Biodiversity Bird Hunt

Grade Level: Any

Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies

Setting: Classroom

Vocabulary: Biodiversity, species, ecosystem, genetic diversity, adaptation, habitat, culture

Purpose: To help students understand the influence of biodiversity on human culture through the use of birds. Students will "hunt" for birds within their own cultures.

Theme: Biodiversity plays important roles in our cultures, and likewise, cultural practices influence biodiversity.

Background

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth. It includes the variety of plant and animal species, the genetic diversity within a species, and all the ecosystems on Earth. Biodiversity plays vital roles in our everyday lives. A few of these roles include producing the air we breathe, the food we eat, the medicines we use and the inspiration we seek.

Birds are one group of animals with much diversity. They are adapted to nearly every habitat on Earth including oceans, forests, grasslands and deserts. This great diversity of birds has a significant impact on human culture. What is culture? Culture includes the shared customary beliefs, practices and material goods of a group of people.

Procedure

Write Human Cultures on the board. Divide the students into groups and ask them to brainstorm all the words that come to mind when they think of human cultures. Have a representative from each group list its ideas. Summarize these lists on the board. If the students need assistance, ask them to consider some aspects of human cultures such as languages, rituals and material goods.

Guiding Questions

What holidays does your family celebrate?
Any favorite songs in your family? (nursery rhymes, traditional)
Favorite meals? Meals on special occasions?
What clothing items are represented in your culture?
Any particular languages, accents or dialects in your culture?
What symbols are represented in your culture? (Examples: town seal, state symbols)

Ask the group to think of ways that human culture and biodiversity are linked. Are there any aspects of culture that are not connected to nature in some way?

Using the following categories, have students brainstorm ways that birds influence our cultures.

Find a song, poem, story, fable or legend about a bird. Pick up a book of poetry or look through your reading books. How is this bird represented? Is it factual?
Examples: The Scarlet Ibis, the story of the Phoenix, Mother Goose, Chicken Little, The Swan Princess, The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, Rockin’ Robin You may want to pick a specific story or poem, have the students read it, and follow up with a class discussion.
Think of a tradition, holiday or event involving birds. How do you think the tradition evolved?
Examples: Thanksgiving turkey, a stork bringing a new baby, the robin as harbinger of Spring, geese as a sign of Autumn, rooster as a sign of morning)
Think of a practical, recreational, and decorative use for birds. Also, find a historical use of a bird, one that is no longer found in our culture.

Examples of common uses include: down pillows and blankets; poultry and eggs; feather duster; pet birds; fake lawn geese; recreational bird watching and feeding; hunting.

Examples of historical uses include: canaries used in mines as indicators of air quality; feathers used in ladies’ hat-making.

Find a use for a bird in a society other than your own. Research Native American uses, examine another country, or discover your ancestors’ ties to biodiversity.

Think of a phrase with a bird reference. What do these phrases mean? Are the meanings based on fact or fiction?
Examples: eats like a bird, lovebirds, lame duck, sitting duck, wise as an owl, eagle-eyed, early bird gets the worm, etc.

Find a bird in our popular culture (pop music, television, etc.) or those held as symbols.
Examples: Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety Bird, Bald Eagle

Now, brainstorm ways that our cultural practices influence bird populations.

Examples: urban expansion, pet trade, recreational hunting, backyard bird feeding, farming, consumerism.

You may want students to research a particular practice and its effects. Effects may be detrimental, such as habitat fragmentation, or beneficial, such as habitat enhancement.

Wrap-up

Other animals also play important roles in human cultures. Using the categories below, ask students to name at least one example of how other animals and plants are important to each category, both in their own cultures and in other cultural identities. Also have them describe each culture/nature connection.

Food
Clothing
Other practical use
Literary works of art (poetry, stories)
Popular culture
Values and religion

Extensions

Movie Mania
Movies such as Arachnophobia, Bats, Babe, Anaconda, Antz, A Bug’s Life, and The Lion King reach a wide range of audiences. How were the animals in these movies represented? Have students explore any misconceptions that were represented in these movies.

Do these and other movies influence our understanding of and attitudes toward animals? Can you think of examples where human behavior toward certain animals has been influenced by such stories? Relate any examples where an animal myth has influenced you or anyone you know.

Animal Advertising
Think of adjectives that describe various birds. Find an advertisement using a bird or other animal. Why did the advertising company pick this specific bird or other animal? If you were selling a car, computer or clothing line, what bird would you use and why?

Assign students a product to sell. Let them choose a bird to use in the product advertisement. Encourage them to choose their birds based on factual research using the library and the Internet. They should look for attributes that will help them advertise the product. Allow them to create a poster with their product and bird. Let them create logos, slogans, etc. Finally, allow time for each student to present the poster and explain why he or she chose a particular bird to represent the product.