Bird+Survivor

**Bird Survivor!**
**Big Idea:** Students will explore what they already know about nesting birds, then play a game that introduces some of the challenges that nesting birds face.

**Learning Objectives:** 1. Students will be able to list the steps of the bird nesting cycle. 2. Students will be able to describe several challenges that nesting birds face. 3. Students will be able to compare and contrast strategies that different birds use to successfully produce young.

**Time Needed**: 45 minute period and 15 minutes follow-up.

**Materials:**
 * 24 Bird Survivor! Game Cards (see Resource Pages 8-11)
 * "Nesting Birds" quiz (Journal Page 2; key is located on Resource Page 12)

**Getting Ready:**
 * Copy and cut out the 24 Bird Survivor cards from the Resource Guide. For durability, you may wish to paste the statements onto note cards or have them laminated.
 * Copy "Nesting Birds" Quiz, 1 per student (Journal Page 2)
 * Make space in the classroom for Bird Survivor! Game

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Conducting the Activity:** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__"Fact or Fiction?" Nesting Birds Quiz__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Give students about 5 minutes to individually fill out the quiz about nesting birds (journal page 1). Emphasize that they are taking the quiz just to explore their own knowledge and ideas at this point, and their responses will not be graded.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. After students have filled in their responses, read each question aloud. For each question, have students raise their hands and vote for the answer they think is best. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For a more active experience, establish "Fact" and "Fiction" sides of the classroom, and ask students to move between the sides of the room depending on their opinion. You may wish to reveal answers as you go (a key is located on resource page 2), or simply allow discussion and let the facts get uncovered as the lesson unfolds! Be sure to privately note any widely-held misconceptions.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__Introductory Discussion__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Introduce the activity by having a few students share stories about their experiences with bird nests and young birds. Discuss the following questions:


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why do birds build nests? //(Nests protect eggs and young.)//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do bird nests look like? Where are they found? What kinds of materials might a bird use to build a nest? //(sticks, leaves, moss, vines, feathers, spider webs, human-made materials such as string or scraps)//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have you seen a bird build a nest? At what time of year? At what time of year have you seen nests? Did it have eggs in it at that time of year? //(Nests are used during the breeding season. Birds don't live year-round in nests, so nests seen at other times of the year are abandoned or will not be used until next year, if ever again.)//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some animals, such as humans, can have babies any time of year. But most birds only breed in the spring and summer. Why do you think that is? //(Food and water availability is highest at those times of the year.)//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have you seen a baby bird? Where was it? What did it look like?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__Learn the Steps of Bird Breeding__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Write the following "Stages of the Bird Breeding Cycle" on the board:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Find and defend a territory
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Find a mate
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Build a nest and lay eggs
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Incubate eggs
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feed and raise nestlings
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nestlings fledge

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Bird Survivor! Game
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Prepare to play the Bird Survivor Game. Ask for five volunteer "birds" to stand at one end of the room and name them Bird 1, Bird 2, Bird 3, Bird 4, and Bird 5. Tell these students that they are going to try to successfully complete a breeding cycle.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shuffle the Bird Survivor cards and distribute ALL of the cards to the remaining students, even if some students receive more than one card. At the top of each card, one of the breeding stages is listed. Below that is a breeding event that will be read aloud and directed to one of the 5 volunteer birds.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ask the five students who have a "Find and Defend a Territory" card to stand up. Pick one of the students to read his or her card to Bird 1, who follows the instructions on the card. Have the remaining four students holding the "Find and Defend a Territory" cards each read their card to a "bird," continuing with Bird 2 and progressing through the remaining "birds." Continue the game by repeating this step, picking cards in the following order:
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Find and defend a territory
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Find a mate
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Build a nest and lay eggs
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Incubate eggs
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feed and raise nestlings
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fledge from the nest
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If a "bird" is told that the game is over for them, they should step out of the line-up. During the game, be sure to discuss any terms that are unfamiliar to students. Continue the game until all 24 cards are read.
 * 11) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Discuss the Game and Nesting
 * 12) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the game, Ask:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which birds do you think were the most successful? //(The most successful is the bird that successfully raised the most young. The bird that took the most steps may not actually be the most successful bird.)//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which birds had the least success? //(Possible answers include: the bird that died early, the bird that did not raise any young.// //Emphasize to students that in order for a nesting attempt to be successful, at least one offspring must survive. Note that even the bird who took the fewest steps forward was successful, since he/she still fledged young despite the challenges.)//
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do you think all birds follow these steps of the nesting cycle in this order? If not, how do bird life cycles differ? //(Some species, like many geese and ducks have precocial young, meaning that their babies can follow them and gather their own food shortly after hatching. Some species keep their mate year-after-year, so they don't have to do that step every year.)//
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Discuss some of the factors that affect nesting birds. Questions for discussion:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What were some of the challenges the nesting birds faced?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Habitat destruction/fragmentation
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Invasive/non-native species such as European Starling
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bad Weather
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Predators such as hawks, snakes, raccoons
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pesticides
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cowbird nest parasitism
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dead Mate
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mites
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What are some positive or "lucky" things that happened to some of the birds?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Protected Habitat
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nest Boxes
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good Weather
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good Mate
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lots of food

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Extension:** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__Activity #1__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ask children to act out the different stages of the breeding cycles in a "Guess the Life Cycle" charade game, using the six life cycle stage categories.