OVERVIEW
Birds and forests share a symbiotic relationship. Forests provide birds with food, nest sites and protection. Birds, in turn, help the forest by scattering tree seeds and eating insects that may harm trees.
LEVELS Grades 4-5
SUBJECTS
Science
Social Studies
Language Arts
Visual Arts
CONCEPTS Forests, as well as other ecosystems,
contain numerous habitats that support diverse populations.
They depend on other organisms and nonliving components
of the earth.
Organisms are interdependent.
SKILLS
Classifying
Categorizing
Comparing
Contrasting
Identifying Relationships and Patterns
Interpreting
Observing
Organizing Information
Predicting
Researching
DISCUSSION AND STUDY TOPICS The study of birds can be used in the context of many different
areas of learning. Here are some suggestions:
Science
Bird pen pals.Assign
a student or a group of students a bird. Where does the
bird live? How does it live? What type of plants grow
in its habitat? What does the bird eat? Have students
use the information they find to write a letter to a pen
pal from the bird’s point of view. Read the letters
out loud to the class and see if they can guess what type
of bird is writing the letter. (class activity, research
project, writing project, class discussion)
Bird journal. Have
students keep a journal of the different birds they see
in the course of a day. What type of birds do they see
in their daily lives? What do the birds eat? What did
they observe the birds doing? Are there different birds
during different seasons? Do the birds act differently
at different times of the year? (research project,
class presentation, essay topic)
Social Studies
Birds of the world.Assign student teams different
countries around the world. Have each team research the
types of birds found in their country. What type of birds
are there? What do they eat? What is their habitat like?
What types of plants and trees are found in their habitat?
Create a map of the country that includes pictures of
the birds, plants and natural habitats. (research
project, essay topic, class presentation, art project)
Visual Arts
Bird mobile.Create
a mobile from pictures of birds students either draw or
cut out from magazines. Discuss the different birds in
the mobile. How are they different from each other? How
are they the same? (art project, research project,
essay topic, class discussion)
Bird Matching Game
A careful study of a bird's beak or feet will provide clues about its lifestyle, from what it eats to where it lives. Match the beak or feet of these birds with the correct description.
Review the "Birds & Forests" subject area to find
clues.
In addition to providing beauty and recreation, forests supply raw materials to help meet society’s needs for housing, paper, containers and thousands of other products used by consumers every day. As one of the country’s leading forest products providers, Georgia-Pacific Corporation has a long-term interest in and commitment to the health of our nation’s forests.
