•  Multi-cellular organisms rely on internal systems to survive, reproduce, and interact with their environment. (Science 6)

 CONCEPTS

•  Systems
• Organism
• Interdependence
• Survival
• Adaptation
• Reproduction
• Interactions
• Environment
• Stewardship

Students will keep considering…

• How is form related to function in bird beaks?
• What adaptations help a bird survive in its environment?
• How do birds spend their time?
• What interactions do you observe –between birds, and between birds and their environment?
• Can birds be identified by a variety of features?
• How do human impact birds and how can negative impacts be mitigated?
• What is a system?
• What does it mean to think using a systems approach?
• How have I experienced ‘Systems’ at ODS? (e.g. how birds interact with each other and their environment)
• How am I connected to ‘Systems’ in my everyday life?

Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding by:

• correctly identifying bird species using a field guide
• correctly aging taxidermy eagle specimens
• matching bird beak types with types of food eaten
• observing taxidermy bird specimens and pair share expected food type based on beak shape
• completing a time study sheet after observing a bird’s behaviour

Teacher will monitor progress:
Teachers can monitor progress through ongoing formative assessment including but not limited to:

• N/A

• BirdQuest Beaks Matching sheet
• Binoculars – ideally one pair per student
• Binocular Basics sheet  
• Cheakamus Centre Bird Study map
• Field guides to birds
• Legends:

Keepers of the Earth – How Turtle Flew South for the Winter (p.157)

People of the Land: Legends of the Four Host First Nations – Smekw’á7 – The Great Blue Heron (p.75)

Squamish Legends: Seagull Raven and the Daylight Box

How the Robin Got Its Red Breast: A Legend of the Sechelt People – illustrated by Charlie Craigan.

• Time Study template
• Owls and Crows Activity Instructions
• Beetles: I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of
• Beetles: Walk and Talk
• Extension sheet (for back at home school) –  Project Wild – Adaptation Artistry p. 139, p. 85; Crane Game (US Fish & Wildlife Service)

Teacher Reflection

• What aspects of the field study went well?
• What did students struggle with?
• What did you struggle with?
• What would you add/revise the next time you taught this unit?
• Were there any unintended outcomes?
• Were students engaged?

• Full Unit Plan (PDF)
• Full Unit Plan (MS Word)

The Big Ideas consist of generalizations and principles and the key concepts important in an area of learning. The Big Ideas represent what students will understand at the completion of the curriculum for their grade. They are intended to endure beyond a single grade and contribute to future understanding.

Visit the Ministry of Education for more information

Communications Competency

The set of abilities that students use to impart and exchange information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media

Thinking Competency

The knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development

Social Competency

The set of abilities that relate to students’ identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society

Visit the Ministry of Education for more information

Visit the Ministry of Education for more information

To read more about First People’s Principles of Learning, please click here.

For classroom resources, please visit the First Nations Education Steering Committee.