! After 10 seconds, give the signal to stop. Have the students tell which beak was most successful in gathering that type of food. Repeat the procedure for each type of food available. 6. Independent Practice: Student groups will attempt to eat five different kinds of foods using the same beaks. They will have one minute per type of food. After each round they will tally the results. Students will add the group numbers to the following table. macaroni sprinkles Cheerios raisins marshmallows clothespin straw tweezers spoon 7. Closure: The class will fill help the teacher draw a bar graph, which they will then copy into their notes. Students may also enter the data into an Excel file and create a bar graph of their own. Students will answer: What happens when the environment changes? What needs to happen in order for your bird to survive? Can you think of an example of examples where a bird has gone completely extinct? We will look at real-life examples of birds that went extinct or are near extinction, including the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and the California Condor in the next lesson, Don t Be a Dodo, on Wikispace.
Checking for Understanding: Diagnostic: Bird Drawing, Graphic Organizer Formative: Bird Beak Buffett Summative: Graph and question Instructional Materials/Resources Food: uncooked shell macaroni, Cheerios, chocolate sprinkles, raisins, mini-marshmallows Beaks (utensils): one set per group clothespin, straw, spoon, tweezers Other Materials: paper plate for feeding dish (1 per group); small cup for stomach (1 per student) Technology Component: Powerpoint visual and Matching game on Wiki-spaces http://www.sciencegeek.net/biology/review/u6beakadaptations.htm This matching game could also be used. The students will look at the pictures of beaks and draw or write what they think each beak eats. Assessments: Assessment include the bird drawing, the Graphic Organizer, participation in the Bird Beak Buffet, and the Final graph and assessment questions. References: 1. An activity titled "Bird Beak Buffet" by Rita Mae Alsup 2. "Breakfast for the Birds", part of a publication printed for National Science and Technology Week, 1993-94. 3. Banbury, M.M., London, K., Lyons, S. E., Reaves, D., Simons, L. N., Smith-Gratto, K., Thomas, P.J., & Wieberg, D. G. (1991). Welcome to the Wetlands: An Activity Book for Teachers. New Orleans: Louisiana Nature Center. 4. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1998/of98-805/lessons/chpt2/act5.htm
Bird Beak Buffet Graphic Organizer Draw a bird as best as you can, below: Fill in as much as you can: