1.40 Bird Feeders
This is a small-group lesson (Lesson 1.40, Environmental Science unit) from the National FFA Mentoring Program’s Grow Your PALS Program Guide. Students construct a bird feeder (milk carton, wooden, or plastic bottle) and learn to identify common wild bird food ingredients by sorting and naming seeds such as sunflower, millet, thistle, and cracked corn. It includes an interest approach, hands-on construction and sorting activities, application ideas, and matching-worksheet assessments.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
-
- Construct one type of bird feeder.
- Name four ingredients commonly found in wild bird food.
- Time required
- Instruction time for this lesson: 45 minutes
- Materials
-
- Milk carton bird feeder: Milk carton
- Thin wooden dowel
- String
- Scissors
- Felt-tip pen
- Box knife cutter
- Wooden bird feeder: Outdoor plywood, about 20" x 12"
- Thin wooden strips
- Hammer
- Nails
- Saw
- Tape measure
- Non-toxic wood preservative
- Paintbrush
- Plastic bottle bird feeder: Two-liter plastic soda bottle with a cap
- Two thin sticks
- Bag of wild bird seed (with Cracked Corn, Thistle, Millet, Sunflower seeds in it) – at least three of these seeds in the mixture
- Sandwich bags
- 1/4 Measuring cup
- PALS1.40.SG.ASSESS.A – one per student
- PALS1.40.SG.ASSESS.B
- Music – Rockin' Robin by Bobby Day
- Precepts
- A. Action — A4. Identify and use resources
- Lesson Type
- Small Group
- Unit
- Environmental Science
- Key Terms
- Ingredients
- Resources
- http://www.birdsforever.com/chart.html; http://www.wbu.com/education/; National FFA Organization. (2003). LifeKnowledge Precepts and Signs of Success.
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
National Standards
- AS.04.01.01.a.Compare and contrast common types of feedstuffs and the roles they play in the diets of animals.
- CS.08.02.01.aUse the appropriate procedures for the use and operation of specific tools and equipment.
- NL-ENG.K-12.12Applying Language Skills
- NSK-4.1.Science as Inquiry