Maggie's Activity Pack

Maggie’s Activity Pack

Name ______

Date ______

Seeking ‘Wisdom’ About Bird Banding

What Is Bird Banding? Have you ever wondered about a bird’s flight? Many people have tried to study where birds fly. One way to do this is to band them. A bird band is a ring that is placed around a bird’s leg. The formal program that tracks banded birds can be found at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. People need training and a permit to band birds. The birds are usually caught in nets, called mist nets. Then banders attach the leg band with a special tool. The bands come in all sizes for birds as small as hummingbirds to those for large birds like swans. Banding birds helps gather information about where birds live, their migration, behavior, and life span. Bird banding helps us understand the areas birds need for nesting and wintering. Most birds in North America migrate along certain routes called “flyways.” These flyways help managers identify habitats needed for birds as they migrate thousands of miles between their nesting and wintering areas. Bird banding has helped define these important areas.

Finding Wisdom From Bird Bands Recently a heartwarming story was uncovered about an old bird. Her name is Wisdom. In 1956, a famous ornithologist, Chandler Robbins, banded several Laysan Albatross’ nesting on Midway Island. Dr. Robbins returned to Midway Island in 2001 and banded more albatross birds. He recaptured on adult albatross, removed an old band, and replaced it with a new band. Later he found out that this albatross, Wisdom, was the same bird he banded in 1956. Because the albatross doesn’t breed and lay eggs until they are at least 5 years old, this means that Wisdom is at least 50 years old. In February 2011, Wisdom was spotted nesting on Midway Island again. She had a chick. Then one month later in March, the tsunami hit Midway. It destroyed nesting areas. But 10 days later, Wisdom and her chick were spotted yet again! Not only is Wisdom the oldest wild bird that we know of, she is also an amazing mother. Banding birds can produce very important information that helps manage and protect many different species. Banding also gave us a wonderful story of a bird growing old, raising her young, and surviving the destruction caused by a huge ocean wave. © Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2011. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.

Linking Language Arts and Science

Imagine you are interviewing the bird, Wisdom. What four questions would you ask? Write your questions in the bubbles on the left side of the page. Write the answers you think she might give you in the bubbles on the right side. Then write a story from the point of view of Wisdom. Use the answers to help you.

Dear Colleague, Inquiry ~ inquiry ~ inquiry…that buzz word seems to inculcate everything we see and hear these days. Use this technique as a way for children to imagine the life of a bird and all that she has seen in the past 50 years. Your class can ask their own questions and write logical answers – and the best part is that these answers can be rooted in social studies (geography, history, and cultural) along with science. Your students’ special talents can shine as they think closely about the value of bird banding from the point of view of the bird! Encourage children to consider what the world may have been like when Wisdom was first banded. Applaud those who ask questions beyond, “What did the band feel like?” We want your students to cross the curriculum in a variety of ways! In addition there are other ways the hot topic of inquiry can translate into real experiences for your classroom. Two other key activities will enhance an inquiry-based classroom and are in fact, necessary components for successful inquiry learning. Let’s take a closer look at the components, organization and reporting. Need your shelves, books, and materials organized? Get your students involved in this organization. Help them to really learn what is at their fingertips in your classroom. I love to buy those cheap bins (or ask for donations) and have children decide HOW materials should be organized. This encourages conversation about the items and what they could be used for. Remember (and I know I tend to repeat this but I strongly believe it) your room may be filled with noise! The best way to ensure that this is meaningful chatter is to walk around. Don’t sit at your desk, taking time (I know you need it though) to grade papers or plan future lessons. The interactive nature of this activity encourages critical thought. By asking children to tell you about their choices will help them to stay on track and to use that sometimes elusive “academic language” a term I will discuss in detail next week. After children write their own questions and have used the resources in your room to research their topic, use the reporting process, a component of inquiry that doesn’t get much attention either. Set up a space in your room where children can share their projects. Allow them to share when they have completed their work. The audience may be small, but that is fine as this may be merely practice for sharing in front of a larger group. Encourage the audience to ask questions and offer comments. Any readers of my past letters will know that I am a big fan of Post-It notes. Presenters can hand out these notes so the audience can write further questions. With this activity, you may want to set up an interview space (think Oprah!). Have one child serve as the questioner while the other answers as Wisdom. To get creativity from our students, we have to provide the “space” for creativity. Let’s all think outside of the box! These two ideas are not only helpful for establishing an inquiry-based classroom but also represent two of the many ways to help your English Language Learners to become better acquainted with the vocabulary of both school and social situations. Presentations allow for the use of academic vocabulary in authentic situations, a key learning experience. And as part of the presentation phase, encourage your students to take their projects home and present to their family. Applaud those who return with comments and questions asked at home. It’s a wonderful way to show parents the power of inquiry! Happy teaching, Kathy

Goals: Students will read a science article about bird banding. The albatross, Wisdom, banded by Dr. Chandler Robbins is highlighted in the article. The follow-up activity requires children write interview questions for this bird along with possible answers she might provide. Inquiry learning is discussed in detail in the Dear Colleague letter. This activity, available on the primary and intermediate levels, correlates with Content Standard C, Life Science and Science as a Human Endeavor of the National Science Standards.