Students closely observe photos of a robin's wing, pose questions,
about the "why" behind the adaptations they see.
students view the Focus
on Feathers photos, ask them try to draw
a feather or wing from memory.
- Have students
make KWL charts about feathers or wings.
- Ask students
to describe one of the photos to a partner.
Have them imagine they are "painting a picture" with words
for someone who has never seen wings or feathers.
- Hand out
copies of this chart for students to complete:
What I Observe,
What I Wonder. (You can also do this as a class.)
- Pose this
question and discuss it as a class: How
do you think each thing (adaptation) you observed helps robins fly?
What Scientists Think.
Use these facts to guide more observations. (Older students can read
the page themselves.)
students to draw a robin's wing. This time
they should label the parts and what they do.
Ask students to observe wings on two different birds outdoors. They
can draw what they see and/or come to class ready to answer this question:
How are birds' wings and feathers the same? How are they different?