Wild Bird Conservation Curriculum Lesson Plans
These lessons are aligned with 6th grade science TEKS but can be scaled up or down to fit any grade level. All rights for these lessons are reserved. Lessons may be downloaded, printed and copied for educational use only.
Please contact us via email (tamukbirdsgk12@gmail.com) to get the supplemental resources pages for each lesson or to reserve the loaner supply kit. Priority reservations go to teachers involved in our lesson evaluation program, otherwise, the kit is available on a first come first serve basis.
CKWRI Copyright information:
Author: Janel Ortiz
Year published: 2015
Basics of Birding
Learn how to identify common South Texas birds through field marks and conduct your own bird count.
Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details
Identify common South Texas birds by learning bird topography and field marks (Explore#1)
Students will draw, color, and identify field marks of three birds (Explore #2)
Rubric for grading student worksheets
Four-letter alpha codes used in recording bird species during surveys or when creating lists
Be a Bird Biologist
Learn the technique of mist-netting to capture, handle, and band wild birds.
Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details
Bird ID guide to aid in bird identification
Field notes sheet for student use
Rubric for grading student field notes
Citizen Science for South Texas Birds
Create your own bird sighting database and submit it to researchers studying birds as you become a citizen scientist.
Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details
Excel template used for data entry into the South Texas Wintering Birds (STWB) database
Protocol list approved by eBird that is used for data collection and entry into STWB
Data_Prep___STWB_Navigation.pdf
Procedure for entering data into Excel in preparation for upload to STWB and basic introduction to navigating the website
Early bird catches the WORM??
Age quail wings and identify internal worms commonly found in Bobwhite and Scaled quail.
Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details
Aging_Bobwhite_Quail_Using_Wings.ppt
Learning how to age quail by looking at wing coloration
Text to create adult and juvenile identification cards
Internal_Parasites_ID_Guide.pdf
Identify internal parasites (worms) of Texas quail
Labeled bird anatomy to identify location of internal parasites
Buildings, Rivers, and Roads
Explore how habitat fragmentation affects a quail's home range by creating your own map.
Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details
Maps serve many purposes and come in many types
Photos depicting quail "ranges" with various land cover types and barriers
Students will define a wildlife barrier and corridor while identifying barriers to their quail's movement
Rubric for grading student worksheets
DIVA_GIS_Activity_Extension.pdf
Extend the lesson by including hands-on GIS practice in mapping out bird locations