Owls in the museum
by Dawn Collins
Rationale
The pre-activity will be helpful in assisting students in becoming familiar with owls and their habitats, and also familiarize them with the northern forest habitat (cool and dry with heavy snow). The on-site activity will allow the children to practice identifying different types of owls located in the various habitats in the museum with assistance from adult chaperones. The post activity will further enhance student knowledge about habitats for animals in the northern forest and also increase knowledge about the types of animals they saw at the museum through drawing pictures and discussion.
Objectives
Students will be able to identify four types of owls, describe what a northern forest looks like, draw pictures accurately that depict the northern forest, and be able to recall at least five animals living in the northern forest that they saw at the museum.
Materials
The teacher will need: laminated pictures of the red fox, white-tailed deer, grouse, great horned owl, long-eared owl, great gray owl, boreal owl, porcupine, raven, and black bear. Also needed are: paper, crayons, markers, paint, glue, other various materials to make the northern forest habitat. Finally, the teacher will need to incorporate books in the classroom library associated with owls, any of the animals in the habitat, or on habitats in general.
Pre-activity: Meeting the animals
Procedure:
Anticipatory sets
Students will come to school in the morning and see various new pictures on the bulletin board, and spread out on a table at the learning center. Some pictures will be recognized because the students may have seen these animals in their own backyard. (one week before trip)
Teacher role
Selection of content - Books about habitats, owls, and the northern forest will be integrated in the classroom library. Laminated pictures of animals in the northern forest habitat set out for observation at an interactive learning center. The bulletin board will include interactive activities for the children to explore, such as locations of the habitat on a map, pictures of the animals, and a place to post pictures the students will make after the post activity.
Modes of instruction
Teacher will pose the question, "What do you think a museum is?" Students will brainstorm and teacher will write responses on the board. Teacher will continue to pose questions about owls, and the animals the students will encounter at the museum to determine what the students already know. To introduce the topic of owls further, the teacher will read the book, "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen, which depicts the northern forest habitat and describes an adventure of a father and son going "howling" for owls. The class will then have a discussion about the book, look at the pictures of the various owls, and discuss habitats.
Student role
Students will listen to the story. Then they will discuss what it was about and share experiences they may have had with owls, like seeing or hearing them. Then the students will involve themselves in looking at the pictures at the learning center and bulletin board and be allowed to explore the books in the room about the topic of habitats and owls.
Closure
The teacher will gather the students together on the floor and have a discussion about the items in the room and what they have learned from interacting with the hands on activities. The teacher will conclude the lesson by informing the children that the class will be visiting the UWSP Museum next month.
Considerations
The teacher will explain what each area in the room is and what the children can do with the materials. The teacher will need to maintain classroom management and noise level. Time allotted for each section of the lesson will be determined according to observation by the teacher and when the right time will be for transition. There will hopefully be enough room for the children to spread out and examine the library, bulletin board, and at the learning center.
Assessment/evaluation
The teacher will assess students by listening to their answers during the closing discussion. The teacher will be able to determine what the children have learned about owls, habitats, and animals in the northern forest. Observation of the students at the different stations will also give the teacher an understanding of the children's comprehension.
Extension activities
Students can go to the public/school
library and look for other books about owls, have their parents
read to them, and perhaps share the books with the class during
sharing time.
Students can be encouraged to go out
in the woods with a parent, or other adult and attempt to listen
for owls, or search for tracks of animals, either in the snow, or
dirt; since we live in the region with the northern forest
habitat.
On-site activity: Finding the owls
Anticipatory sets
Before the students enter the museum, the class will be reminded how to behave in the setting. The teacher will ask the students before hand to find a buddy to keep track of while in the museum. The pairs of students will be asked to recall what they have learned in class about owls, and try to identify ones they have talked about, and try to count all of the different owls in the various habitats around the museum. Students will be reminded that they are allowed to ask adults for assistance.
Teacher role
The teacher will act as facilitator and will answer questions while in the museum. The teacher will also be in control of time management and keep the class on task. He/she will also ask the students questions to help them identify owls and their different habitats and to get them thinking about what they already know about owls and the northern forest habitat.
Student role
Students will attempt to locate and count the different owls in the museum with help from adults. They will be expected to control their own behavior and keep noise down to a minimum.
Closure
The teacher will ask chaperones to help gather the children at the entrance and there will be a head count to assure all children are present. Then the teacher will lead the group out the door and say thank you to the museum staff.
Considerations
The group will be allowed to go to the bathroom in small groups of 4-5 children after the first hour at the museum. (chaperones will supervise) Adults will also keep the children on task with locating the owls, looking around at the exhibits and reading the names of the displays, and also help the children with any questions they may have while at the museum.
Assessment/evaluation
Through observation, the teacher will determine that the students are attempting to identify the different types of owls they have learned about in class. The teacher will also observe the children exploring other habitats and the animals that live in them.
Extension activities
Students can learn about one
particular animal they are interested in by asking adults
questions about the animal. For example, snakes are interesting
creatures, and if a child would like to learn specifically about
snakes, the teacher can help the child gather materials about
snakes to learn about them.
Students can observe the habitats of
other animals. The teacher can gather the children in the
museum's auditorium and talk about the fish, sharks, and dolphins
on display in the room. That way, the students are further
exposed to different animals, instead of only the focus of the
owls, and northern forest habitat.
Post activity: Placing an animal into a habitat
Anticipatory sets
The day following the field trip to the museum, the teacher will start by talking about or recapping the previous day's experience. The teacher will ask students how many owls they found with their buddy. The class will have a discussion about other animals, or habitats, that the children saw or have questions about.
Teacher role
Selection of content - The teacher will explain to the students that each of them will need to choose one animal (or more) to draw on paper using the materials the teacher has set out. The teacher will explain that the students will draw the animal(s) in their natural habitat. This activity will show what the children learned in the museum about different habitats and animals.
Modes of instruction - The teacher will demonstrate what the students should do by drawing a sample on the board. For example, the teacher will draw a background, or habitat, and explain while drawing. Then the teacher will choose one or more animals and draw them on the habitat background.
Student role
The students may ask questions about what is expected. The children will work independently around their desks or tables with the provided materials and draw their pictures.
Closure
After the students finish their pictures (45 minutes will be allotted) the teacher will ask students to each share what they have created. Following the sharing time, the students can assist the teacher in posting their picture on/near the bulletin board.
Considerations
The students will need to stay on task and try to finish their pictures in the allotted time. The teacher will need to go around the room and answer questions or help with other needs. Clean up time will involve the children; this will be done before posting the pictures.
Assessments/evaluations
The teacher will assess the students by observing their creative pictures and making sure the pictures are accurate depiction's of animals and their habitats. Assessment will also naturally occur while the students are sharing what they created.
Extension activities
The children could work in groups to
create their own bulletin boards about habitats or owls or even
choose just one animal to focus on. They could draw pictures,
collect items, etc. about their bulletin board.
The students could visit other
museums with their parents or other adults and share their
experiences with the class.
The students could create one large
thank you card for the museum staff expressing their thanks for
the field trip and the time taken to assist in touring the
museum.