EPA # 903-K94-001
PARTNERS
IN A
PARADISE
A Secondary School Curriculum
on Migratory Birds and Our Habitat
Providing a Focused
Introduction to
BIODIVERSITY and ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION
Written and compiled by:
Heather Gray Torres
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
May 1994
(updated 1997)
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Dear Fellow Educator:
Thank you for using PARTNERS IN A PARADISE: Migratory Birds and our Habitat
curriculum. I hope that the curriculum will help you to achieve your goal of increased
understanding of our environment with today's youth, and that you and your students will
enjoy the discovery process. Hopefully, this curriculum will be only a beginning, and you
and your students will be interested in a lifetime journey of learning about our environment
and about migratory birds.
Please note that this curriculum utilizes some prepared maps and diagrams and reading
materials that should be ordered prior to the course. A packet of materials is available at the
address below.
DEDICATION:
Heather Gray Torres (3RC21)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
tel. (215)566-2696
fax (215)566-2603
To you, the educator who values ecosystems and recognizes their
worth, and who is devoting time in sharing this key knowledge
with others.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Special thanks are due to the many people who
educated me about the value of natural
ecosystems, throughout my youth, especially my
parents. Grateful acknowledgment is given to
Peter W. Stangel of the Partners in Flight
Program. Particular thanks are due to my EPA
colleagues Bonnie J. Smith, Susan McDowell, Joe
Jackson, Charles Perritt and Donna Bostic, and
also Eric Peterson, all of whom assisted in the
preparation of this text.
COPYING NOTE:
The text of this official publication may be further
copied as appropriate for educational use without
permission from EPA. You are encouraged to
make copying choices that will help conserve our
natural resources. Articles referenced in this
curriculum should be reprinted only in
accordance with the copyright laws.
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Partners in Flight
IN 4
Migratory Birds and Our Habitat curriculum
INDEX
Page
Introduction 4
Course Goals 4
A Word About Birds and Biodiversity 6
Approach 7
Overview 8
A) The Wonder of Birds, Migration
and Survival in Natural Ecosystems 9
B) Flight to New World Habitats 9
C) Discovering Birds First-Hand 10
D) Problems and Partnership in Biodiversity 11
E) Course Conclusion and Challenge 12
General Preparation, Materials and Logistics 13
I) General Scheduling and Logistics 14
II) Field Trip Materials and Logistics 15
III) Maps 18
IV) Recorded Tapes of Bird Songs 19
V) Resource Information on Migratory Birds 19
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CLASSES
Class #
Segment A) The Wonder of Birds, Migration and Survival in
Natural Ecosystems
1. The Miracle of Migration and Survival in Natural Ecosystems
2. There is a Lot to Think About and Explore Concerning
Migratory Birds
3. Starting the Migratory Journey
Segment B) Flight to New World Habitats
4. The Tropical Rainforest Habitat
5. Migration Routes
6. Migration Routes (con't)
7. North American Habitats
8a. Why and How do Birds Migrate?
8b. How Do You Know Migration Occurs?
9. How Do You Know Migration Occurs?
(con't)
Segment C) Discovering Birds and Biodiversity First-Hand
10. How to Identify Birds
11. Discovering Diversity
12. Field Trip #1
13. Field Trip #2
14. Listening to, and Hearing, Biodiversity
15. Field Trip #3
16. Field Trip #4
Segment D) Problems and Partnership in Biodiversity
17. Threats to Survival of Migratory Birds
18. Biodiversity and Natural Ecosystems are Basic to Our Survival
19. How Can People Live With the Land to Help Our Own Long-
Term Survival?
20. Key Tools We Have to Protect Migratory Birds and Biodiversity
21. Local Issues and Opportunities in Ecosystem Protection and
Biodiversity
22. Measuring a Journey
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COURSE GOALS
Next year, then ten years from now . . . twenty years and fifty years into the
future, will the students remember this course? Will they have gained anything from
it? Will they have an awe, wonder and respect for migratory birds and for the
ecosystems that sustain us all? Will they value them, and understand that protection of
ecosystems is key to human survival? Will they want to learn more about them?
This is the fundamental goal to think about when organizing the class time.
Some students may not remember the difference between a bluejay and a
bluebird. Hopefully, all the students will keep with them their chance to question, to
explore and learn more about, and to treasure birds, biodiversity, the natural world and
its sustaining ecosystems. But most of all, they will remember you, the teacher. They
will remember your interest in migratory birds, in biodiversity, in the environment and
humanity's relationship to the natural planetary cycles. They will remember your
sincere interest and respect for natural habitats and ecosystems. Your approach is
fundamental to the success of this course.
You can use this curriculum to embark on a journey of wonder, exploration and
learning about the natural systems of this earth, that can be continued for each of the
students throughout their lives.
INTRODUCTION
The in-depth study of migratory birds may well be a subject you have never
even considered teaching or learning before. Whether you are a teacher of biology,
geography, political science or social studies, the topic of birds is clearly not an
ordinary curriculum component in schools today.
The study of migratory birds can be extraordinary, though, because in addition
to its novelty, it has the potential to:
1) provide an interesting and focused introduction to the important topic of
biodiversity and ecosystem protection; and
2) meaningfully interrelate a variety of school subjects that are usually packaged
separately and taught in isolation.
First, learning about migratory birds provides a focused introduction to the
crucially important planetary matters of biodiversity and ecosystem protection, and of
sustainable survival for us all.
In addition, a focused examination of'Neotropical' (meaning New World
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tropical) migratory birds can link together the fields of:
biology: including zoology, in studying the birds themselves and their
classifications, and techniques of biological observation; and ecology, in
learning about the ecosystems in which the birds survive, and recent serious
problems in ecosystem protection;
geography, in exploring patterns of migration of the birds throughout the
Americas;
social studies, in focusing on how various cultures impact the sustainability of
bird populations and natural habitats and ecosystems;
land use planning, and law, civics, economics and political science, in
examining how different nations and diverse cultures handle the increasingly
important issues of these international birds and of ecosystem protection and
biodiversity.
Each of these individual areas, and then the inter-relationship among them that
birds create, provides an out-of-the ordinary vehicle for students to approach a
meaningful topic in a holistic, in-depth and integrated manner.
For both of these significant reasons, then, the study of those 'ordinary' birds,
waiting for you to discover them just outside your window, has truly out-of-the
ordinary potential, and offers us all a truly extraordinary opportunity to see and
appreciate a paradise around us.
We all can become partners in helping to assure the survival of this paradise
around us. Understanding, appreciating and valuing ecosystems and the miracles
within them is a key first step in this partnership.
Welcome, to a challenging and rewarding j ourney of discovery and
wonder, for all.
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A WORD ABOUT BIRDS
AND BIODIVERSITY
We are losing 'our' Neotropical migratory birds - - many of which are the
colorful and familiar songbirds - - at an alarming rate1. We are losing intact natural
ecosystems and the present era biodiversity of this planet at a rapid and escalating
pace2. Human activity is now adversely affecting this planet's incredible and fragile
ability to sustain human life3.
Studying migratory birds, then, is not a narrow enterprise. It is a wide
opportunity to key into and learn about, and learn from, the natural world around us,
and eventually to help learn how to sustain our human civilizations on this planet over
the long run.
The hallmark Baltimore oriole, so familiar to us all, but one source reports that
numbers of Baltimore orioles have declined about thirty percent between 1980 and
19904. Or who has recently seen a wood thrush or a rose-breasted grosbeak? These
birds are incredibly beautiful, glittering in the spring sunlight and offering their
haunting melodies. Their recent steep population declines are communicating
something to us, also, if we listen.
What are they telling us?
According to another source, population densities of migratory songbirds in the
mid-Atlantic United States dropped 50% from the 1940's to the 1980's, and "many
species became locally extinct."5 The recent disappearance of the migratory birds is
not keyed to a sole discrete culprit, such as pesticide use, which was the cause of
songbird declines several decades ago.
The songbirds are but one relatively easily seen and understood example of the
1 Partners in Flight. First International Migratory Bird Day fact sheet, May 8, 1993.
2 Wilson, Edward O., The Diversity of Life. Selections from Edward O. Wilson, The
Diversity of Life are reprinted with the permission of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New
York. Copyright @ 1992 by Edward O. Wilson. All rights reserved. This material may not
be further reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.
3 "Reducing Risk: Setting Priorities and Strategies for Environmental Protection", U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Science Advisory Board Report, 1990.
4 "Silence of the Songbirds", copyright @ June 1993, National Geographic Society (page
81).
5 Wilson, Edward O., The Diversity of Life, p. 256.
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recent decline in the biodiversity of the present era that may threaten the ability of
people to survive on this planet. Like the classic canary in a mine cage, the demise of
the birds may be telling people something we need to know about our own survival.
The birds, then, can be a colorful key to learning broader concepts of biodiversity - -
which can be described as the present era variety of life and its processes. Studying
migratory birds also leads meaningfully into the broad area of ecosystem protection
and ecological sustainability for the human population.
The experiences of the students in this class therefore may be bittersweet,
because the truth is that some of the species the students may see or learn about this
year could well be extinct by the time the students become adults. And the learning
may be bitter, as well, because unfortunately information about the rapid decline of
species can be harsh and frightening.
But the class experience can be very sweet, too, as the students see and hear
first-hand the beautiful natural habitats and ecosystems right around them, but which
they may have not noticed before. The students will be learning key concepts about
natural ecological systems, and how humans relate to them, that could be their
essential tools in a fundamental enterprise: helping to sustain their own long-term
survival, and the survival of their own offspring, amid the magnificent natural systems
of this planet.
APPROACH
This curriculum focuses on the students' own experiences and ideas, and
attempts to personalize the topic of migratory birds in a way that will have long-term
meaning for each student. The in-depth and integrated study of birds is important, but
the overriding goal of the course is to develop in each student a curiosity for, a delight
and intrigue in, and a respect for, the topics of migratory birds, biodiversity, and
human relationships to natural systems that will last a life-time of independent pursuit.
As such, this course does not require an instructor who is trained in zoology. A
teacher who is willing to explore, listen to and learn along with the students is all that
is fundamental. Lectures on the taxonomy and scientific classification of birds are
simply not necessary for this course.
It is important for the teacher to feel secure enough in the essential areas of
inquiry to be able to recognize, link and reinforce the main concepts, and to help the
students carry on thoughtful and meaningful discussions. Typically, an instructor can
do this by becoming familiar with this curriculum package, and by taking the initiative
to help obtain materials on particular areas of interest. Of course, any specialized
expertise of the instructor can provide an individual enhancement to the course. But
since the basic approach is of personalized discovery, it is simply not necessary for the
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leader to feel obliged to feed a package of facts to the students.
When I led this course with a group of seventh and eighth graders, I asked
them in the beginning who would be teaching the course. After they pointed at me,
then they suggested every member of the school faculty and still I shook my head 'no',
they had no more ideas. When I called each one of their own names, and identified
them as teachers of each other, they weren't sure how to react; they looked at each
other in a new and unfamiliar light. But throughout the course, each student was
entitled to respect as a teacher of the others, and each person's ideas were listened to
and accorded importance. It was a journey of teaching, learning and respect, for all of
us together.
It was the birds themselves, though, that taught us the most. They help us
recognize that humanity has a journey of learning in front of us, that we can begin if
we open our eyes, ears and minds to the natural world around us.
OVERVIEW
This curriculum is organized into several broad, sequenced segment areas: A)
The Wonder of Birds, Migration and Survival in Natural Ecosystems; B) Flight to
New World Habitats; C) Discovering Birds First-Hand; and D) Problems and
Partnership in Biodiversity. Classes are provided in sequenced topics within each of
the segment areas.
The themes of these four segments are outlined below. Detailed class plans for
each of the 22 classes individually are set out after the discussion of the segments, and
following several pages of information about general class preparation and resources.
The curriculum provides numerous focused classes on migratory birds and our
environment. Of course, given the breadth of this subject, it is not possible for the
students to examine and consider every topic area in depth. Accordingly, this
curriculum provides a compass and a road map of the major route to follow. A
number of the rewarding side roads and key landmarks of this journey of learning are
not set out in depth in this curriculum, but are identified for the students and teacher to
explore more fully, perhaps drawing upon traditional texts and source materials that
are already in use by the class for areas such as political science and sociology. In
those instances, this curriculum identifies these related topics as a "Link" to the general
topic area, and the teacher is alerted that these classes and subjects can be integrated
with the otherwise available curriculum materials on that specific topic.
Because of the need to schedule field observations (Segment C) according to
the best time for your area, the course leader will need to plan around this, and adjust
the timing of the other segments, as necessary. See "Field Trips: Logistics", below.
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Segment A) The Wonder of Birds. Migration and Survival in Natural
Ecosystems
(Classes #1 - 3)
Initially, the curriculum challenges the students to focus on the life and
journeys of the birds that are right outside their window, that the students have likely
not even thought much about before. In this way, the students are awakened to look at
the world around them in a new and unexpected light. These are things they may have
taken for granted, and probably have not really noticed nor appreciated before.
The life of migratory birds is incredible and astonishing, and all the more so
when related to the students' own experiences in traveling (Class #1). Bringing
concepts down to a personal level can be a way of thinking about how extraordinary
the survival of migratory birds is, that students will find hard to forget. It can be a key
eye-opener to the natural world around us.
Bring out quarters, one for each student, and flip them to feel the weight of one
migratory bird, the blackpoll warbler, which migrates thousands of miles, each way,
without a suitcase.
Class #2 continues to focus on the students' own personal view of birds, and
begins to develop their individual appreciation of the diversity and wonder of
migratory birds. The 'Personal Survey' that is presented in this class can be repeated
near the end of the course (Class #22). A comparison between the two surveys can
show each student one individual measure of how much their own general
understanding of the topic has expanded through the course.
Class #3 is designed to help focus students on some of the mysteries and
miracles of migration, and survival of birds throughout their journeys.
Segment B) Flight to New World Habitats
(Classes #4 - 9)
Class #4 is set up to be an immersion into the South American rainforest. The
rainforest is looked at as a total habitat, of which birds are an important piece. The
rich and colorful beauty of the rainforest is a treasure to explore, even in second-hand
pictures. It leads into a mystery to which we do not have the complete answer . . . why
would birds ever leave that warm paradise, to come to North America? These and
similar questions are posed and considered in Class #5.
These questions stand on their head conventional teaching that the birds are
really North American residents that just go south temporarily in the cold winter to
'vacation'. If looked at from another viewpoint, that the birds are really South
American habitants, we can better appreciate the color and melody the birds bring to
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North America every spring by leaving behind their lush rainforest homes and making
incredible journeys to the United States and Canada.
Appreciating the magnitude, length and difference of these journeys, and
locating the islands, continents and political countries along the way is the focus of
Classes #5, 6 and 7. This segment of the course can be expanded for an in-depth focus
and investigation of these countries, if the instructor desires. In addition to
opportunities to discuss and investigate the various countries, it is an excellent
opportunity to focus on comparative land use and sociological patterns, examining
which types of land use and cultures provide habitat in which the birds, and other
wildlife, can survive and biodiversity can flourish.
The key work of ornithologist Frederick C. Lincoln provides the important
migratory charts which are fundamental to this portion of the course.
The students' own interests can provide the basis for an in-depth examination of
particular habitats along the migratory routes. A student who has been to the Gulf
Coast or to Florida can be invited to prepare and share personal observations about
these habitats, and the current challenges and opportunities posed there to survival of
migratory birds. In addition, students can research a particular geographic area and
present their own conclusions about how a migratory bird would fare there.
During the spring, the birds' progress to their summer North American habitat
and ecosystems can be anticipated and traced by the students. Students can be
introduced to the concept of isochronal charts (Class #3). Local news and newspaper
reports can be monitored for the sighting of 'the first robin' and for Neotropical
migrants.
Classes #8 and 9 are designed to give students appreciation and understanding
about how scientists have figured out how and when bird migration happens, and how
the students themselves are capable of doing basic scientific work.
Segment C) Discovering Birds First-Hand
(Classes #10- 16)
Enhanced observation skills, featured in Classes #10 and 11, will make the
students' eventual field observations more meaningful. One classroom period, Class
#11, is devoted to unstructured exploration of an bird field guide. The students are
encouraged simply to discover for themselves the astonishing diversity of birds. For
the class I 'led', this flexible hour proved to be a fascinating journey of discovery. The
students had never before had the opportunity to explore and examine page after page
of pictures and information about colorful, different and diverse birds. A few
questions will need to be prompted here, but this experience of discovery may be more
memorable to the students than an initial lecture on the taxonomy of birds.
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At some point, either in this class period, if there is time, or at a resting spot
during a field trip, it is very helpful to focus the students into the organization of the
field guide for birds . . . the related avian families, the index and the migratory charts.
These are not for purposes of memorization, but for aid in finding out about the
particular bird, and how it relates to the themes of the course, and how the book can be
used efficiently in the field.
Another important activity is to play pre-recorded tapes of bird songs. This can
be scheduled flexibly, among the field trips, and used as a substitute for a trip that is
postponed due to weather or other reasons. Listening to tapes of bird songs is
intriguing . . . the songs can be charted on the blackboard and help provide students
with a new dimension and expertise in natural observation. This activity is scheduled
for Class #14, among the field trips.
The 'field trips' to actually observe birds out of doors, in natural habitats, should
be scheduled for the most appropriate times for your area. Although some birds can
be found virtually anywhere, it is helpful to select nearby spots where a variety of
birds may be observed, to reward and challenge the beginning observer. However, the
behavior of even one common pigeon, starling or crow can provide interesting
material for the beginning bird-watcher, and can help students to notice the natural
world around them that they have not looked at closely before, even though the
observations may not be of a migratory bird.
Field trips are included in this curriculum as Classes #12, 13, 15 and 16. See
"Field Trips: Materials and Logistics", below, for comprehensive information on
scheduling field trips.
Segment D) Problems and Partnership in Biodiversity
(Classes #17-21)
This segment provokes students to think about broader issues concerning birds
as important populations in the earth's natural systems, and to realize that migratory
birds raise crucial issues at the local, national and international levels, particularly
regarding ecosystem protection. The final classes of the course are designed to be
upbeat, focusing students on the existing tools humans have to protect migratory birds
and biodiversity, and how the students can use these tools effectively.
Class #17 centers on discussion of two eye-opening articles which are
suggested as reading about the serious declines in migratory bird populations. The
articles will need to be assigned as homework reading previous to this class.
In Class #18, the focus expands to the general and extensive problem of loss of
natural ecosystems and biodiversity. The decline in bird populations is an indicator of
this problem. Some of the suggested reading material for this class contains scientific
terms with which the students may not be familiar. The teacher should assess this
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terminology and the existing knowledge of the students in advance, and prepare
definitions for them if needed. Although solid advance coverage of this material is not
necessary, some familiarity with the terms will enable the students to read through the
suggested homework assignments.
Conversely, the reading materials may reveal to the students the importance of
studying these otherwise remote and foreign terms, in order that they may understand
the concepts presented.
Class #19 can be a continuation of discussion of biodiversity issues, and it also
introduces new reading materials and concepts. "Land use" is the central theme.
Class #20 centers on an introduction of significant, existing tools we have to
protect birds and biodiversity, including the Endangered Species Act. Students are
encouraged to actually examine provisions of the laws, and to read an interpretive
article on the Endangered Species Act, which includes a detailed discussion of the
survival of one songbird species.
In Class #21, the focus shifts from the national and international, down to the
local level. Newspaper articles dealing with issues in the students' own community are
the suggested source materials here. The crucial message is to have students see how
broad national and international issues are played out at the community level, and
conversely, how community issues on biodiversity are impacted by the umbrella
national laws and policies studied in Class #19.
Because it can vary so much from state to state, no specific source materials have
been identified in this curriculum for state policies, laws and initiatives dealing with
migratory birds and biodiversity. However, this is an important area for the leader or
the class to look into, obtain materials on, and weave into the discussions for either
Class #19, #20 or #21. States are important players in this area. Even the lack of any
laws and policies in your state dealing with protection of migratory birds, biodiversity
or encouraging preservation of natural habitat areas is important to find out about. The
Partners in Flight newsletters (see Preparation, Section V, below) contain helpful
information identifying migratory bird conservation contact people for many states.
Be sure you write to them well before the course begins to be placed on their mailing
list.
Depending on the group of students you have, the topics covered in this
Segment could be discussed and explored in greater depth, and at greater length than
provided in this curriculum. You might consider this possibility when scheduling your
course.
Course Conclusion and Challenge
Finally, Class #22 is scheduled to be a repeat of the 'Personal Survey' given in
Class #2. It can be a good concluding class to remind students of the path they have
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taken in learning about the importance of migratory birds and biodiversity.
Hopefully, students' interest in the subject of birds and biodiversity, and
ecosystem protection will continue beyond this course. You might consider preparing
suggestions for their further reading, and appropriate periodicals to which they might
want to subscribe, or to look for in the library when they can. A few are suggested in
Resource Information, Section V, above.
Students are embarking on a journey. Be sure the students leave the class with
their bird-watching 'life lists', which they may want to continue adding to, on their
own, throughout their life-journeys. Challenge students to notice the birds, no matter
where they may be.
Bring out a quarter, as was done in Class #1, and encourage students to think
about the amazing wonder of migratory bird journeys and survival, and the survival of
us all, because of the richness of biodiversity and natural ecosystems, with every
quarter they use.
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GENERAL PREPARATION,
MATERIALS AND LOGISTICS
This curriculum can help students understand the common natural systems that
sustain us in the Americas. In making this journey, the teacher and the students will
need to be resourceful.
It can even be difficult to find a map of just the Americas. But this illustrates
the potential importance of learning about the natural links and connections between
South, Central and North America that sustain us all.
Almost fifty years ago, writer Aldo Leopold observed in Wisconsin that "...
on cool August nights you can hear whistled signals [of the upland plovers] as they set
wing for the pampas [of Argentina], to prove again the age-old unity of the Americas.
Hemisphere solidarity is new among statesmen, but not among the feathered navies of
the sky."6
In order to learn about this topic, the teacher should identify needed classroom
materials early on, ideally well before the course actually starts, so there will be
sufficient time to locate all the needed materials, and to improvise if important
6 Leopold, Aldo, A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press, Inc., 1949.
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materials cannot be obtained. Selected possible source items are presented in the
following sections that can give a solid start to any course of this topic.
For example, there is a connected map of just the Americas, with an excellent
depiction of migratory routes, published by National Geographic (see Maps, III,
below).
The curriculum is structured around a variety of printed materials, most of
which are available in a packet by contacting EPA:
Heather Gray Torres (3RC21)
Partners Curriculum
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
tel.: 215-566-2696
fax: 215-566-2603
Please allow several weeks for delivery.
Several of the reference materials in the curriculum are articles which should be
available in your local library. The articles are referenced in the curriculum text in
order that the instructor can locate them in advance of the designated class.
I) General Course Scheduling and Logistics
This course is designed for the middle or high school level.
The curriculum is designed for a spring semester of once a week
class meetings of approximately an hour in length. It can easily
be adapted, however, for other structures such as more frequent
meetings, or longer class periods, either covering several classes
at once, or covering material for a particular class in greater
depth. It could even be structured as a one-week intensive
course.
Or, it could be expanded as a once a week course to meet over
an entire school year. In that event, field trips could be added
and scheduled to observe the interesting fall migrations of geese,
hawks and other birds of prey. Even teenagers are awed by
these impressive large birds.
Other curricula are available dealing with the migratory bird
topic in a different manner, such as adding isolated topics on
birds to already existing standard school subjects. If the
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approach or structure set forth in this curriculum doesn't work for
your school, consider looking at these other curricula as well in
order that this topic can be included in a way that works for your
school.
When trying out this curriculum, I led a group of approximately
ten students. This was an excellent group number, although you
may have a larger group. The in-school activities should work
fine, but organizing and supervising the field trips will be more
complicated.
II) Field Trip Materials and Logistics
A) Materials
1) Field guides
Ideally, each student should have their own field guide to birds.
A reputable source, such as North American Birds. (Peterson,
4th ed.), costs about $16. Students and their families could be
asked to pay for this directly, or other funding sources could be
considered, such as community sponsors, an allowance from a
parent-teachers association, or a fund-raiser.
The course will still work fine if students share the field guides
in pairs.
2) Binoculars
Binoculars or field glasses are more expensive, typically beyond
modest course fees, fund raising or stipends. If needed, an
acceptable course can be taught without them at all. So don't
give up on leading a migratory birds course because you or your
students don't have binoculars.
In one of the first classes, you can ask each of the students if
they or their family has binoculars that they will be able to use
for the field trips, although you may not want students to bring
expensive or special binoculars to school, unless your school has
the ability to assure the safety of this equipment.
With the several old or inexpensive pairs the students are likely
to have, along with your pair or two, and an old extra that an
assistant leader or field trip guide may have, there will be enough
for everyone to have a chance to see the birds close-up. Other
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school staff may also have binoculars they may be willing to
contribute.
3) Life lists
The students will be intrigued by the idea that they can begin
recording a list of all the birds that they see, a 'life list', their own
personal list of all the birds they see throughout their life. And
when they first start bird-watching is the best time to start a life
list. Call a local nature center in your area for free or
inexpensive copies of a checklist of the birds students are likely
to see in the area, that can be used as a first life-list record. Each
student will need their own copy.
B) Logistics
1) Trip scheduling
Decide how many trips you want to include in your course, and
find out the time you will have available for them. In this
course, I planned for four trips, each to take a double class
period. Even though the trip locations were all within a mile of
the school, there just wasn't enough time in one standard 50-
minute class period to get to the trip destination, get oriented and
organized, to carefully explore the area for wildlife, and then to
return in time for the next class period. The double-period
solution worked well.
Four trips was a good number, because it allowed flexibility in
the event of bad weather, and it provided opportunity for
important reinforcement of identification of birds observed and
ideas learned, from one trip to the next.
2) Trip timing
Discuss with an experienced local bird-watcher the best time
during the spring to observe migratory birds in your locality. In
the Mid-Atlantic area, for example, trips are best scheduled for
after the weather gets warm, but before the leaves come out on
the trees.
Trips are ideally scheduled for as early in the morning as
feasible, given your school schedule. That is when the birds are
actively feeding and singing.
3) Trip locations
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The destinations of your field trips will of course be determined
by your locality. But be sure to look beyond the obvious. Birds
can be observed in urban areas, where there are nearby natural
areas that might be inhabited by an interesting and rewarding
array of birds. A small park close by may offer opportunities to
observe in-depth the behavior of common crows, pigeons or
starlings in a new light. Also, don't overlook the zoo as a field
trip location. But, be sure you focus on the birds. The zoo may
even offer speakers on birds or bird walk leaders.
In contrast, a rural or suburban area presents different challenges
to successful field trips. The most well-known areas may have
steep entrance fees or leaders who, although bird experts, don't
relate well to the students. Aim for areas and leaders that will
relate to and interest your students.
Be sure, if you are going to an area that is not a public area, that
you have made appropriate arrangements with the property
owners to visit their property.
Also, keep in mind that nearby areas may be best to visit on your
trips, because students will be able to go back to them
themselves, well after your course is over. The field trips can
serve as an important introduction of students to nearby natural
area locations that they will be interested in returning to, to
observe wildlife, and can easily go back to themselves or with
their families.
4) Trip preparation
Be sure your transportation is confirmed and the directions to the
destination are completely clear. Know how long it will take to
get there. Signed standard school permission slips are essential,
of course. Confirm with the students exactly when and where to
meet.
Advise the students as to appropriate field attire. In many areas,
appropriate protection against ticks and Lyme disease are very
important. Follow advisories issued for deer ticks and other
local problems, including staying away from areas that deer go
to, and keeping on established paths.
5) Trip leaders
You may want to ask experienced bird-watchers from the
community to help you lead a trip. Many people have a wealth
17
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Ill) Maps
of bird-watching knowledge and experience, gained over a life-
time, that they are very gracious to share. This is an invaluable
human resource, that is important for students to recognize. The
knowledge of experienced birders is impressive, and it provides
inspiration for the beginning student that it is possible to become
expert in this subject.
The teacher/coordinator of this course should screen potential
speakers and leaders to find those who are genuinely interested
in working with students, and who relate well to them. A highly
experienced leader who is not interested in the students or who
does not relate well to them may not be the best choice.
In any event, try to have enough adults to accompany you so that
you have a 1:4 or 1:5 students ratio. The assistants need not be
birding experts. If they are responsible, and familiar with how to
approach using binoculars and field guides, and if they are
enthusiastic, that is the key concern.
The best field trip my class had was on a cold, misty day that
indeed did deteriorate into intermittent drizzle, and the nature
center leader was stuck out in the woods with another group.
Confined to the porch of a small log cabin, this became our
special observation deck, as the students were encouraged to
discover for themselves, and themselves find in their field guides
about, the colorful variety of birds that ventured, with songs that
warmed us, into the small natural area clearing.
6) Trip protocol
It should go without saying that in no event should bird
observers harrass or disturb the birds that are being observed.
Intentional malicious acts are clearly inappropriate. Over and
above that, be aware that even well-meaning activities are
inappropriate, such as disturbing a nest, eggs or young birds. In
some cases, these activities are even illegal. Demonstrate to the
students that they can learn a great deal by observing, and by not
interfering with the activities of the birds.
This course provides the opportunity to use maps as close-up
keys for learning.
The instructor can purchase a few inexpensive world maps (they
18
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cost about $3 apiece in general bookstores or paper supply
stores) so they can be actively marked up and explored by the
students during each class. The world maps can be used to show
all the Americas in relationship to each another.
Additionally, a large map of the Americas, with the reverse side
featuring a detailed depiction of dozens of migratory routes, has
been published by National Geographic [1-800-638-4077].
Vol. 156, No. 2, August 1979.
See Classes #5-9 for how the maps can be used.
IV) Recorded Tapes of Bird Songs
For Class #14 (Listening to, and Hearing, Biodiversity), you will
need a pre-recorded tape of bird songs. These are generally
available at nature center stores and museum stores, or you may
find them or be able to order them from a local bookstore. What
you are looking for is a cassette tape containing about twenty
segments of recorded songs and calls of individual, identified
birds. Look for a tape that features birds found in your area.
These tapes generally come in a package that contains a booklet
identifying the birds featured on the tape. The booklet will be
useful for the teacher in preparing the class, and it is not
necessary to distribute to the students.
These tapes typically run in the $10 to $20 range.
If you are unable to find a source in your area, the Cornell
Laboratory of Ornithology (address in (V)(D), below) is one
possible source from which you could order a tape.
V) Resource Information on Migratory Birds
There is ample information currently available on migratory
birds and issues surrounding them. Below is a list of some
helpful possible sources, and sources of further information. If
you are considering obtaining any of these, it is a good idea to
try to get them before the course begins. Or, if they are to be
used as specialized student research materials, allow enough
time for the students to obtain them.
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This curriculum does not recommend or require use or reading
of any of the identified possible sources. Rather, it is left up to
the course instructor to choose and decide on appropriate source
material. The sources identified below are provided as
possibilities solely for the convenience of the instructor.
There are an increasing amount of publications on ecosystem
protection, biodiversity issues, and about migratory birds, and it
is simply not possible to include them all in an introductory
course. The teacher is cautioned against trying to include too
much, and overwhelm the students. This course curriculum
schedule is designed to focus on particular aspects of this large
topic, so that the issues are presented in an interesting and
integrated progression.
The teacher can always recommend other materials for the
supplementary reading of interested students.
A) General periodicals
There are many possible sources; here is a sampler.
American Birds magazine
American Birding Association (quarterly newsletter, A Birds eye
View, aimed at middle school students. Also various other
educational materials. Student memberships are available at
$18.00/year.)
Write to:
American Birding Association
P.O. Box 6599
Colorado Springs, CO 80934-6599
(tel. 719-578-9703)
Audubon magazine
Bioscience magazine
National Geographic magazine
Nature Conservancy magazine
20
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Bird Conservation magazine:
American Bird Conservancy
1250 24th St., NW, suite 220
Washington, DC 20037
1-888-BIRD-MAG (toll free)
E-mail: abc@abcbirds.org
B) Books
Elphick, Jonathan, ed.. Atlas of Bird migration: Tracing the
Great Journeys of the World's Birds. Marshall Editions Development
Limited (Random House and the Smithsonian Institute) 1985.
Griffin, Donald R., Bird Migration. Dover Publications, Inc.,
New York, 1974.
Lincoln, Frederick C., The Migration of American Birds.
Doubleday, Doran & Co., NY, 1939 (ill. Louis Agassiz Fuertes).
Mead, Chris, Bird Migration. Facts on File Publications, 1983.
Wilson, Edward O., The Diversity of Life. W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc., 1992.
This recent book also contains reference to other source
materials on birds and biodiversity, including:
Forsyth, Adrian, Portraits of the Rainforest. (Ontario:
Camden House, Camden East, 1990);
"The Last American Parakeet", Doreen Buscami, Natural
History. 87(4): 10-12 (1978);
"Where Have All the Birds Gone?" Essays on the
Biology and Conservation of Birds that Migrate to the
American Tropics. (Princeton University Press, 1989);
David S. Wilcove and J.W. Terborgh, "Patterns of
Population Decline in Birds." American Birds. 38(1): 10-
13 (1984);
The Last Rain Forest: A World Conservation Atlas.
Oxford University Press, 1990. (Described by Edward O.
Wilson as a "beautifully illustrated book ... the best
21
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popular reference work of its kind");
Wilson, E.O. and P.M. Peter, eds., Biodiversity. National
Academy Press, 1988;
Philip A. Fearnside, "Extractive Reserves in Brazilian
Amazonia," Bioscience. 39(6):387-393 (1989);
Leonard Berry et al..Technologies to Sustain Tropical
Forest Resources. (Office of Technology Assessment,
U.S. Congress, 1984).
C) Other Written Sources
Birds in the Balance. Action Packet, National Audubon Society,
666 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Washington DC 20003 (small cost).
Boyle, Robert H., "The Killing Fields", Sports Illustrated. March
22, 1993 (Reports that "toxic drainwater from irrigated farmland
in California and other Western states has created an
environmental calamity")
Gulf of Mexico Program
Department of Interior
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Building 1103 - Room 202
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
(various publications)
Lincoln, Frederick C., Migration of Birds, circular 16, U.S. Dept.
of Interior Fish & Wildlife Service (original edition 1950;
updated edition 1979).
Habitat Establishment. Enhancement and Management for Forest
and Grassland Birds in Illinois. J.R. Herkert, R.E. Szafoni, V.M.
Kleen, I.E. Schwegman. A comprehensive guide for private
landowners. Free. (IL DOC, Division of Natural Heritage, 524
S. 2nd Street, Springfield, IL 62701, tel. 217-785-8774).
"Migratory Songbird Conservation" informational brochure on
Partners in Flight and how you can help (being reprinted) Free.
( USFWS, Office of Migratory Bird Management, 1849 C
Street, ms 634 ArlSq, Washington, DC 20240, tel. 703-358-
1838; 703-358-1711 (publications)).
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Schneider, KJ. and D.M. Pence, eds., Migratory Nongame Birds
of Management Concern in the Northeast. U.S. Department of
the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, 1992 (Region 5, Newton
Corner, Massachusetts 02158).
Status and Management of Neotropical Migratory Birds, eds.
D.M. Finch and P.W. Stangel. Symposium Proceedings from
the Estes Park National Training Workshop held September
1992.. USFS Rocky Mt. Forest and Range Expt. Station,
Publication Division, Craddock Bldg., 3825 Mulberry, Ft.
Collins, CO 80524-8597.
"U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperative Programs with
Mexico", a 32-page report describing cooperative efforts for
conservation of migratory birds, endangered species, wetlands,
and law enforcement and training. Compiled by Doug Ryan,
International Affairs- FWS. USFWS Publication Unit, 130
Webb Bldg., 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203.
Wetlands: A Celebration of Life. Final report for two-year
study of the current status of Canadian wetlands. Single copies
of this 67-page report are available free. ("Wetlands
Publication", North American Wetlands Conservation Council,
Suite 200, 1750 Courtwood Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K2C 2B5, tel. 613-228-2601).
"Will We Lose Our Songbirds" full-color brochure providing
general information on Partners in Flight. Free. Contact:
"Songbird Brochure," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MEMO,
4401 North Fairfax Drive, room 634, Arlington, VA 22203
tel. 703-358-1821.
D) Audio-Visual Materials
"Birds of Two Worlds - Tropical birds of the Midwest" poster.
Free. (Brad Jacobs, MO DOC, Box 180, Jefferson City, MO
65102, tel. 314-751-4115).
"Out of the Blue" video. Ten and a half minutes describing the
annual spring migration of songbirds along the upper Texas
coast. Small cost. Also available is the 45-minute "Birding
Texas" video, which includes the "Out of the Blue" segment.
$15 (plus tax for Texas). Contact: Susie Gonzalez, TPWD,
4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, tel. 512-389-
4994.
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Partners in Flight Slide Show. 13 minutes, with accompanying
cassette tape and text depicting the plight of neotropical
migratory birds and what PIF is doing to help. $53.95 (includes
S&H). Contact: Meg Ghallagher, Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, tel. 607-254-
2440.
Note: the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is a
valuable source for ordering books, videos and other
study aids on migratory birds. Write or call them for a
brochure.
"Songbirds of forest and field" full-color poster featuring 11
neotropical migratory songbirds by Louis Agassiz Fuertes,
$6.50, Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325, tel. 202-783-3238. Please
reference stock #024-010-00699-4.
E) Contacts for Further Current and Local Information
Your state may have local information on migratory birds and
resource protection issues. There are specialized educational
programs on migratory birds in several states. For example,
contact:
Wisconsin:
One Bird - Two Habitats
DNR Research Center
1350 Femrite Drive
Monona, WI 53716
New Jersey:
The New Jersey Conservation Foundation
300MendhamRoad
Morristown, NJ 07960
(tel. 201-539-7540)
The Bird conservation magazine listed above also contains
information on migratory bird contacts in many states.
24
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***BE SURE YOU HAVE ORDERED PRINTED MATERIALS FOR THE
CLASSES, AS SET FORTH ON PAGE 1 OF THIS TEXT.
DETAILED CLASS PLANS FOR EACH OF THE TWENTY-TWO CLASSES
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW.
25
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitat curriculum
******************
SEGMENT A
THE WONDER OF BIRDS, MIGRATION
AND SURVIVAL IN NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS Class #1
The Miracle of Migration and Survival in Natural Ecosystems
******************
OBJECTIVE: Awaken curiosity about, and wonder at, the amazing miracle of
bird migration.
THEME: Long distance journeys pose difficult challenges to meeting basic
needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter, and finding your
way, for people and the birds.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I. Identify how people obtain basic necessities while travelling:
A. On a map, locate long-distance locations to which each of the students
in the class have traveled.
B. Ask the class members to identify what they took with them on their trip
in order to stay warm, protect themselves from the weather, have a place
to sleep, have enough to eat and to drink. Record this list on the
blackboard, overhead projector, or a large flip-chart pad (a permanent
list may be advantageous for future reference).
In addition to obvious items, encourage the students to think about less
obvious articles, such as:
- maps (to know where they were going)
- compass (to know direction they were going in)
- water (they probably took this for granted)
26
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- food (if they didn't carry it all, they needed to bring money to
buy it)
If a class member went hiking or on a camping trip, this experience may
warrant detailed discussion of how difficult it was to obtain basic
necessities for survival and comforts that they may take for granted
around their home.
Encourage class members to identify other unique complications or
problems that they faced in travelling away from their home.
C. Open up a pre-packed suitcase or backpack (see "Preparation", below)
and identify each item that you have packed for a long trip, and the
purpose of the item. You can run quickly through items that the class
has already identified in (B), above, and dwell on those they hadn't
thought of.
Another approach, quite a bit more dramatic, is to begin the class by
making an entrance with the suitcase or backpack, and go through the
contents before doing the exercise in (B), above.
D. Illustrate how heavy the suitcase is, and how it holds only a small
portion of the travel items the class identified, and how it holds only
enough food and shelter materials for a very short journey.
II. Identify basic facts about migratory bird journeys:
A. Ask students to take out a quarter; hand out quarters to each student
who doesn't have one. (Expect the students to toss and flip their
quarters.)
B. Hand out pictures of small birds in flight to each student. Tell them that
one small bird, the Blackpoll warbler, flies over 2,000 miles in its
migration and it weighs about a quarter.
C. Focus attention on the over 2,000 mile journey of this quarter-weight
bird, which doesn't carry any suitcase or backpack, but which finds
ways to survive.
D. Ask the class to think about how the bird survives and how the bird gets
basic necessities such as water, food, shelter and warmth, without
bringing anything with it, or carrying a suitcase. Explain that these are
the kind of questions we will try to explore in this course.
E. Suggest that, each time they handle a quarter, the students think about
27
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the amazing journey of migratory birds.
III. Course introduction:
Explain to the students that this will be a course on migratory birds, and
they will learn about birds and the environment. Explain other general
course information, including that this subject area can link together a
number of topics, including science, sociology, geography and political
science.
PREPARATION:
A. Pack suitcase;
B. Obtain quarters for each student;
C. Cut out or copy a picture of a small bird in flight (could be one for each
student).
RESOURCES NEEDED:
A. Suitcase or backpack, packed with various items representative of
survival necessities while on travel, such as the following:
LIST OF SUITCASE ITEMS
- sweater
- warm jacket
-hat
- gloves
- change of clothes
- shirts (warm, and warm-weather)
- shorts
- pants
- dress clothes (for dinner!)
- alarm clock
- toothbrush
- wash cloth
- pillow (if room for it)
- shoes
- boots
- sandals (for warm weather)
- sunscreen
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- sunglasses
- pajamas
- socks
- raincoat
- food
- water
- money
- maps (South America, North America, and local)
- compass
- alarm clock
- band-aids (for injuries)
- umbrella
- flashlight (to see at night)
- phone book and address book (to find your friends)
Use your experiences to include additional useful items from
your own journeys.
B. A quarter for each student;
C. Copies or cutouts of birds in flight (see "Handouts", below);
D. Blackboard, or overhead projector and sheets, or large flip-chart pad.
HANDOUTS:
Picture of a bird in flight (could be one for each student).
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Have students write about:
1. What is a migratory bird? ( no research needed, just
identify the current state of their understanding); and
2. If migratory birds don't carry suitcases, how do they keep
warm, stay cool, get enough to eat and drink, and find
places to rest and to sleep? (Again, no research needed,
just have students write down their own thoughts).
FOLLOW-UP:
Put away suitcase items, or repack for another class.
LINKS: Science and ecology.
29
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Partners in Flight
Moratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
SEGMENT A
THE WONDER OF BIRDS, MIGRATION
AND SURVIVAL IN NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS
Class #2
There is a Lot to Think
About and Explore
Concerning Migratory
Birds
******************
OBJECTIVES:
1.
To help students refresh themselves on the various bits of
information they have learned about birds so far in their lives;
For the instructor to gain an understanding of the students'
currents knowledge of birds, in order that the instructor can more
closely tailor the remainder of the classes to the level of the
students;
For the students to tie concepts about birds closer to their own
personal experiences and frame of reference;
To identify areas of inquiry that the students may be interested in
exploring.
THEME:
Every student is starting on a journey of questioning and
discovery about the natural world and our relationship to it.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I. Give a brief refresher (1-2 minutes) of the last class.
II. Collect Homework assignment from Class #1. Explain that it will be discussed
30
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during the next class period.
III. Conduct the Personal Survey (attached, below)
IV. Discuss each students answers to the Personal Survey. Encourage students to
discuss and share their answers, and their questions.
PREPARATION: Review survey questions; possibly add others that are
appropriate to stimulate the students' interest.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Paper and pencils
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Have students think and write about what they think birds do all
day. This should include their own personal observations, if any.
FOLLOW-UP:
1. Carefully review students' answers to the Personal
Survey;
2. Compare and adjust the activities planned for future
classes to the needs and learning level of the students;
3. Weave the students questions (item #13 on the survey)
into the topics covered for the course, if possible.
4. Save the students' individual answers to the Personal
Survey. They will be handed out again in the last class,
#22.
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LINKS: Science and ecology.
PERSONAL SURVEY QUESTIONS
1. Write down the names of all the birds you know.
2. Go back to the list you wrote down for question #1, and put a little star
down next to the name of each bird you listed that you have actually
seen.
3. Put down an "x" next to the names of birds you know about, but have
never seen.
4. What is your favorite bird? (If you have more than one, you can rank
them, #1, #2, #3).
5. Why is the bird you picked your favorite?
6. Are there any birds you don't like? (Name them).
7. Why don't you like them?
8. If you were a bird, which one would you like to be? (this can be
different than question #4).
9. Why?
10. If you were a bird, where would you like to live?
11. Do birds live by themselves?
12. Do they have groups of friends with other birds? Explain.
13. What would you like to learn about birds, in this course? (Writedown
as many things as you can think of).
14. A true/false question: All birds migrate, true or false?
(May require some discussion of what migration basically is, and then
some thinking. This question may help the students focus on the idea
that migration may not be as clear a concept as they initially thought).
15. Why do birds migrate?
32
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16. When birds migrate, how do they know where to go?
17. Where do birds go when they migrate?
18. Why do they go there?
19. Have you ever been birdwatching?
20. Do you know any people who are birdwatchers?
21. If you wanted to watch birds, where would you go to find them?
22. Do birds have jobs? (Explain your answer)
23. (If this is an elective course)
Why did you decide to take this course?
33
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
*****************
SEGMENT A
THE WONDER OF BIRDS, MIGRATION
AND SURVIVAL IN NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS Class #3
Starting the Migratory
Journey
******************
OBJECTIVE: Organize and prepare the students for beginning to learn
specifics of migratory journeys.
THEME: There are many challenging questions about migratory birds, that
still remain to be explored.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I. Review of Homework from Class #1:
Redistribute Homework papers from Class #1. Ask students to
share their ideas and thoughts from this Homework assignment.
Remember, every thought and idea is a useful one! Reassure
students that, although they may not have all the answers, this
course will give them the chance to help find the answers to
these questions.
Discuss the answers.
II. Review of Homework from Class #2:
Ask students to take out the Homework assigned from Class #2.
Ask students to share their thoughts from the Homework
assignment from Class #2. Discuss them.
III. Discuss Course Logistics:
34
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Provide the students with a clear overview of the course, and an
individual printed calendar schedule of the classes, and discuss
with them the dates for which the field trips are scheduled.
Identify and discuss logistical concerns related to field trips.
IV. Introduce that Spring Bird Migration is Beginning:
Hand out copies of the isochronal map provided in "Handouts",
below, and lead the class in discovering that it depicts the
general times that particular species of birds are found in certain
areas on their spring migratory journeys. Be sure to identify
where the birds are at this particular time.
V. Introduce Research into Habitat Areas:
A. Introduce the students' Homework assignment. Students will be
choosing to focus on specific habitat areas along the migratory
paths for their individual research:
- Tropical rainforest
-Gulf Coast
- Caribbean
- Your local area (ask the students to explain, if they can,
what kind of a habitat they live in)
- Northern United States
- Canada (including Canadian forests)
- Other geographic areas the students may be interested in
examining along the migratory routes
B. Make assignments. Students working on the rainforest will need
to prepare their research for next week.
C. The students will need to research several key questions for each
area, set out below in the "Handouts" section.
You may want to copy the page identified in "Handouts" and
provide it to each student.
35
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PREPARATION: 1. Bring Homework papers from Class #1.
2. Organize a calendar schedule of the course, and bring a
copy for each student.
3. Make copies of the isochronal map identified in
"Handouts", below.
4. Make copies of the research questions for each student.
5. Collect and bring information on the tropical rainforest,
for the students who will need to make their presentation
in the next class.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Any available information about the rainforest. See possible
sources in "Resource Information on Migratory Birds" in
General Preparation. Materials and Logistics, above.
With the increased attention on the rainforest in recent years,
there is a wealth of information available, right in your local and
school libraries. Consult natural history periodicals,
environmental journals, and current world atlases. Rainforest
interest groups may have members in your area who could serve
as an information resource; also community members may have
traveled to the rainforest, and could offer their personal
observations. Don't overlook the science section of local video
stores and libraries. Local science museums in your area will
also have information on this topic.
One particular interesting topic is the rubber tappers who live in
the rainforest. A source for this information is identified in
"Resource Information on Migratory Birds", above, in General
Preparation. Another source is Wilson, Edward O., The
Diversity of Life, pp. 322-329.
Along with other information presented, be sure to provide a
large map on which American rainforest areas can be identified.
36
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HANDOUTS: Attached page on "Questions to Focus on For Each
Habitat Area".
Isochronal maps (for discussion during class). These will be in
the packed pre-ordered from EPA.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Students assigned the rainforest area will need to complete their
research and make their presentations in the next class. Students
with other topic areas will have more time to prepare their
presentations, scheduled for Class #7, but can be encouraged to
get started.
FOLLOW-UP: Be available, ideally at identified times, to assist the students
who will be preparing their rainforest presentations during this
week.
LINKS: Science and ecology.
******************
37
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Partners in Flight
QUESTIONS TO FOCUS ON FOR EACH HABITAT AREA
1. Where is the particular topic area located, and what are
special characteristics of the climate?
2. Discuss types of plants in the specific area.
3. Discuss types of animals in the specific area.
4. Find and discuss interesting information about the people
who live in the area, particularly their relationship to the
habitat around them.
5. Explain the climate(s) of the area.
6. Describe the natural vegetation zones of the area.
7. Which activities by people affect the natural vegetation
zones of the area?
8. What are the identified land uses of the area, and how do
they compare with the natural vegetation zones? Contrast
these two, and identify conflicts and opportunities for
harmonizing both.
9. Identify the major economic and commercial activities
for the area.
10. Identify the relationship, if any, between the land uses,
economic and commercial activities of the area, and if
this could affect the ability of the migratory birds to
survive in the area.
38
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Partners in Flight
SEGMENT B
FLIGHT TO NEW WORLD HABITATS
Class #4
The Tropical Rainforest
Habitat
OBJECTIVE: Gain an appreciation of the habitat in which Neotropical
migratory birds spend the winter months.
THEME: All about the American tropical rainforest, where many
Neotropical migrants spend our winter months.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I. Travel' to the American tropical rainforest:
1. Present information about the rainforest and its inhabitants,
including native peoples, focusing on the topic areas and issues
identified for research in Class #3.
2. Be sure to locate rainforest areas on a map.
PREPARATION:
The teacher will need to collect and organize materials, unless the
students fully take on this responsibility. Materials can focus on the
beauty and uniqueness of the tropical rainforest environment and
habitat, as well as the birds living in it.
39
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RESOURCES NEEDED:
See discussion in "Resources" section for Class #3.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Have each student write their own thoughts about: Why would birds
want to leave the rainforest and migrate to North America? Why do
birds leave the rainforest?
FOLLOW-UP:
Make note of good resources to use for next year's class on this topic;
return videos and other borrowed materials.
LINKS: Science, ecology, sociology, economics, land use planning, geography
and anthropology.
******************
40
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds ami Our Habitat eumeulum
******************
SEGMENT B
FLIGHT TO NEW WORLD HABITATS
Class #5
Migration Routes
OBJECTIVE: Gain an appreciation of the long journeys made by Neotropical
migratory birds, and the vast ranges throughout the Americas
that they travel and live in, when they leave the rainforest.
THEME: Examine migratory routes of a number of birds, mostly
Neotropical.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I. Ask students to share their thoughts from the Homework assignment
from Class #4. Discuss the important questions raised in the Homework
assignment.
II. Learn about migration routes through migration charts:
Examine a sequence of migration charts. For each of them, discuss:
a. the countries and places each bird spends the winter;
b. the time when the bird starts migrating north;
c. how the birds of each species know when to migrate
north?
d. have birds started migrating north yet, this spring?
Which ones?
e. how far north have they reached yet?
41
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f. what are particular problems the birds face in flying over
specific land areas, or large expanses of water? (ie.
hunters, high mountain ranges, exhaustion, lack of food,
predators)
g. relate the number of miles the birds are shown to have
traveled on the map to how far each student has traveled,
as discussed in Class #1.
h. do the students have any ideas as to why different birds
would choose different migration routes?
i. how do birds know how to find the same route, year after
year?
2. Ask the students to make observations about each chart, and
from comparing the charts (ie. some routes are shorter than
other, some go over land, while other routes are over water), and
take down all the observations on the blackboard, flip-chart or
overhead projector. Remind the students that all observations
are important, and that is how field biologists get new ideas and
theories.
3. Introduce and explain fully the concept of "Neo-tropical"
migrant, ie. that the bird lives in the American tropics for at least
part of the year. Contrast this with the Canada Goose (copy of
isochronal chart provided in "Handouts"), which does migrate in
the Americas, but not to the tropics.
4. Ask the students where the information on the migration charts
comes from. (You may not want to definitively answer this
question, but it is a useful question to raise, that will be dealt
with in detail in class #9).
PREPARATION:
Copy enough of each of the migratory charts to allow one per
student.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Copies of migratory charts are essential. These should be
42
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ordered in advance of the class, as set forth on page one of this
text.
Additionally, the National Geographic map identified in General
Preparation, above (Section III, Maps) would be an excellent
tool for this class.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
No specific Homework for this class; students should continue
their research into individual habitat areas for presentation in
Class #7.
FOLLOW-UP:
At some point around this time, the students may break for spring
vacation. Challenge the students to find and observe birds wherever
they may go in their travels, or even if the students remain right in the
area. Suggest that the vacationing students look to observe migrating
birds. Find out where students may be going in their travels, and ask
them, if they possibly can, to bring back easily obtainable information
on habitat conditions, particularly those that may be important to bird
survival. Remind them that this does not need to involve any real
expense: they can make their own observations, take their own pictures,
buy inexpensive postcards or get free travel pamphlets. These can fit
into the areas of research for class #7, or students can report on their
observations when they return from vacation.
Remind the students of the first class, and the difficulties in travel, as
they set about on their individual vacations. Encourage them to think
about the birds beginning to migrate north now, and the travel
challenges they face.
HANDOUTS: Migration charts
LINKS: Science, ecology and geography.
43
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT B
FLIGHT TO NEW WORLD HABITATS
Class #6
Migration Routes
Class #6 can be a continuation of examination of the migratory charts
presented in Class #5. It is set apart here as a separate class for schedule
planning purposes.
******************
44
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT B
FLIGHT TO NEW WORLD HABITATS
Class #7
North American Habitats
OBJECTIVE: Gain appreciation of the diversity of habitats occupied by the
migratory birds (other than the tropical rainforest habitat)
including your local habitat area, and the particular survival
challenges of each area.
THEME: Each habitat and ecosystem poses its own different opportunities
and challenges for survival and success. Habitat areas and
ecosystems cross political boundaries.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I. Habitat investigations:
A. Present information on the various habitat areas investigated by
the students as the homework assigned for Class #3. Have the
students make their own presentations, either individually or as
teams. Be sure, during each presentation, to locate on a map
where the area is on one or more of the migratory bird charts
introduced in Class #5. Focus on the topic areas and issues
identified for research in Class #3.
B. Organize the presentations so they follow a general northward
migratory pattern: Caribbean, Gulf Coast, Mississippi Basin,
Northern United States, Canada.
C. Discuss differences in the habitats for the birds, and discuss
advantages and disadvantages of each, for the birds, and for
people. Discuss how birds and people can accommodate their
mutual interests. Ask students for each habitat area: which of
people's activities there adversely affects the birds ability to
45
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survive there?
D. Identify and discuss the various countries and states in each
habitat and ecosystem area. Focus on that observation that, in
many instances, the habitat area (also could be called an
"ecoregion") is not confined to political boundaries. What are
the consequences of this to a migratory bird?
PREPARATION:
The teacher will need to collect and organize research materials for
each habitat area, unless the students fully take on this responsibility.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
See discussion in "Resources" section for Class #3.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Ask students to choose, of all the habitat and ecosystem areas they have
learned about, which they would prefer to live in. They should explain
why. Advise them that, as some birds do, they can choose to move
among areas. They should explain what their choices are, and why.
Ask students to keep a continuing watch for in-depth information about
local habitat conditions, ecosystems and land use patterns, such as that
occasionally printed in local newspapers.
FOLLOW-UP:
Monitor local newspapers for interesting articles about local habitat
conditions and land use. These will be needed for Classes #19 and 21.
LINKS: Ecology, geography, anthropology, sociology, political science.
NOTE: Depending on the number of students in the class, and their interest in
examining and comparing each habitat area in depth, this topic could
take more than one class. You could adjust the schedule to allow
another class for this purpose, and make scheduling adjustments to later
classes.
46
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT B
FLIGHT TO NEW WORLD HABITATS
******************
Class #8a
Why and How do Birds
Migrate?
OBJECTIVE:
Help students appreciate the importance and depth of basic
scientific questioning and research.
THEME:
There is an immense amount that we don't know about bird
migration and the mysteries of natural systems. First-hand
observations by people form the basis of what we do know.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I.
II.
Discuss students' preferences for habitat in the Homework
assigned for Class #7.
Conduct Group Survey #1:
Ask the class to think about what they have learned in the class
so far, and as a group to think of answers to the following:
1. Why do birds migrate?
2. Why do birds leave the rainforest to come to North
America?
3. Given all the problems with the habitat areas in North
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America that we have identified in recent classes, why do
migratory birds continue to come here?
4. Then, why do birds then leave North America to go back to
South America?
5. What do birds do during the time they spend the summer
in North America?
6. How do birds know when it is time to migrate?
7. How do birds find their way when they are migrating?
8. What problems do birds have when they are migrating?
9. How do you, personally, know that birds migrate?
10. Have you ever seen a bird migrating and ending up in
South or Central America?
11. Where does the information on the migratory charts
examined in previous classes come from?
12. How and when did bird migration begin?
13. What is the home of migratory birds?
14. What do these birds need to survive?
15. Describe your home.
16. Describe what you need to survive.
Record the various ideas of the students below the questions.
Remember, all sincere ideas are good ones.
When discussing some of these questions, you can mention that people
used to think that when birds disappeared in the winter the birds had
gone to the moon! The philosopher Aristotle thought that the birds hid
in the local bushes all winter, and reappeared in the spring. These
historic items, as well as much other interesting information about
migration, are set forth in Migration of Birds, circular #16 of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, identified in "Resources", above.
PREPARATION:
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Write out the questions ahead of time, either on separate sheets of a
large flip chart, on individual overhead projector sheets, or spaced out
on the blackboard. Leave enough space to write in students' ideas
below the questions.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Large flip chart pad, overhead projector and supplies, or blackboard.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Ask students to write their own ideas about some of the questions asked
during this class, such as:
1) How do you, personally know that birds migrate?
2) How do birds find their way when they are migrating?
FOLLOW-UP:
No specific follow-up needed.
LINKS:
Science, ecology.
NOTE: This exercise is not designed to take a full class period. A good idea is
to start Class #8b during this class period as well.
******************
49
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
*****************
SEGMENT B
FLIGHT TO NEW WORLD HABITATS
Class #8b
How Do You Know
Migration Occurs?
*****************
OBJECTIVE: Help students appreciate the importance and depth of basic
scientific questioning and research.
THEME: There is an immense amount that we don't know about bird
migration, and first-hand observations by people form the basis
of what we do know.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
Mapping Migration Patterns:
Use the referenced group exercise in "Resources Needed", below, to
have students learn 'first hand' how we find out about bird migration,
and about the problems birds face along the way.
More than one class period will be needed for this complete exercise. It
can be started during this class period, and completed during the next
class. It works well to get it organized and started during one class, and
then students will be ready to begin right in on it and complete it in the
next class.
PREPARATION:
For the mapping exercise, a large map of North America is needed. The
migration information (provided in "Resources Needed", below) should
50
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be cut into strips ahead of time, and the teacher should bring a hat or
another container to the class into which the slips can be placed.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
The needed excerpts from Migratory Birds Issue Pac. Activity #2,
Migratory Mapping (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992) are materials
that should be ordered in advance, as set forth on page one of this text.
This packet contains an interesting exercise of mapping of the migration
of Canada Geese. This exercise is only part of a larger comprehensive
packet, that could be ordered in its entirety. See "Course Logistics",
above, for ordering information.
The teacher will need to bring a large map (preferably mounted, for ease
of working), marking pens, and a hat or other container.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
One creative assignment could be for students to brainstorm and
identify other possible ways that people could find out specific facts
about bird migrations. For example, the New York Times reports in
"New Technique May Clear Up Mystery of Vanishing Songbird" that
chemicals in feathers may help trace birds to winter grounds (New York
Times. May 31, 1994, p. C4). Students could come up with a variety of
other ideas, too.
FOLLOW-UP:
No specific follow-up is needed.
LINKS: Science, ecology.
*****************
51
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
*****************
SEGMENT B
FLIGHT TO NEW WORLD HABITATS
Class #9
How Do You Know
Migration Occurs?
******************
This Class period is a continuation of the exercise in Class #8b. It is set apart
here as a separate class for schedule planning purposes.
******************
52
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT C
DISCOVERING BIRDS AND BIODIVERSITY
FIRST-HAND
Class #10
How to Identify Birds
******************
OBJECTIVE: Learn the basics of how to recognize birds, in preparation for
interesting and rewarding trips of field observation.
THEME: Identify basics of bird observation.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
I. Depict the basic features of birds that will be helpful for students to
know in the field:
1. Ask the students to draw an outline of a bird on a clean sheet of
paper, and to mark on it the identification features that they
already could recognize (ie. beak, tail, etc.) Spend only about
five minutes on this.
2. Using the blackboard, overhead projector or large drawing pad,
sketch out the outline of a bird, and mark the key features of the
bird, particularly those that are helpful to field observation.
For reference, use a standard chart depicted in the front of a bird
identification book. See "Field Guides", in General Preparation.
above).
Have the students copy the chart and the identification names
and markings as you go along.
3. Collect the students papers, hand them a blank paper, and
challenge them to write from memory a bird outline and as many
53
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of the markings as they can remember.
4. After #3 is attempted, hand the students back their original notes,
and ask them to complete those things on their second sheet that
they could not remember.
Note: this is not meant to be a graded exercise, but rather a little
short-term memory reinforcing trick for trying to remember as
much as possible. Explain this to the students. They won't
remember all the markings anyway, but they will remember
some of them when you get out into the field, and at least they
will be familiar with the standard marking names, such as
'crown' or 'wing-bar', that otherwise they have never heard
before.
II. Finalize field trip logistics:
The bird identification activity should be completed in enough
time to discuss the final plans for the field trips: exact logistics
of where and when to meet, contingency plans related to the
weather or other individual student activities (such as school
orchestra, play rehearsals, tests, etc.), appropriate field gear,
including pants, boots and hats, and arranging for bird
identification books and binoculars.
If enough time is available, the students can be asked to find the
location of the field trips on a local map.
PREPARATION:
Obtain a diagram of bird identification features from the
introductory sections of your bird identification field guide.
Review the diagram so that you will be familiar with it.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
1. Reference for bird identification marks, for the teacher to
copy from;
2. Paper for each student, pencils, blackboard, overhead
projector or large marker board;
54
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3. Printed information sheets concerning the logistics and
details of the field trips;
4. Local area map for pinpointing field trip locations.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
No specific Homework for this class.
FOLLOW-UP:
Make adjustments and final preparations for the field trips.
LINKS: Science and geography.
******************
55
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT C
DISCOVERING BIRDS AND BIODIVERSITY
FIRST-HAND
Class #11
Discovering Diversity
******************
OBJECTIVE:
Have students begin to discover for themselves the incredible
diversity of life, as reflected in the many different types of birds.
THEME:
The rich variety of bird life is fascinating for those who explore
it.
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
This class period is designed to consist primarily of unstructured
individual exploration of a major bird field guide. The students, either
individually or in teams of two, should be handed a bird field guide, and
told they will have the class period to explore it.
This can be a very successful and fascinating exercise, because the
diverse depictions of birds, and comparisons among them, are probably
something that the students have never taken the time to explore before.
The variety of bird life is itself amazing and extraordinary.
At first, the students may be a little sheepish about exploring the guides,
but allow them enough time to really get started.
If necessary, the class can be prompted by challenges to find their
favorite bird, or to try to locate birds that they have seen before, and
read about them. Additionally, they can be challenged to find different
types of features about birds, particularly their bills, and obviously their
plumage. Ask the class to start thinking about why do birds have so
many different color feathers and types of bills?
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Challenge the students also to find important features about the books,
such as: how the index works; how the guide is organized; and the
migratory mapping feature, and how to find the right map.
Be careful not to overwhelm the students with too much lecture at this
time. They should be given enough time to explore the book
productively themselves, without rushing. Features of the book that
aren't covered during this class can be discussed during a field trip.
Discovering the diversity of bird life can be a good introduction to
prompt the class to think about the importance and beauty of diversity in
all forms of life.
Note: be sure to confirm the final details of a field trip, if it is planned
for the next class. Remind the students to bring their field guides, if
they have their own individual copies.
PREPARATION:
Obtain bird field guides.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Obtain as many field guides as possible. (See discussion in Course
Logistics, above, concerning selection of field guides). Ideally, there
will be one identical field guide per student. However, this is not
necessary, and students can be asked to share. If field guides are not
identical, be sure to observe this and be prepared to help students in the
field to locate birds in their particular guide.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Ask the students to think and write about:
1. Why do birds have so many different color feathers?
2. Why do birds have different shapes and types of bills?
3. What would the world be like if all the birds looked the same?
57
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If the students have individual copies of the books, they can be asked to
look through the books again, as much as possible, at their leisure.
FOLLOW-UP:
Collect field guides, unless they belong to the students, and bring them
to next weeks' field trip.
LINKS: Science
58
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT C
DISCOVERING BIRDS AND BIODIVERSITY
FIRST-HAND
Class #12
Field Trip
******************
OBJECTIVE:
Have students observe and begin to appreciate natural
ecosystems and biodiversity first-hand, through direct
observations of birds in their natural surroundings.
THEME:
Explore a local area to discover the diversity of birds
there, and find out about the types of ecosystems in
which birds live.
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
I.
Field trip to local area to observe birds and our habitat. See in-depth
discussion in Course Logistics, above.
In the field, help students learn field identification and observation
techniques, including focusing on where particular birds are found
(forest, field, wetland, suburban yard); behavior of the birds, and field
markings (using identification techniques introduced in Class #10).
Lead students to appreciate the wonderful variety of colors in the
different birds they are seeing.
Also, it is important to focus on other components of the particular
ecosystem visited. This can be done, for example, by finding out about
the type of food eaten by the various birds, by observing their type of
bill. Field identification of different types of bills is introduced in
standard field guides, such as Birds. (Peterson, 4th ed), at p. 34.
Focusing on the bills and the type of food eaten by each bird in the wild
is a key concept in helping to understand the importance of each bird in
the natural cycles, and in observing other life forms of the particular
59
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ecosystem. Lead students to appreciate the rich variety of life and color
throughout the ecosystem, using the birds as a focal point.
II. Record any birds observed on the students' individual life list.
III. Find out and discuss other areas in the Americas where the birds you
have observed live. For example, for each bird observed, find out
where it spends the winter months, and find out whether the bird is
migrating through your area to a certain more northern territory, or is
establishing itself in your locality for the summer. The bird field guides
can be a start to this.
The National Geographic map referenced in General Preparation. Maps
(III), can be a very valuable tool for referencing migratory routes of
birds observed.
Students may have to do more research on this, which can be their
homework for each field trip class. For each field trip class, locate on a
map of the Americas the winter home of each type of bird observed, and
its summer location. You can do this as each bird is observed, if you
have the information available, or as a focused segment of each field
trip class, using the homework research that the students have done.
When identifying the various areas, be sure to remember and discuss
highlights of the individual habitat explorations from Classes #4 and #7.
PREPARATION:
See in-depth discussion under "Course Logistics", above.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Field guides and binoculars. See in-depth discussion under "Course
Logistics", above.
Map(s) to mark on.
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HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
1. For each field trip, ask students to record their key first-hand
observations about birds and habitat areas in a note-book.
Encourage them to write about the things that they personally
find interesting on the field trip. Explain that scientists need to
record observations directly in the field as they are occurring, but
that a daily journal can be useful as well.
2. As necessary, research the locations of the winter and summer
territories of the birds observed in that class. Each student can
be assigned to find out about one bird that was observed, and the
findings can be shared with the class and plotted on a map
during the next class.
3. Prepare a Glossary of Words that your students will need to
recognize in order to read the Homework to be assigned in Class
#14.
FOLLOW-UP:
Write thank-you notes to any guest field leaders, or owners of the
natural areas you have visited.
HANDOUTS:
Glossary of Words (prepared by teacher according to needs of students)
LINKS: Science, ecology, geography.
******************
61
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT C
DISCOVERING BIRDS AND BIODIVERSITY
FIRST-HAND
Class #13
Field Trip
******************
This class is scheduled for another field trip to a local natural area. It is set out
separately here for schedule planning purposes.
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT C
DISCOVERING BIRDS AND BIODIVERSITY
FIRST-HAND
Class #14
Listening to, and Hearing,
Biodiversity
OBJECTIVE: Have students appreciate that biodiversity and the natural
world is reflected in, and can be discovered by, listening
to it.
THEME: Bird songs can be appreciated and learned by comparing
their differences.
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
I. Listen to, and diagram, bird songs:
Play a pre-recorded tape of a variety of bird songs. "Chart" the bird
songs on the blackboard, and ask the students to make their own charts,
to help them see the differences among the songs, and to help them
learn to recognize them. Play the songs one at a time, chart each one
and discuss it, and then go on to the next one.
PREPARATION:
Obtain and review a pre-recorded tape or CD of bird songs. See
"Course Logistics", above for a discussion of the type of tape to obtain.
Be sure to consult any instructions accompanying the pre-recorded tape
for assistance in learning how to chart the songs. The introduction to
standard bird field guides also may contain this information.
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RESOURCES NEEDED:
A pre-recorded bird song tape or CD is needed, and a portable player is
necessary to play the tape or CD. See "Course Logistics", above for a
discussion of the type of tape to obtain.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
At this point in the course, either for this class or at the end of one of the
field trips, the students could be assigned to read one or more of the
following possible sources:
1. The booklet, "Birds over Troubled Forests", which is contained
in the Migratory Bird Information Kit identified in "Course
Logistics", above;
2. "Silence of the Songbirds", National Geographic. June 1993;
3. Wilson, Edward O., The Diversity of Life, pp. 228-231 (excerpts
concerning endangered birds); and
4. The Diversity of Life, p. 265.
These articles will be discussed in Class #17.
FOLLOW-UP:
Continue keeping an eye out for interesting articles about local habitat
conditions, or about the spring migration, in your local area.
LINKS: Science
64
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT C
DISCOVERING BIRDS AND BIODIVERSITY
FIRST-HAND
Class #15
Field Trip
******************
This class is scheduled for another field trip to a local natural area. It is set out
separately here for schedule planning purposes.
******************
65
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT C
DISCOVERING BIRDS AND BIODIVERSITY
FIRST-HAND
Class #16
Field Trip
******************
This class is scheduled for another field trip to a local natural area. It is set out
separately here for schedule planning purposes.
66
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT D
PROBLEMS AND PARTNERSHIP
IN BIODIVERSITY
Class #17
Threats to Survival of
Migratory Birds
******************
OBJECTIVE:
Challenge students to begin thinking about some of the
problems faced by migratory birds, and the reasons
behind those problems.
THEME:
Neotropical migratory birds currently face serious
problems to their survival.
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
I.
Discuss reasons for recent declines in Neotropical migratory bird
populations, using the articles assigned as Homework reading in Class
#14:
1. "Birds Over Troubled Forests", focusing on discussion on the
concepts in pages 24-32;
2. "Silence of the Songbirds"; National Geographic. June 1993;
3. Wilson, Edward O., The Diversity of Life, pp. 228-231 (excerpts
concerning endangered birds); and
4. The Diversity of Life, p. 265 (forest diagram).
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II. Focus on the key concept of forest fragmentation. Illustrate this by
drawing two areas, both classified as 50% forest, but with different
patterns of use: 1) a checkerboard, and 2) divided in half between
development and forest.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each pattern, for survival
of birds, biodiversity and forest ecosystems. Discuss common patterns
of human land use, such as that depicted in "Birds Over Troubled
Forests", p. 28, and 'Silence of the Songbirds", pp. 70, 82-90.
Discuss which pattern has more forest edge, which poses threats to
survival of forest birds, and which area contains more deep forest.
Explain key research into biodiversity, such as Edward O. Wilson, who
reports in The Diversity of Life, that "as a rule of thumb, a tenfold
increase in area results in a doubling of the number of species" (p. 205).
PREPARATION:
Carefully review the articles to be discussed, in preparation for
coordinating the discussion.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Blackboard, projector or flip-chart pad to illustrate the forest
fragmentation concept.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Read excerpts from the Environmental Protection Agency's 1990
Science Advisory Board report, provided as a course resource. This
should be ordered in advance, as set forth on page one of this text.
Read chapter 14 in The Diversity of Life, pp. 311 -351. (See "Course
Logistics", above)
FOLLOW-UP:
Make note of discussion themes that need to be picked up in the several
remaining classes.
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HANDOUTS:
"Reducing Risk: Setting Priorities and Strategies for Environmental
Protection", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Science Advisory
Board, September 1990 (excerpts). This will be contained in the packet
that has been ordered from EPA in advance.
LINKS: Biology, sociology, geography, land use and political science.
69
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
******************
SEGMENT D
PROBLEMS AND PARTNERSHIP
IN BIODIVERSITY
Class #18
Biodiversity and Natural
Ecosystems Are Basic to
Our Survival
OBJECTIVE:
Encourage students to realize that natural ecosystems and
the present era biodiversity of this planet, of which
migratory birds are a key part, are fundamental
requirements for the long-term survival of people.
THEME:
People rely on the natural systems of the present era for
all our human enterprises. Protecting and maintaining the
existing biodiversity of such ecosystems helps ensure a
future and opportunity for us all.
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
I.
II.
Discuss the EPA Science Advisory Board report excerpts assigned as
Homework from Class #17, focusing on the recognition that
maintaining the present era biodiversity of this planet helps to preserve
the ecosystems on which our own survival depends.
Discuss the opportunities for helping to preserve the present era
biodiversity of this planet that The Diversity of Life chapter 14
recommends.
III.
Discuss how Neotropical migratory birds are one component of the
larger world-wide issue, problem and challenge of maintaining the
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biodiversity of the present era, and how the decline in their numbers
reflects a general decline in the extent of present era biodiversity and
destruction of ecosystems.
PREPARATION:
Read and become familiar with the materials assigned as Homework
reading from Class #17.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Blackboard, overhead projector or flip-chart pad for writing down
students ideas.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Possible reading:
"Carving Up Tomorrow's Planet", Interview with John G.
Robinson, International Wildlife. Vol. 24, No. 1 (Jan./Feb.
1994), pp. 29 - 37 (published by National Wildlife Federation).
FOLLOW-UP:
Make note of discussion themes that may need to be picked up in the
remaining classes.
LINKS: Biology, sociology, geography, land use and political science.
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
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SEGMENT D
PROBLEMS AND PARTNERSHIP
IN BIODIVERSITY
Class #19
How Can People Live
With the Land to Help
Our Own Long-Term
Survival?
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OBJECTIVE:
For students to understand that the concept and subject of
"land use" is an important area that bears upon the
interrelationship between biodiversity and human
enterprise.
THEME:
Our land use decisions are important factors in the ability
of migratory birds to survive, upon biodiversity, and in
the ability of humans to survive in the long-run.
CLASS
ACTIVITIES:
Review the concept of "forest fragmentation" discussed in Class #17.
Explain that it centers on the concept of "land use".
II.
Discuss the article assigned as Homework reading from Class #18,
"Carving Up Tomorrow's Planet". Encourage students to discuss
whether they agree or not that the planet should be "carved up" as set
forth in the article. Encourage students to suggest alternatives. Note the
suggested alternatives on the blackboard, flip chart or overhead
projector. Discuss the students suggestions.
Possibly, organize students into debate teams to advocate different
positions on these issues, ie. taking the side of the Robinson interview,
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and taking the position of different alternatives offered by the students.
III.
If there is enough time, discuss articles from the local newspaper
centering on land use issues. Discuss how they may relate to protection
of migratory birds, local ecosystems and biodiversity.
PREPARATION:
Read and become familiar with the articles assigned as Homework
reading from Class #18.
Select local newspaper articles on land use, from the articles you have
been collecting this spring.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Blackboard, flip-chart pad or overhead projector.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Possible reading:
FOLLOW-UP:
HANDOUTS:
Weissman, Arthur, "Why Save Neotropical Migratory Birds?",
Partners in Flight newsletter. Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 10-11 (provided
with materials ordered from EPA); and
Babbitt, Bruce, "Protecting Biodiversity", Nature Conservancy.
Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan./Feb. 1994); pp. 16-21.
Make note of discussion themes that may need to be picked up in
the remaining classes.
Articles from local newspaper on land use issues.
LINKS:
Sociology and geography.
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds ami Our Habitateunieulum
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SEGMENT D
PROBLEMS AND PARTNERSHIP
IN BIODIVERSITY
Class #20
Key Tools We Have to
Protect Migratory Birds
and Biodiversity
OBJECTIVE:
Introduce students to key tools we have to protect
Neotropical migratory birds and biodiversity: the
Endangered Species Act and the 1993 Biodiversity
Convention.
THEME:
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
I.
II.
III.
We have important legal tools that can be used to help
protect migratory birds, biodiversity, and ensure our own
long-term survival.
Introduce the Endangered Species Act, pointing out the specified
purpose, and the framework of the law. This law involves some
complicated provisions. It is not necessary to delve into the details of
the law. It may be one of the first times, however, that students have
examined the actual text of a law, and so it is a useful activity to even
see what is there, and how it is organized. Similarly, the 1993
Biodiversity Convention can be examined and considered by the class.
Discuss the article assigned as Homework reading from Class #19,
"Protecting Biodiversity", which can be used as an illustration of current
issues under the Endangered Species Act.
Hand out copies of the "Pan American Day and Pan American Week,
1993", proclamation by the President (copy in "Handouts", below).
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Discuss this type of document, as contrasted with the laws examined
earlier. Discuss how the recognition of the linkage of the Americas
affects the issue of migratory birds.
PREPARATION:
Read and become familiar with the article assigned as Homework for
Class #19.
Review the excerpts provided in "Handouts" on the Endangered Species
Act and the Biodiversity Convention, and select points you wish to
bring up during the class discussion.
Copy the "Proclamation" identified in "Handouts", below.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Copies of: the Endangered Species Act (excerpts)
the "Pan American Day Proclamation"
the Biodiversity Convention identified in "Handouts",
below.
These materials will be included in the packet pre-ordered
from EPA.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Articles to be discussed during the next class can be handed out to the
students as homework reading. Alternatively, the teacher may decide to
hand them out during the next class, for reading during the class.
FOLLOW-UP:
Identify any discussion items that need to be covered in the next class.
HANDOUTS:
Proclamation, "Pan American Day and Pan American Week"
Endangered Species Act (excerpts)
Biodiversity Convention
LINKS: Law, political science, civics and geography.
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
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SEGMENT D
PROBLEMS AND PARTNERSHIP
IN BIODIVERSITY
Class #21
Local Issues and
Opportunities in
Ecosystem Protection and
Biodiversity
OBJECTIVE:
Encourage students to understand national concepts and
themes by bringing them to a familiar and local level that
they can see first-hand.
THEME:
Biodiversity is an issue, it is currently threatened, and
there are opportunities for ensuring national and
international success by protecting ecosystems and
biodiversity at the local and community level.
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
I.
Identify and discuss local issues relating to biodiversity and protection
of migratory birds and of local ecosystems, by reviewing and discussing
the newspaper articles collected on these topics throughout the spring.
Analyze the articles, and relate them back, to the key points concerning
the importance of biodiversity preservation discussed in Class #18.
II.
Identify and discuss any policies your state has for protecting
biodiversity and encouraging ecosystem protection.
PREPARATION:
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Collect local newspaper articles for each student. The articles can be
handed out, one at a time, for reading during the class followed by
discussion, or they can be assigned as homework from Class #20.
Find out any policies your state has concerning ecosystem protection
and biodiversity.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Articles for each student.
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
Have the students write their own thoughts about:
1. What are the main threats to biodiversity, and natural
ecosystems, including survival of migratory birds, in their local
area?
2. What can they, individually and as a community, do to help
preserve natural systems and biodiversity?
3. Ask students to bring their field trip journals to the next, and
final, class.
FOLLOW-UP:
No specialized follow-up from this class.
HANDOUTS:
Newspaper articles.
LINKS: Science, sociology and political science.
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Partners in Flight
Migratory Birds and Our Habitateumeulum
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SEGMENT D
PROBLEMS AND PARTNERSHIP
IN BIODIVERSITY
Class #22
Measuring a Journey
OBJECTIVE:
Have students realize how much they have discovered,
learned and thought about during the course, and that the
course is only a beginning.
THEME:
Repeat the Personal Survey first given in Class #2, and
discuss students' other personal observations about the
material covered in the course.
CLASS
ACTIVITY:
I.
III.
III.
Ask the students to share their thoughts from the
Homework assigned from Class #21.
Repeat the Personal Survey given in Class #2.
Then, give the students back their original copies of the
first Personal Survey, so they each can contrast their
answers, and realize some of the things they have learned
about.
Have students take out the journals of their field trip
observations, and encourage them to share and remember
the interesting observations and experiences of the field
trips.
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IV.
V.
Be sure students have their individual life-lists, and
encourage them to look for hawks in the fall, and to look
for birds and biodiversity throughout their lives.
Take out quarters, and flip them, as was done in Class #1,
and encourage students to think about the amazing
journeys and survival of migratory birds, whenever they
use a quarter.
PREPARATION:
Collect and bring to class the original copies of the students'
answers to the Personal Survey from Class #2.
Review the "Overview, Course Conclusion" (above).
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Quarters
HOMEWORK TO ASSIGN:
None
FOLLOW-UP:
HANDOUTS:
Advise students as to possible continued reading on this topic
area (See "General Preparation, Materials and Resources"
above.)
Original responses to the Personal Survey (from Class #2).
LINKS:
Biology, sociology, and ecology.
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