Module 31: Birdhouses- Science 1B - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module, students will explore the materials and locations where birds lay their eggs and raise their young. They will look at different nesting habits in diverse biomes and complete a hands-on lesson to build their own nest out of available materials. They will then use the Engineering Design Cycle to plan and build a nest to keep birds safe.

Module Materials:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Material(s)
1	Birdhouses and Nesting Behavior	paper plates (up to 2) items found in nature crayons or colored pencils pen or pencil
2	Engineering a Bird Home	electric fan (with at least two settings) items found in nature crayons or colored pencils pen or pencil

Module Objectives:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Objective(s)
1	Birdhouses and Nesting Behavior	Observe nesting behavior in local birds. Identify various kinds of homes for birds. Evaluate how the choice of nesting materials and location helps a bird protect its offspring from environmental threats.
2	Engineering a Bird Home	Follow the engineering design process to design a safe home for a bird. Identify strengths and weaknesses of designs.

Module Key Words:

Key Words
animals birds habitat Engineering Design Cycle solution

Module Assignments:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Page #	Assignment Title
1	Birdhouses and Nesting Behavior	5	Birdhouses and Nesting Behavior Assignment
2	Engineering a Bird Home	6	Engineer a Bird Home Assignment

Learning Coach Notes:

None

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title	Question
Birdhouses and Nesting Behavior	Have you ever seen a bird's nest up close?
Engineering a Bird Home	How can you keep a bird safe?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title	Video	Question
Birdhouses and Nesting Behavior	Let's Go Birdwatching	What does a hummingbird use to build its nest? Where is one unusual place sparrows can build a nest? How would you find a stork's nest? What is special about nests made by weaverbirds? What material do swallows use to build their nests?
Engineering a Bird Home	Birdhouse Engineering	What problem does Oliver notice? What danger does the small bird face? Where do the boys find ideas for their nest? How do they test if the nest can survive wind? How do they make sure the nest does not fall out of the tree?

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

What is the main idea?
What are three things new you learned?
How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

#	Book	Author
1	Nesting	Henry Cole
2	Birds, Nests, and Eggs	Mel Boring
3	Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch	Storey Publishing

Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

#	Outing
1	Take your student to a home improvement store and look at materials used for building birdhouses. Discuss the design of each house and which houses would keep birds safest from predators. Point out that designs are different to attract different birds and connect this to birds native to your region.