Bird ID flashcards

Each student chooses a bird species (or assign them). You might want to use a list of common birds from your area -- start with the FeederWatch Top 25.

Have them research the life history -- including field marks, range (where it's found across the country), breeding biology, and song -- for "their bird."

Students share their findings with the class, then create flashcards or field guide entries. As a class, they create their very own Field Guide to Birds or Bird ID Flashcard Set of local birds for classroom use. (Perhaps your school or community library would like a copy?)

Now they are ready to quiz each other on the information in the field guides or flashcards!

Extension: have the students paint or draw their bird.

Teacher tip:

I copied the coloring book...Each student was assigned a bird to research using a field guide to birds. Recently Ron Rohrbaugh from Cornell was able to visit our class, answer questions, share slides, and let us know that we are now "species specialists." Students seem to take ownership of "their" bird. Later we rotated groups and students shared their knowledge about their bird. Students enjoy using the (student-made) field guides during free time, when I play bird tapes of calls.
-- Doris Waud, Fyle School, Rochester, NY
We are working on plans for a field guide published by the kindergarten class and the third graders will each adopt a bird in January: do research, watercolor their bird in Fuertes (prominent bird artist of the late 19th, early 20th century) style, and make a paper sculpture of their bird... (could also adapt to older grades).
-- Carole Prendergast, Tisdale Elementary, Ramsey, NJ

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