End of Year--Need a Freebie?

Do you get to teach animal adaptations? Or, do you have kiddos that LOVE animals as much as mine? Today for science, I showed students pictures of 12 different birds. They had to draw the feet/claws/talons and the beak then write what they thought the beak was used for and why they thought the feet were designed the way they were. For each bird, I gave them 5 quiet minutes to draw and write. I think they loved this not only because birds are TOTALLY cool, but they also loved drawing--my little artists :) They were so engaged and interested (and that's EXCITING) at the end of the year, isn't it?

The idea comes from this free online resource I found.

You can download materials for this lesson/activity at my teacherspayteachers store.

As a follow up this week, my students will complete research using online bird encyclopedias and databases to learn about the birds' habitats, diet, use of feet, and use of beaks. This will allow them to see if their predictions about the bird beaks and feet were true and to add more knowledge to that thinking. We will also have a follow up discussion about the designs of the beaks and feet and how they help the birds survive in their habitats.

Here a few bird sites I found while surfing'  tonight:
Avian Web
BirdingBirds

Enjoy!