Mockingbirds Lesson Plans

1. Birds of a feather, an interdisciplinary unit: Math/Science wing
...e the bird feeders over a period of five minutes and make a frequency table of the bird species observed. In our geographic area species will probably include cardinals, mourning doves, nuthatches, wrens, sparrows, finches, goldfinch, and hummingbirds. Other species might include robins, bluebirds, mockingbirds, and indigo buntings, but these are primarily insect eaters. Students will need some practice in identifying bird species. Teachers will want to be familiar with eating and migration habits of local birds. Basically all you need to know is what kinds of birds will be present in your area when you do...

2. Similes
...y lived on a farm so poor; it looked LIKE the tail end of bad luck." 2. "Blanche was sweet and kind sharp AS forty crickets." 3. "...they were alike AS two peas in a pod." 4. "A cow with two heads, and horns LIKE corkscrews, peered over a fence..." 5. "These chickens didn't cluck, but whistled LIKE mockingbirds." 6. "The old woman...took off her head. She set it on her knees LIKE a pumpkin." "I'm AS..." Sheet Create a handout for students to complete simile starters; here are some ideas: I'm as tall as... I'm as fast as... I'm as slow as... I'm as tiny as... I'm as strong as... I'm as flexible as... I'm as...

3. Urban Safari- Elementary
...see any animal homes in human-built structures? D. Do you see any plants growing on man-made structures? E. Be a bird-watcher: Where do you see them? What do they seem to be doing? What do they look like (color, shape)? Can you identify any of them? (Common city birds are crows, sparrows, finches, mockingbirds, jays, starlings, pigeons.) How many of each species do you see? F. Compare the "wildlife" to human-influenced life: what plants are growing wild, or planted by people? Are there any wild animals? Are there any domestic animals? G. Be an ant-watcher: Where do you see them? What are they doing? Do yo...

4. Louisiana Voices Unit IX Part 1 Lesson 3 Folklife Around the Year and Around the State
...g the rubric at the end of the lesson as a summative measure. 4th and 8th Grade Activities 1. Begin by brainstorming about ways students think seasonal change affects their lives. What sounds differ, for example? Maybe they hear the chimes of an ice cream truck, school bus brakes, fire crackers, or mockingbirds. Add some of the topics from the list of perspectives above if they don't raise them. Ask students to choose some of these topics for their research and discuss methods they could use: books, the Internet, talking to each other, talking informally to family members and neighbors, conducting a fieldw...