| Purpose
After observing and identifying a range of New Zealand birds,
students use a Microsoft
Word template to consolidate and recall the information on
one particular bird. |
| Level
Lower primary |
| Essential learning
areas
Science |
Essential skills
Communication, Information, Problem-solving |
| Strands
Making Sense of the Living World |
| Participants
Classroom teacher and class working in pairs. |
| Description
After studying a variety of birds and their features, the students
selected one bird to study in depth. They had four attributes that
they were required to find out about. These were:
- where the bird lives
- what the bird eats
- type of feet
- type of beak
This information was then presented as a "What Am I?"
poster on a Word
template (Word doc, 19k). Included on this poster was a title,
four bulleted clues, and a picture of their bird hidden by a lift
up flap.
These posters provided a class activity. Students were encouraged
to read the clues that were written by others in the class and guess
the bird they had chosen. They could then lift the flap and see
if they were correct.
|
| Evaluation
It provided the students with another means of recalling and displaying
information using a combination of hand drawn and computerised work.
It also gave them the opportunity to develop short, accurate, and
most importantly, identifiable clues.
Upon completion, the work also became a means of assessing other
student's knowledge of a species they had not studied in depth by
sharing and guessing the answers to each other's posters. |
| Additional comments
Using a prepared template enabled the students to concentrate on
acquiring quality information then identifying the unique clues
for their particular bird. This also minimised the time any student
was using the computer, enabling the whole class to complete their
presentations within a very short timeframe. |
Resources
Microsoft Word (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010857991033.aspx)
Blank
template (Word doc, 19k)
Instructions
for using the template (Word doc, 21k)
A selection of bird identification cards for the students to access
information
Ministry of Education Building Science Concepts
– Bird structures, function and adaptation – Book 3. (2000).
Learning Media Ltd. |
Author/s
Sue Cattell and syndicate (Greenhithe Primary School) |
Cluster
Bayview
School |
Published
January 2002 |
