Art and Animations Lesson: Birds
Lesson Plan
1 hourGrades3, 4, 5Visual and Performing Arts
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Written by Monica Lilley
About this lesson
This lesson introduces students to stop motion animation and educates students on concerns about bird populations in New Jersey.
Inquire: Students watch stop-motion videos and discuss the techniques.
Investigate: Students investigate the decrease in bird populations in New Jersey due to climate change.
Inspire: Students work collaboratively to plan a presentation to create awareness and advocate for change to protect bird populations in their local area.
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Everything you need to teach it
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Suggestions
- Students practice research and collaboration skills throughout the lesson.
- This lesson can be adapted and used in any regional context, focusing on local birds.
- The New Jersey-specific video at the beginning of the Investigate section can be replaced with a general video from PBS on birds and climate change
- Additional resources on birds in other states include
- Teachers can invite local birders to share information on specific birds and bird watching.
Prerequisites
- This is lesson 2 of 4 in our 3rd-5th grade Art and Animations unit.
- Students will need access to devices to complete the research task.
- Teachers outside of New Jersey should identify local or regional birds affected by climate change. Teachers can include photos of their local birds and habitats, and provide other resources specific to their region.
- Teachers can provide storytelling templates, guides, or story starters to support students in narrative creation.
Differentiation
- Teachers can create student groups to ensure everyone can access the activities.
- Teachers can support students by viewing the research sources beforehand to determine sources appropriate for lower-level readers.
- Teachers can provide fill-in-the-blank storyboards to guide narrative creation, including sentence or story starters.
- Students can find their own sources when conducting research.
- To deepen understanding or as an extension, students can complete this Bird Watching Activity as homework.
- Students can engage further with this Biodiversity and Birds Exploration Guide that includes a video, independent activities, and coloring pages.
Students can learn and practice with this Bird Watching Activity
From the scientist review
This lesson incorporates stop motion animation art to deliver a message regarding the reduction of birds in New Jersey. All materials used in the lesson have been verified and are suitable for teaching. In this light, this lesson is credible and recommended for the classroom.
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