TARGET AGE LEVEL: 5th Grade, one class period

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of the lesson, students will be able to:
    1. Identify the main characteristics of birds.
    2. Compare a warm-blooded animal to a cold-blooded animal.
    3. Describe the functions of feathers.

CONCEPTS/STANDARDS ADDRESSED:
    identify, compare, contrast, describe

MATERIALS:
    Science Textbook
    Handout
    Newsletter from Audobon Society

MOTIVATOR/ANTICIPATORY SET: Have students list some characteristics of birds on the board. Ask how these characteristics distinguish birds from other vertebrates.

PROCEDURE/KEY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
    1. Introduce the concept that birds are warm-blooded animals. Do we know what that means? Do we know what our own body temperature is. Explain that an animal whose body temperature stays the same at all times is a warm-blooded animal. Conclude that birds are warm-blooded animals.
    2. By reading the information about penguins, we notice that not all birds can fly, which is a common misconception.
    3. List some characteristics of birds. (warm-blooded, have feathers, have wings, lay eggs, breathe with lungs). Ask students to name a bird that cannot fly. (ostrich, penguin, emu)
    4. Look at the photo on page 68. What do you notice about the bones? (they are hollow). Point out that hollow, lightweight bones and feathers are structures that hel birds fly.
    5. How are the bones and feathers of a bird alike? (Bones are hollow and the shaft of feathers are hollow)
    6. Feathers do more than help a bird to fly. They keep the bird warm.
    7. In what ways are bird feathers used to keep people warm? (jackets, sleeping bags, blankets)
    8. What are the special feathers called? (Down)
    9. Talk about what birds eat. Have students hypothesize. Birds do not have teeth. They use their beak to cut and tear food. Compare the shapes of the beaks in the photos. How and why are they different?
    10. Have students describe nests that they have seen, including the location and the materials used. Why do birds build nests? What are some materials that nests are made of?

CLOSURE: Review the main characteristics of birds. (Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates, have feathers, lay eggs, and in most cases, fly). Read the newsletter on "Feather Facts".

ASSESSMENT: Students will be assessed by their participation in class, their cooperation within their groups, and the attached worksheet, which will be given for homework.