Discover Schoolyard Birds Resources

Resources and links for the Discover Schoolyard Birds curriculum.

The eBird Essentials course introduces you to the eBird project and provides tips and tools for using it. We recommend you enroll and complete this free, online course before starting this curriculum. It takes 2-3 hours to complete.
Teaching slides for the entire Discover Schoolyard Birds curriculum
Tips for Taking Students Outside

Lesson 1: What Makes a Bird a Bird?
Birds are a group of animals that have two wings, a beak, two legs, and lay hard-shelled eggs. Birds are the only living animal with feathers.

Activity 1: Choose one or more of the following Introducing Birds videos to show your class.
Activity 2
- Teaching slides, linked above
Activity 4: Open all of these All About Birds profiles to watch videos, listen to sounds, and see more photos.
Activity 5
- The You Can Do Participatory Science video explains the basics of participatory science and how anyone can participate. Note: if you have a previous version of the curriculum, the text will say “You Can Be A Citizen Scientist”. We’ve updated the video and language, but general content remains the same.
- eBird live submission Map

Lesson 2: Size and Shape
There are many different kinds of birds. We can begin to identify them by comparing their size and shape.

Lesson 3: Color Pattern
A bird’s overall color pattern provides important clues for identification.

Activity 2
- Teaching slides, linked above
- Bird Behavior Case Study supplemental videos that allow students to look more closely at bird behaviors.
Reflect and Evaluate
- Mystery behavior videos
  - Foraging/feeding: Northern Cardinal, Brown Pelicans, Northern Shoveler
  - Flying: Red-shouldered Hawk, Cedar Waxwings, American Crows
  - Making a nest: American Robin, Cliff Swallow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  - Singing: Wood Thrush, Marsh Wren, Veery
  - Defending territory: Northern Mockingbird
  - Courtship: Red-tailed Hawk, Greater Sage-Grouse, Northern Cardinal
  - Colonial nesting: Northern Gannet, White Ibis, King Penguin
  - Cooperative breeding: There are no good videos of this but the article entitled “How Do Birds Cooperate? An Overview of Strategies” describes other species that have this behavior.

Activity 1
- The You Can Do Participatory Science video explains the basics of participatory science and how anyone can participate. Note: if you have a previous version of the curriculum, the text will say “You Can Be A Citizen Scientist”. We’ve updated the video and language, but general content remains the same.
- eBird live submissions map
Activity 2
- Teaching slides, linked above
Activity 3
- Download several copies of BirdSleuth Investigator to share investigations with your students
- Curated list of investigations for 3rd-5th graders to read
  - 2020 Edition
    - “Birds in the Cold” (p. 6)
    - “The Effect of Gender on Time Spent Sitting on Eggs” (p. 7)
    - “Do Birds Prefer to Eat in the Morning or the Late Afternoon?” (pp. 10-11)
  - 2019 Edition
    - “Why are the Black-capped Chickadees Falling in Population at Our Feeder?” (pp. 9-10)
    - “Which Birds Go Higher Up Our Tree to Eat?” (pp. 11-12)
  - 2018 Edition
    - “Homemade vs. Store-Bought Suet: Who will win?” (pp. 3-4)
    - “Do Birds Prefer Music?” (pp. 6-7)
    - “Will Pictures of Cats Scare Birds?” (pp. 9-11)
  - 2017 Edition
    - “Do Hummingbirds Prefer Feeders Up High or Down Low?” (p. 3)
    - “Did More Birds Come to the Feeder in the Morning or the Afternoon?” (p. 6)