Daily Science Lesson Plan #2

Teacher: Miss Hansen

Grade: 5th
Overall lesson topic/title: Bird Beak Investigation

NGSS Performance Expectation for this lesson:

3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some
survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include
needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved. The organisms and their habitat make up a system
in which the parts depend on each other.]

Rationale: Specific traits or features help organisms fulfill their basic needs within their specific
environment. For this activity, students will be using tools to symbolize the bird beaks of a
myriad of different bird beaks to pick up different food items. This activity follows lessons in
which students learned about an organisms basic needs, biomes, and physical and behavioral
adaptations that animals may have, and this activity helps students form connections between
various types of birds that exist in nature and the differences in their diets and beak shapes. By
participating in this lesson, students will be able to see how living things have adaptations that
help them survive in.

Materials & supplies needed:

- 13 Zip-lock bags including 1 of each of the following: pair of tweezers, toothpick, plastic
spoon, and clothespin
- 13 Zip-lock bags including: 20 gummy worms, 20 Honey-Nut Cheerios, 20 jelly beans, and
20 raisins
- 13 Styrofoam bowls
- 13 paper cups
- timer
- ELMO
- colored pencils
- 27 copies of Bird Beaks Chart:
27 copies of Bird Beaks Graph:
- 27 Bird Beaks Summary exit slips

How is this lesson

Procedures differentiated based on
Introduction to the lesson (5 minutes): information gained from
Review with students how over the last few days, we have formative assessments given
read about and taken notes on a variety of birds. Have students in previous lessons?
share some of the types of birds we learned about, providing
information such as the birds name, location, diet, and what - After evaluating the
their beak looks like. After students share information regarding data gathered from
a couple of different types of birds that we learned about, set up earlier formative
and show students the Prezi that includes pictures and assessments in this
information about four specific types of birds: Roseate unit, I noted that a
Spoonbill, Purple Finch, Robin, and Great Blue Heron. Students couple of students
have already taken notes on these four types of birds for an were confused in
earlier lesson in the unit. (5 minutes) regards to how
variation is beneficial
for a population. Three
Outline of activities during the lesson (40 minutes): of the four students
Divide students into partner groups by picking popsicle who shared this
sticks. Once partner groups are formed, explain to students that misconception were
they will be have a chance to pretend to be a Roseate Spoonbill, English language
Purple Finch, Robin, and a Great Blue Heron in this activity. learning students, so I
Distribute to each partner group 1 Zip-Lock bag of tools, which wanted to provide
will contain 1 pair of tweezers, 1 clothespin, 1 toothpick, and 1 them with a hands-on
spoon. Tell students that each of these tools is supposed to approach to
represent one beak type: the pair of tweezers represents the understanding the
robins beak, the toothpick represents the Great Blue Herons benefits of variation
beak, the spoon represents the Roseate Spoonbills beak, and that would transcend
the clothespin represents the Purple Finchs beak. Distribute 1 language barriers.
Zip-Lock bag of food to each partner group, which will contain:
20 raisins, 20 gummy worms, 20 Cheerios, and 20 jelly beans.
Tell students not to touch the food bags yet. Explain to students
that these food pieces are supposed to represent other types of
food: jelly beans are supposed to represent snails, gummy
worms are supposed to represent worms, Cheerios are supposed
to represent seeds, and raisins are supposed to represent grubs
or soft prey such as fish. Distribute one Styrofoam bowl and
one paper cup per partner group. Explain to students that the
paper cup represents the birds stomach, and the Styrofoam
bowl represents the environment where all the pieces of food
will be. Tell students that theyll test out different types of bird
beaks to see which are the most effective in picking up different
types of food sources. Students will take turns between two
roles: bird and scientist. If the student is the bird, they will
be using one of the tools, the same tool as the rest of the class,
and will attempt to pick up various types of food during 30
second intervals, or feeding sessions. Students will focus on
using one beak to get one type of food from the environment, or
Styrofoam bowl, into the paper cup, or the birds stomach,
during one 30 second feeding session. Make sure to tell students
that they can only pick up one piece of food at a time (i.e. one
raisin at a time). If students are able to collect all the available
food pieces in the habitat successfully into their stomach, they
will wait quietly until the feeding session is complete. Tell
students that they should hold their beaks, or tools, in one hand
and the birds stomach, or paper cup, in the other.

While one student has the role of the bird, their partner
has the role of the scientist. The scientist keeps track of how
many pieces of food the bird can eat during the 30 second
feeding session, counting out loud. Scientists encourage the
birds, and will also make sure that 1) the birds are only picking
up one piece of food at a time and 2) any food that is not in the
cup at the sound of the buzzer will not be counted in the total.
Once the 30 second feeding session is over, the students will
count how many food pieces made it into their paper cups. Once
the number of pieces is counted, the bird will record their
number on their Bird Beaks chart under the piece of food and
the type of beak they were using during that 30 second feeding.
Students will then switch roles, and the student that had the role
of scientist will now have an opportunity to use the same tool
to try and get the same type of food as the bird. Emphasize to
students that they are not to eat the food pieces they can as a
treat at the end of the experiment if they so wish, but they are
not allowed to during the activity as it can jeopardize our data.
Each student will be have the opportunity to use every available
tool to gather every type of available food on the Bird Beaks
Chart. After explaining these directions, ask students to give a
thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate if they understand what
their expectations are of this activity. Ask students if they have
any questions or concerns about this activity before we begin.

When ready, have one student per partner group empty the
contents of the Zip-Lock bag containing the various pieces of
food into the Styrofoam bowl. Tell students to put their fingers
on their nose once their group has all the food items from the
Zip-Lock bag placed into the Styrofoam bowl to indicate that
they are ready to move forward. Ask students to Roll-Sham-
Bow (alternative to Rock-Paper-Scissors) amongst themselves,
winners of which will get to choose what role they want to have
first during the first feeding session.

Once students have decided who is having what role first,

have the students who are birds raise their hands to ensure
that students are confident in their responsibilities during the
first 30 second feeding session. The birds will begin the first
second feeding session by using the clothespin, so have students
who are the birds take out the clothespin from the Zip-Lock
bag containing the different tools. Have the birds wave the
clothespin in the air before moving forward to ensure all the
students have the correct tool out. Tell the birds that they will be
using their clothespin with one hand, trying to pick up as many
raisins as they can in thirty seconds. Remind students that they
can only pick one raisin up at a time from the Styrofoam bowl,
and they must drop it into the paper cup, or the birds stomach,
for it to be counted as eaten. Place the timer underneath the
Elmo and set it for 30 seconds. Tell students they can begin
once you say Go!, and then start the timer. Walk around the
classroom during feeding sessions to ensure that students are
completing their responsibilities within their assigned roles.
Once the timer goes off, allow students another 30 seconds to
count the food items that made it into their paper cup, record the
number in the appropriate box on their Bird Beaks Chart,
and return the food items from the paper cup back into the
Styrofoam bowl. The bird will then hand off their tool that
they just used to the scientist, and the scientist now takes over
the role of the bird and will get ready to use the clothespin to
get as many raisins as they can from the Styrofoam bowl into
the paper cup. Students will alternate between roles, switching
to the next tool once each student has an opportunity to be the
bird with that type of beak (tool) for all four food types,
totaling 4 30-second feeding sessions per tool use, per student.
(30 minutes)

After students have recorded the results of their feeding

sessions for all of the beak types and food types, students will
work with their partners to find the total amounts of food
gathered by each beak type. Have the paper captains distribute
the Bird Beaks Graph to every student. Once students have
all received a copy and the paper captains return to their partner
groups, explain to students that they will have to create a bar
graph to represent their total amounts of food gathered by each
tool (beak). Tell students that each type of food should be a
different color bar on the graph. Students must include a key to
make their bar graphs easy for an audience to read and
understand. If students totals exceeded 50 for one type of tool
(beak), students need to color the bar for that tool type all the
way to 50, writing the actual amount caught using that tool type
above the bar in the graph. (10 minutes)

Closure for the lesson (15 minutes):

Once students are finished graphing and coloring their
results, discuss as whole-group:
- Which beak collected the most of which food item?
- What do you think would happen to your bird if only
one food item was available?
- Which of the beak types feed most successfully on
which food item?
Explain to students that a birds beak is designed for eating
certain foods, foods of which comprise the birds diets.

Students will be called by color groups to turn in their

completed graphs and worksheets into the blue basket. (15
minutes)
Formative assessment: Differentiation during
assessment:
Utilize the graphing/worksheet completed during this activity as - Students who may prefer
a formative assessment. Data gathered from this assessment will communicating what
be reflected upon for future instruction. they learned through a
drawing may do so, but
Students must: they will have to
verbalize their thinking
- Complete the entirety of the worksheet that recorded the
with me so that I can
data of the investigation (2 points) take anecdotal notes to
- Correctly calculate the total number of items caught by understand their
each beak (2 points) thinking.
- Accurately depict results of the investigation through a
bar graph (4 points)
- Create a graph key detailing what each bar represents in
the bar graph (2 points)
- Color each type of food a different color in the bar graph
(1 point)
Total: 11 points