BIRDS IN FLIGHT, WHAT A SIGHT!
Grades 3 - 5
This lesson has been designed to show students the unique structure
birds possess-feathers-and how they maneuver them in flight. The students
should employ problem-solving skills in small group activities, investigating
variations in the wing formations of their paper airplanes, reflecting on
the various wing formations found with the Canadian Geese (jet plane), Jays
(bush plane), and Seagulls (glider) to determine which works best.
has been chosen which explains the different types of feathers and special
flight feathers that are similar to a plane-wing design. The students should
be able to identify the flight feathers as special contour feathers on a
bird's wing that lift the bird off the ground keeping it in the air much
the same way an airplane wing does. Hands-on activities, and making kites
emphasize the designs that are unique to birds in flight.
TAKE A LOOK #7: Flight
Students will be able to:
- describe how birds are adapted for flight with special feathers.
- recognize that birds' feathers have a unique construction, with barbs
and barbules along a shaft.
- explain the three types of feathers, contour, down and ornamental,
covering a bird.
- identify the flight feathers as special contour feathers on a birds
- evaluate birds in nature to discover their flight pattern and their
similarity to particular plane designs.
per person :
per group of four students :
- construction paper
- ditto paper
- 3 pieces pencil
- yard sticks
- string tape
- crayons scissors
- mural paper
- two 20" sticks
- newsprint paper
- pictures of: Canadian Geese, Jays, Sea gulls
- Kite diagram
- bar down
Write the word "flight" on the chalkboard. Lead a discussion encompassing
the many ways that flight can be observed. Ask, "Where
have you seen birds or planes in flight?" Record the answer on chalkboard
as the students respond. "What have you noticed about the flight pattern
when a bird or plane begins to slow down?" (gliding, banking, etc.)
During this brainstorming session, invite students to come up to the chalkboard
and draw what they have seen. Display pictures of Canadian geese, Jays and
Sea gulls in flight. Draw attention to their wings, asking, "What do
you notice about the shape and position of these birds' wings when comparing
them to airplanes?"
Divide the class into groups of four students each. Distribute ditto paper,
crayons and scissors to each group. Tell the students, "Each group
will make three paper airplanes using various wing shapes and designs. Decorate
them with crayons using colors that symbolize a particular bird they have
just discussed. (Decorate them with crayon designs that show sleek wings.)
Allow time for groups to discuss possible methods and create appropriate
paper airplane models.
Have the students mark off 5, 10, and 15 meters from a starting point at
one end of the classroom. Designate one student from each group to measure
the distance each plane/bird is able to fly (in meters). You may wish to
guide the students in this process and make a class graph on chart paper
of the "flight." Have the students discuss each wing design and
its success or failure in flight.
Display the class graph on a classroom bulletin board surrounded by the
students' paper-airplane designs.
Return to class and prepare for the video viewing. At this point
you may say, " We will find out how birds are adapted for flight with
special types of feathers and unique construction of their feathers."
To give the students a focus while viewing say, "Watch the video and
be prepared to share some flight information about our fine feathered friends."
The video should be stopped periodically to enhance brainstorming sessions.
Begin the video immediately following Kate and the boy breaking
the wish bone. The audio is, "Are you collecting the feather too?"
PAUSE at "zipper" comment.
Allow the students to discuss what a feather looks like under a microscope
and reflect on the feather's 3 parts (hollow main shaft, barbs, and barbules).
Record their responses on the chalkboard. Explain the function of each part.
Encourage the students to share their explanations of functions for each
feather part and record them on chalkboard. Ask, "How are the barbules held
together?" (tiny hooks)
PAUSE at, "The bird zips the feather up again
by pulling it through its beak." To give the students a specific responsibility
while viewing, say, "What is another word for birds zipping up their
feathers?" (preening) Give the students an opportunity to discuss and
give examples of their pet birds (canaries and parakeets) preening at home and describe what it looks like. Ask, "Did you realize your bird was
zipping up its feathers?"
PAUSE at, "Are birds the only animals that
have feathers?" Ask the students, "How many types of feathers
can you name? Write function on the chalkboard. Discuss the definition of
function. (role or operation of feather part)
To give the students a specific responsibility while viewing say, "Watch
this video segment to see all three types of feathers in order to understand
the function of each. (contour -- covers bird's body giving it a streamline
shape, down -- close to birds body to keep bird warm, and ornamental -- to decorate
a fancy bird)
PAUSE at, "What about the wind,
Kate?" Discuss the three types of feathers, let students draw them and reflect on the function of each. Write flight
feathers on the chalkboard.
To give the students a responsibility while viewing say, "Watch this
segment to see how the contour feathers, making up a bird's wing, are like
an airplane's wing." (thick at front, thin at back)
PAUSE at the boy flying around the room. Ask, "What happens
if the flight feathers are lost or damaged? (the bird cannot fly) Ask, "Do
you know why a bird has tail feathers?" Allow the students to reflect
and share their ideas.
PAUSE at feathers' sample. Ask, "Were you
correct?" Begin playing the video at the end of ornamental sample.
(The TAKE A LOOK logo appears in upper left corner.) Say, "You are going
to see three birds in flight, Canadian Geese, Jays, and Sea gulls. They are
similar to a jet, glider and bush plane. They have wings especially suited
to the way they fly. Listen to hear the function and plane similarity for
PAUSE at the end of the Canadian Geese segment.
Ask, "What is the shape of the Canadian geese wings? What type of plane
do the wings resemble? (long narrow wings designed for speed like a jet
PAUSE at the end of the Jay segment. Ask,
"What is the shape of the Jay's wings? What type of plane does it resemble?
(wings are short and wide like a tiny bush plane)
end of segment on sea gull. Ask, "What is the shape of the sea gull wings?
(long, narrow wings like a glider plane)
STOP at end of hummingbird
Ask, "What do you know about birds in flight now?"
Guide a discussion on the variations in the wing formations of the birds
they saw in flight in the video, TAKE A LOOK #7: Flight. Say, "We are
now going to explore how the breezes help the birds to take flight and glide
for many hours. We will be making and decorating a glider. We
will build our kites like a bird -- light and strong."
Distribute: tape, scissors, two 20" sticks, string, large sheet of newsprint
paper to each group, Say, "Each group is going to make their own glider
using the materials you have just been given."
Have the students explore the different shapes of the kites they have made.
Relate to each group and draw on the chalkboard. (Directions below may be
adapted to their design.)
Choose a design agreeable to all. Have the students lay their newsprint
on a flat surface and draw a circle 40" in diameter. Have the students
lay two 20" sticks parallel on the circle, 16" apart. Tape the sticks
to the back of the circle. Draw and cut out a 14" x 7" rectangle.
(This is an air hole and should be reinforced with tape so the kite will
not tear.) Then connect the line from the bottom edge of the sticks to the
outer edge of the circle toward the top of the kite. Reinforce the kite
with tape at each corner connection. Cut the curved edges around the circle.
Tie the string to reinforce the corners. The students may choose to decorate
their kites with crayons or paint. Pick a nice sunny day with moderate winds
to test out the kites.
Contact a local ornithologist, and have him/her visit the classroom
to discuss the flight patterns of various birds in the area.
Engage the students in a letter-writing campaign to local environmental
groups, requesting information on how migratory birds are being protected
in your area.
Contact local airports and arrange a visit to investigate firsthand: types
of planes, which ones reflect the same mentioned in TAKE A LOOK video, and
how they have designed the wings for successful flight.
Plan a Let's-Fly-My-Kite day. Have the students enjoy a nice sunny, windy
day flying the kites designed in Post-Viewing Activity.
Enjoy the variety of literature dealing with
main characters that can fly. Include the mythical Pegasus and Daedalus
and storybook characters Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and Dumbo.
MAN FROM THE SKY, Avi, 1980 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
HAWK, I'M YOUR BROTHER, Byrd Baylor, 1976,
PROJECT WILD ELEMENTARY: ELEMENTARY ACTIVITY GUIDE, 1986
Western Regional Environmental Council, P.O. Box 18060, Boulder, CO 80308-8060.
NATURE CARDS: BIRDS, The Nature Conservancy, 1992, Houghton Mifflin Company.
Investigate the lives of Amelia Earhardt and the
Wright Brothers. Connect special events in their lives to their love of
flight. Reflect on how the Wright Brothers focused on birds in their design
at Kitty Hawk.
Design your own bird, pay particular attention to the unusual
ways the bird adapts to the environment. (example long narrow beak, wide
sloping wings, tail) Pay particular attention to bright colorful plumage.
Display it in the art corner.
Create a presentation of poems exploring birds in
flight. Include shape poems and poetry patterns. (a concrete poem written
in the shape of a poem's main idea) add variety to the display by color
coding the words - example: verbs would be red, adjectives yellow.
Have the students look beyond the birds' feathers and explore
the bone structure of winged vertebrates and invertebrates. Write reports
on bats, hawks, and pterosaurs to expand their horizons in flight functions.
Explore the differences in the wing design.
Master Teachers: Mark Bailey and Judy Lynne Hester.
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