Bird Beak Lesson p.1
Sample Six Point Lesson Plan- Beaks
1. FOCUS AND REVIEW: TEACHER ESTABLISHES PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE.
Students will have learned the definition of structural adaptations (Structural adaptations are
unique body shapes that help an animal survive). Students have learned that shapes of birds’
feet help them survive. For example, a webbed foot helps a bird swim which then helps a bird
catch its prey in the water. They will apply the concept of structural adaptations to birds’ beaks.
2. OBJECTIVE(S): TEACHER INFORMS STUDENTS OF OBJECTIVE(S).
Given 5 pictures of birds’ beaks, the learner will be able to identify them according to their use
(seed crushing, insect boring etc.) with no more than 1 error.
3. TEACHER INPUT: TEACHER PRESENTS INFORMATION AND EXAMPLES.
Teacher will review the definition of structural adaptations with the students and discuss the
different feet adaptations they have already learned. Then he/she will discuss the different
shapes of birds’ beaks and the foods they eat. As he/she discusses the different beaks the
students look at pictures of cardinals, nuthatches, hummingbirds, woodpeckers and
sandpipers. Different shapes of birds’ beaks are examples of structural adaptations. These
unique shapes help a bird eat. Stout beaks are good for crushing seeds. Cardinals and
finches have stout beaks. Long, narrow beaks are good for boring for insects. Nuthatches
and creepers have long, narrow beaks that can wedge under tree bark to find insects.
Hummingbirds have long, thin, delicate beaks in order to suck nectar out of flowers.
Woodpeckers have wide, strong pointed beaks that can hammer into a tree. Sandpipers
have long pointed beaks for probing deeply into the sand.
4. GUIDED PRACTICE: TEACHER PROVIDES PRACTICE AND FEEDBACK.
The teacher will give students books with pictures of birds. The teacher will ask the
students to identify the type of food the animal eats by looking at the shape of its beak and
referring to the examples given in the information and examples section. The teacher will
give feedback as to the accuracy of their responses.
5. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: TEACHER GIVES INDIVIDUAL WORK FOR
SEATWORK OR HOMEWORK.
Individually students will receive a worksheet with pictures of the five varieties of beaks
described above. They will write characteristics of the beaks and identify how these
characteristics help the bird eat certain types of food.
6. EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT: TEACHER BRINGS CLOSURE TO THE LESSON.
The students will take a quiz. The quiz will ask the student to match the beak with the type of
food the bird prefers.
Bird Beak Lesson p.2
Additional information needed.
1. TOPIC/ TIME FRAME
Animal Adaptations-Structural Adaptations-Shapes of Birds’ Beaks. This is a lesson plan
that can be taught in one day.
2. PLANS FOR INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Students will be exposed to the same content, structural adaptations, three times (Information
and Examples, Practice and Feedback, and Individual Work). This repetition will help all
students be successful. Also students will also receive reinforcement from the teacher during
the Practice and Feedback portion of the lesson. As students work individually on the
worksheet, the teacher will see who does not understand the content. For those students, the
teacher will assign a more able partner to go over the worksheet together.
3. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
Pictures of birds with a variety of beaks as described in the Guided Practice section.
Individual student worksheet as described in the Independent Practice section is attached.
4. REFERENCE
This lesson is adapted from:
Conwell, C.R. & Cobb, K. (1990). Science equals success. Education Development Center,
Inc. Newton, MA.
Bird Beak Lesson p.3
Directions: State how each bird uses it beak.
Pictures of Beaks
Hawk
Pelican
Owl
Green Heron
Eagle
Flamingo
1. Hawk ______________________________________________________________
2. Pelican ______________________________________________________________
3. Owl ______________________________________________________________
4. Green Heron__________________________________________________________
5. Eagle ______________________________________________________________
6. Flamingo ______________________________________________________________
Web Making Lesson
SAMPLE SIX POINT LESSON PLAN –INSTINCTUAL BEHAVIOR
1. FOCUS AND REVIEW: Teacher establishes Prerequisite Knowledge.
Students will already know the definition for animal adaptations. They know that animal
adaptations help an animal survive.
2. OBJECTIVE(S): Teacher informs students of objective(s).
A. Having made a spider web out of yarn and tape, the learner will be able to determine
three attributes of the web (sticky, strong, and difficult to see) that they observed that
helped the spider catch its prey and identify the spider’s web building activity as instinctive
behavior.
B. After participating in a web making activity, students will be able to explain how the
instinctive behavior of building webs is a type of adaptation.
C. Using yarn, tape and directions, students will be able to construct a web as shown in the
textbook and identify web building as instinctive behavior.
D. Having built the spider web, the students will show appreciation for the complex skills
spiders possess by using words such as Wow, and Cool.
3. TEACHER INPUT: (Teacher presents information and examples.
Instinctive behaviors are behaviors that animals know from birth and do not have to learn.
Instinctive behaviors are adaptations that help an animal survive. An example of instinctive
behavior is a spider knowing how to make a web without having to be taught. Web making is
complex. The web contains many attributes (stickiness, strength and barely visible) which help
a spider catch its prey. The web the students will build will be an orb web. A orb web is
circular in shape with spokes extending from the center. Teacher will show the overall process
of web building and illustrate the steps involved in the process. He (she) will illustrate the steps
involved in building an orb web. Students observe the process as the teacher draws the web on
the board. He (she) will discuss the characteristics of the web (stickiness, strength and barely
visible) as he(she draws the web. He (she) will tell the students that spiders know how to make
webs when they are born and do not need to be taught how to do it. This is instinctive behavior
and it helps the spider survive. If the spider did not know how to build a web, it could not catch
its prey. Instinctive behavior is a type of animal adaptation. The teacher also tells the students
that the silk comes from the abdomen of the spider.
4. GUIDED PRACTICE: Teacher provides practice and feedback.
The teacher will now let the students practice the skill of web building. He(she) will present the
following directions one step while at the same time the students are performing the steps. As
the students are following the steps the teacher gives them feedback as to the accuracy of their
web building skills.
1. Students will construct an orb spider web with a partner. They will use yarn, scissors and
tape to build the web.
2. Following the teacher’s directions, they will need to find at least three places to tie the web
that will serve as the framework.
3. Starting at an upper point, the spider stretches silk across to an opposite point to form a
bridge.
Web Making Lesson
4. The spider stretches strands down the ends of the bridge to form a framework. See picture
below.
5. The spider walks about halfway across the bridge and drops a strand of yarn.
6. The spider travels about halfway back up this vertical strand. This marks the center of the
web.
7. The spider pulls a new strand from the center up to the bridge and attaches it to one side of
the first strand. See picture below.
8. The spider continues to add radials, working from the center out, alternating from side to
side to keep the web equally balanced. The number of radials varies. For this web 8-12
radials are sufficient.
9. Beginning in the center, the spider makes a closely spaced spiral for a short distance. This
is the hub. It is the work platform for the spider, and helps hold the radials in place until
the web is completed. The spiral is sticky. Use a different colored piece of yarn to show
this. The other parts of the web are not sticky.
10. The orb web is now finished. The teacher tells the students the following information: the
spider never needs to be taught how to make the web. It simply knows how to do it from
birth. This is called instinctive behavior and this behavior helps the spider survive. The
spider produces several different kinds of silk, some strong, others sticky and all thin and
barely visible to the eye of the prey. The abdomen is where the silk producing glands are
located. The silk leaves the spider’s body through spinnerets located at the back of the
abdomen.
It is now time to test the web.
1. Attach a length of yarn to the hub of your web. This is the signal line.
2. The students will need a rolled ball of newspaper about the size of an insect. The ball
represents the spider’s prey.
3. The student and his/her partner each have a role-one will be the spider and the other the prey.
4. The person who is the spider stretches the signal line to a hiding place. The line should be
taut. Your partner will “land” an insect on the web tossing the ball at the web. The spider
should be able to feel the landing insect through the signal line. Switch roles with your partner.
5. Partners complete one worksheet together. (worksheet is attached)
Web Making Lesson
5. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: Teacher gives individual work for seatwork or homework.
The students will individually complete the attached worksheet for seatwork. In addition, the
teacher assigns homework for the students. Individually the students must go home and find a
orb spider web in their neighborhood and draw a picture of it. They must list the characteristics
of the web (its stickiness, strength and barely visible).
6. CLOSURE: (Teacher gives evaluation/assessment)
Objectives A &B: Teacher will evaluate the attainment of the cognitive domain through
completion of the homework assignment. For those students who make mistakes on their
worksheet and homework assignment, the teacher will place them with a more able partner
who will review their work together.
Objective C: Teacher will evaluate the psychomotor skill by observing the finished
products (the yarn webs) and checking which webs had “spiders” that were able to feel the
“landing insect” through the signal line. The teacher will use an observation checklist to
record the results.
Objective D: Teacher will evaluate the affective domain of appreciation through student
comments related to the intricacies of the spider’s webs and the elaborate processes of
instinctive behavior of building webs without having to be taught. The teacher will record
student responses on an observation checklist.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEEDED:
1. Topic, Time Frame:
This lesson will focus on one type of animal adaptations, instinctive behavior. This lesson
could be covered in one day.
2. Plans for Individual Differences
Students will have a minimal amount of reading in this lesson. The focus is on hands-on
learning. Hands-on activities will help the Hispanic students and those that read below
grade level be successful. Students will be placed into groups of two with one student being
able to read and write and to assist the other student with completion of the worksheet.
3. Materials and Resources
2 colors of yarn, scissors, newspaper wadded into a ball, tape and a student worksheet for
every group of 2 students. Overhead transparency showing the steps in building an orb web.
Picture of a spider’s spinnerets.
4. Reference
This lesson is adapted from:
Northwest EQUALS, (1995), Family science. Delta, Inc., Berkeley, CA.
Web Making Lesson
STUDENT WORKSHEET
Directions: Answer the following questions with words and/or
pictures.
1. Describe a spider’s instinctive behavior.
2. Why is building a web an adaptation?
3. State three important characteristics of a web.