Book 3

Birds: Structure, Function, and Adaptation

Synopsis

Birds can be observed in our everyday environment. The physical features that make these animals birdlike are obvious, and the ways in which these features work and help birds to suit their environment can be readily investigated.
This book focuses on the common birds of towns and gardens, local bush, waterways, and coasts, including both introduced and native New Zealand birds. These birds show how their various physical features, adaptations, and lifestyles enable them to survive in environments in which people's influence figures strongly.

Levels: 1-4

Strand: Living World

Achievement aim:
AA2: Investigate and understand relationships between structure and function in living organisms.

Concept overview

Use the concept overview, which is also on the inside front cover of the book, as a reference for the concepts that relate to Birds: Structure, Function, and Adaptation.

• The concepts are the building blocks for the column: each column is defined by a "big idea".
• The arrows show the links between concepts and how they might build in sequence. Teachers can choose to develop a narrow focus by moving up the template or a broad focus by following arrows across.
• Each "big idea" shows how a fully developed understanding of the supporting concepts might look. Such an understanding might not be achieved until level 7 or 8. The big ideas are included here to help you build appropriate concepts with your students, whatever their age.

Read the concept overview. To view it, you will need Acrobat Reader.

Writers – Rosemary Hipkins, Peter Llewellyn
Specialist Advisers – Dr Bob Brockie, Dr Peter Bull

Links with other titles in the series

Book 4. Animal Life Histories (L1-4, Living World: AA3)
Book 5. Fur, Feathers, and Bark (L1-4, Living World: AA2)
Book 17. Flight (L1-4, Living World: AA2; Physical World: AA1, AA4)
Book 52. Is This an Animal? (L1-2, Living World: AA1)

Assessment resources

Visit the 'Building Science Concept' page on the Assessment Resource Banks (ARB) website to find ARB resources that assess the 'big idea' learning outcomes referred to in the concept overview for this title.