Migration Mania
Lesson
Plan
Overview
In the Migration Mania
lesson plan, students are introduced to the concept of animal migration. Key concepts about migration are presented
by exploring the migratory patterns of four different animals. Specifically, students search for on-line
information about the natural history of animals and explore reasons why
animals might migrate and how far animals migrate.
This lesson is
very similar to the Migration Nation
lesson. Migration Nation covers similar
concepts, but children are required to do more reading here, in Migration Mania,
making it appropriate for the intermediate
level.
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Suggested Lesson
Sequence |
Please see the Migrations del Mundo module description. |
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Lesson Level |
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Science
Connections (Keywords in BOLD) |
·
Students
will explore the migratory patterns of four animals (i.e. Swainson’s
hawk, green sea turtle, desert locust, and caribou). ·
Students
will learn about migration and its connection to the seasons. ·
Students
will begin to identify reasons for animal migrations. |
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Math Connections (Keywords in BOLD) |
·
Students
will compare distances traveled by different animals during
migration |
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Lesson
Assessment Tools |
Assessment
and Standards Table (Word) |
Materials
A cut-out paper fish
Animal Migration photo essay (Powerpoint)
to be viewed jointly by the teacher and
students
Migration Research Record (Word)
Animal Information sheet: caribou (Word)
Animal Information sheet: Swainson's hawk (Word)
Animal Information sheet: locusts (Word)
Animal Information sheet: turtles (Word)
Hawk in Flight / Birds on the Move movie (Quicktime)
Migration Nation / Migration Mania movie (Quicktime)
About the slideshow:
this slideshow is not meant for students to read through on their
own. It is intended to be viewed together, to outline and illustrate a
discussion of the lesson's themes, led by the teacher. You might have a
different student read each slide's text.
Vocabulary
· Migration: Movement between two geographic areas that is important to animals for survival and reproduction.
· Reproduction: the process by which plants or animals
produce their young.
Note: students will likely be unfamiliar with
other vocabulary presented in this lesson.
This is done intentionally, to spur additional conversations and
discussion about these words and their meanings.
Procedure
I. Assessing
Prior Knowledge
Before class, the
teacher should prepare a cutout in the shape of a fish and discreetly place it
in a corner of the classroom. To begin
a classroom discussion about migration, the teacher should ask for a volunteer
to think or her or himself as a bald eagle, and then have the student “fly”
from his/her starting position to that corner of the room (where the paper fish
has been placed). With the student (bald
eagle) still situated in the corner of the room, the teacher should ask the
class to describe the physical differences the eagle might be experiencing now
that it is in a new location in the classroom.
For example, this new location might be warmer, lighter, have more
color, have less space, be closer to books, etc.
If during this
discussion the paper fish has not been spotted, tell the students that there is
another good reason why the bald eagle chose this particular corner. Ask the students if there is anything in the
corner that might help with the bald eagle's survival. When the students spot the fish point out
that the bald eagle has found its lunch!
Introduce the term "migration" as defined as a movement
between two or more geographic areas that is important for an animal’s
reproduction and survival.
II. Contextual Preparation
After this opening
activity the teacher should now lead the class to discuss why animals may need
to move from one place to another (often over very large distances). These movements are called migrations, and
generally take place on a seasonal time scale, but some cycles of migrations
can occur several times per year or just once in many years. Discussion questions could include: What
seasonal changes in climate may make animal migration necessary? During what times of the year might animals
begin their migrations? Do all animals
need to migrate?
To illustrate some
of these important issues, play the two Pixel the Satellite animations designed
to support this lesson. The transcripts
for each of these animations follow below.
Animation
#1: Migration Nation/Migration
Mania
“1.
I want to introduce you to a few friends of mine. (Turns towards
floating blackboard) 2. Here’s a sea turtle…3. Here’s a caribou…4.
Here’s a hawk… 5. And these are big insects called locusts.
6. Do you know what these animals all have in common? (pause)
7. They all are animals that make a special type of journey in
their lives—and that journey is called a migration!
8. Some animals migrate over long distances in order to find nicer
weather, more food, or a better place to have and raise their babies. 9.
Can you think of other animals that migrate? 10. Do you and
your family migrate? 11. You teacher will help you think about
these questions and others in this next lesson. 12. In the mean
time, I’m off to take a look at the Mississippi River. 13. See you
soo-oon!”
Animation
#2: Birds on the Move/Hawk in
Flight
You
may choose to play this animation at the end of the lesson as part of the
assessment activities that accompany this lesson.
“1. In this lesson, we’ll explore the life of a very interesting bird called a hawk. 2. There are about 16 different kinds of hawks that live on our continent of North America. 3. Did you know that some hawks, like the Swainson’s Hawk (gesturing towards the Swainson’s Hawk on the blackboard), don’t spend the whole year in North America? 4. Instead, they migrate thousands of miles to the southern part of South America and back every year! (shows map on the blackboard) 5. Of course, these hawks can’t buy a ticket on an airplane—they have to fly all this way by themselves! 6. Why do you think a bird would want to fly so far to spend several months of the year thousands of miles away from its nest in North America? 7. And, what clues do you think we might be able to gather in order to understand a hawk’s migration? 8. Well, I just heard the news that our fine feathered friends are soon to be on the move, so your teacher will take it from here. 9. See you soo-oon!”
III. Student Activity
To learn more
about animal migrations, the teacher may lead a discussion comparing the
migration patterns of the Swainson’s hawk, caribou, locust, and green sea
turtle as the children view the Animal
Migration Photo Essay. This photo
essay is an interactive slide show designed to be viewed and read by the
teacher and students together. After
spending completing the photo essay, distribute copies of the Migration Research
Record and the animal information sheets to each
student. Each student should receive at
least one animal information sheet (four different sheets are available: caribou,
locust, turtle,
hawk).
Give students time
to read and think about the information sheets. Encourage students to ask questions about the vocabulary on the
sheets individually. As students read
the sheets, they should record information about a particular animal they
choose to study. As it is an important
skill for students to learn that they cannot find answers to all questions in
any one place, students may not find the answers to every question posed on the
sheet. A world map will be helpful for
students to place the animals’ movements into a global context.
Call upon students
to share the information and stories they wrote on their record sheets. You might have different students share
stories about different animals, and utilize these stories as a basis for
additional class discussion. Highlights
of the class discussion should include conversations about why each animal
migrates, as well as the geographic migratory range of each animal.
IV. Assessment
In completing this
activity, students should understand the concept of migration and be able to
give examples and possible reasons for animal migrations. Assessment/discussion
questions to help assess children’s learning are listed below:
Questions for Class Discussion:
1. What seasonal changes in climate may make
animal migration necessary?
When the weather turns
colder, animals may migrate to warmer climates to reproduce or find food.
2. During what times of the year might animals
begin their migrations?
Animals usually begin
migrations when the climate changes in the fall or spring.
3. Do all animals need to migrate?
No, some animals nest or
hibernate for the winter. Other animals
live in warm climates throughout the year.
4. Which animals that live in our area migrate?
Answers will vary, although
many birds migrate.
5. Why do you think animals migrate?
Animals often migrate to
warmer climates to find food sources or to breed.
6.
How do animals know when to migrate?
(This question is explored further in subsequent lessons)
Animals respond to
migrational cues in the environment, like the length of the day.
7.
How have humans affected the migration of certain animals? (ex: Swainson's Hawk)
Human activity may interfere
with animal migration routes, feeding, or breeding (e.g. humans often interfere
with sea turtle breeding grounds along beaches; pesticide use in Argentina was
killing grasshoppers, the food source for the hawk).
Lesson Extensions for Authentic Assessment
1. Students can research an animal of their
choosing or an animal from their geographical location and its migration
patterns and report their findings to the class.
2. Students can color the migration paths of a
given animal on world maps in order to examine the distances that animals
travel, as well as the countries through which they pass along their migrations.