Basic teaching model steps | Our Local Birds

Step 1:

Introduce students to local birds and prepare for a bird walk

Urban

Brisbane, from a hot air balloon. Photo by Cyron Ray Macey [CC BY 2.0]

Open Forest

Photo by Neil Humphris [CC BY-NC-SA]

Rainforest

Rain Forest near Daintree, Queensland, Australia. Photo by Thomas Schoch [CC-BY-SA]

Beaches and Mudflats

Photo by Neil Humphris [CC BY-NC-SA]

Wetlands

Photo by Richard Noske [CC BY-NC-SA]

Grasslands

Photo by By Neil Humphris [CC-BY-NC-SA]

Select one of the habitats, on the left, that best matches a local habitat for taking a bird walk with your students.

Study photographs and videos of the 10 birds most commonly seen and heard there.

View ID PowerPoint Video of common birds.

Study museum specimens of local birds from the Queensland Museum to appreciate scale and distinctive features.

Give birdwatching tips about behaviour and use of binoculars during the bird walk.

Explain the aims of this bird study and how they will be assessed.

Learning sequences - select year level

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Step 1

Step 2:

Take a bird walk

For younger students, this could be in the school playground, local park or recreations grounds.

Older students may also be taken on an excursion to forest parks or nature reserves such as: Brisbane City Council bushland reserves, Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres or State forests and national parks.

For all ages, during the bird walk, encourage students to:

use their eyes and ears to find birds.
record their sightings - in a notebook, as images, audio or video.
think about the behaviours observed.
ask questions about their observations.

Learning sequences - select year level

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Step 2

Step 3:

Investigate more about local birds

All ages: Follow up discussion/reporting of observations from bird walk

View videos of birds seen to make connections with own observations (Refer to habitat chosen from the Learning About Birds section)

Introduce more specific information for each year level. Some specific examples are:

Year 1: Students investigate how the habitat meets the needs of the birds seen.
Year 3: Students compare observable features of birds seen.
Year 5: Students explore adaptations needed by the birds seen, to survive in the habitat.

Learning sequences - select year level

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Step 3

De-identified_Three Buranda kids examini

Step 4:

Undertake a research project about local birds

All ages: Students do further research either individually or in small groups (younger students).
Great places to start are the Birdlife Australia and the Birds in Backyards websites.

Year 1: Students match food and habitats to birds being studied.
Year 3: Students compare features of birds living in the same habitat and the reasons for this.
Year 5: Students investigate, in detail, features and adaptations of a local bird to its environment.

Learning sequences - select year level

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Step 4

IMG_2921 (2) Neil Humphris from BEG expl

All ages: Students present their research findings for assessment. Some examples are:

Year 1: Students give their information via an oral presentation with a paper model of their bird.
Year 3: Students prepare a written journal of their research and give an oral presentation.
Year 5: Students prepare a detailed multimedia presentation to communicate their research findings.

Step 1:

Learning sequences - select year level

Step 2:

Learning sequences - select year level

Step 3:

Learning sequences - select year level

Step 4:

Learning sequences - select year level

Learning sequences - select year level

Step 5: