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Birds in the School Yard

Connecting to Nature

Elementary

Description

This resource introduces primary students to the basic needs of living things and helps them explore how birds interact with their environment. Through hands-on, outdoor activities, students learn key concepts such as habitat, adaptation, shelter, and environment while developing observation and mapping skills.

The unit is organized into four lessons:

  • The Needs of Living Things: Students discuss the basic needs of living things—food, water, shelter, and space—and make observations about their surroundings through guided activities and observation frames.
  • Observing and Mapping the Schoolyard: Students explore their schoolyard, create maps, and identify features relevant to wildlife, noting where food, shelter, and water are available.
  • Home Tweet Home: An interactive game that allows students to experience what life is like as a bird in a changing environment. The activity simulates habitat loss, encouraging empathy and problem-solving.
  • Ready, Set, Action: Students brainstorm and implement ways to make their schoolyard more bird-friendly, such as building feeders or planting native vegetation.

By the end of the unit, students gain a deeper appreciation for birds and the importance of creating environments where all living things can thrive.

General Assessment

Strengths

This resource has several strengths that make it highly effective for young learners. It is easy to use and well-organized, with activities that are age-appropriate for Kindergarten to Grade 2. The lessons provide hands-on, experiential activities that engage students in exploring their schoolyard and observing birds, fostering inquiry-based learning and critical thinking.  Students have opportunities to collaborate, communicate their findings, and take meaningful action to improve habitats, connecting classroom learning to real-world environmental stewardship. Additionally, the activities are flexible and adaptable, allowing teachers to tailor them to different schoolyards, climates, and student abilities.

Weaknesses

  • While ithe lesson plan provides informal observation and reflection opportunities, there are no structured assessments to measure learning outcomes
  • No specific suggestions or adaptations for students with learning difficulties

Recommendation of how and where to use it

The resource connects closely to the science and social studies curriculum for early primary grades. It supports learning about habitats, adaptations, and human impacts on the environment, while also incorporating geographic skills such as mapmaking and understanding local spaces. To enhance the learning experience, teachers are encouraged to reach out to local bird experts or organizations that may be willing to share their expertise, or support students’ exploration of the topic.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

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  • Alberta
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    • Kindergarten
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      • Science
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        • Earth Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions.
    • Grade 1
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Living Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions.
    • Grade 2
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        • Living Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions
  • British Columbia
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        • Science: Plants and animals have observable features
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        • Science 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
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        • Science 2: Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment
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        • Life Science
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        • Characteristics and Needs of Living Things
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        • Life Systems
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        • Explore Your World: Well-Being
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        • Explore Your World: Play and Playfulness
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        • Explore Your World: Well-Being
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        • Exploring Our World: Skills
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        • Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
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        • Animal Growth and Changes
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        • Science: Plants and animals have observable features
    • Grade 1
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        • Life Systems: Characteristics and Needs of Living Things
        • Science 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
    • Grade 2
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        • Life Science: Growth and Changes in Animals
  • Nova Scotia
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        • Primary Science: Living Things
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        • Science 1: Needs of Living Things
  • Nunavut
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      • Science
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        • Life Systems: Characteristics and Needs of Living Things
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        • Connecting and Belonging: The Land: Place & People
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        • Life Science: Growth and Changes in Animals
  • Ontario
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        • Problem Solving and Innovating: Overall Expectations
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        • Heritage and Identity: Our Changing Roles and Responsibilities
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        • Life Systems: Growth & Changes in Animals
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        • Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
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        • Interactions: Place and Time
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        • Animal Growth and Changes:Investigating the Needs and Life Cycles of an Organism
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        • Needs & Characteristics of Living Things
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        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Animal Growth and Changes
  • Yukon Territory
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science: Plants and animals have observable features
    • Grade 1
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
    • Grade 2
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 2: Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment

Themes Addressed

Ecosystems (1)

  • Appreciating the Natural World

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Good

The activities in this resource encourage students to explore and discover the importance of habitats for birds through hands-on learning. By spending time outdoors, students observe their surroundings, take notes, and collect data to draw informed conclusions about how birds meet their needs and how people can help protect their habitats.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Good

In this lesson plan, both environmental and social dimensions are woven throughout the activities. Students explore the schoolyard to identify food sources, shelter, water, and space for birds, highlighting the role of the environment in supporting living things. Students brainstorm and implement ways to improve habitats (e.g., adding feeders, planting shrubs), fostering a sense of stewardship and environmental responsibility. Students work in pairs or groups to map the schoolyard, observe birds, and play interactive games simulating bird behavior, promoting cooperation and communication. By role-playing as birds during games, students gain insight into the challenges wildlife face, nurturing social-emotional learning and empathy for other living beings.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Good

Protecting trees and recognizing their crucial role in ecosystems is more important than ever due to the ongoing trend of urbanization. This resource fosters that understanding by engaging students in hands-on activities that highlight how trees provide food, shelter, and nesting sites for birds, and how their presence supports the broader environment.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Very Good

Lesson 4 invites students to create a plan to make a specific area of the schoolyard more bird friendly. Students brainstorm and implement ways to make their schoolyard more bird-friendly, such as building feeders or planting native vegetation.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Good

The extension activities provide opportunities for students to express how personal actions they can take help maintain a healthy environment for all living things.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered

Not considered in this resource

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Very Good

The activities invite students to observe birds in their schoolyard (or immediate outdoor environment) in order to understand how living things meet their needs (food, water, shelter, space), how environments support or fail them, and how people can help improve conditions for wildlife.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good

The activities take place in the school yard. From school yard to home, students are invited to consider how their surroundings can support wildlife (especially birds).

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Poor/Not considered

Not a focus of the resource

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good

Simple schoolyard observations provide opportunities for the students to discover common species, habitat and food sources. When students put themselves in a bird’s “shoes” they become empowered to lead changes to the schoolyard and their local environment to create more bird friendly spaces.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good
  • Science
  • Social Studies
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Very Good

This lesson plan addresses inquiry-based learning. It encourages students to actively observe, question, and investigate their surroundings.

  • Students explore the schoolyard to identify food, shelter, water, and space for birds.
  • They collect data through note-taking, tallying bird sightings, and mapping habitats.
  • Students analyze and draw conclusions about the needs of birds and the impact of environmental changes.
  • They propose and test solutions, such as creating bird-friendly spaces, linking their observations to real-world action.
Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

The lesson plan addresses the needs of visual, auditory and kinesthetic students such as mapping the schoolyard, observing birds and using charts or diagrams. Students engage through discussion, stroytelling and listening activities. They participate in hands-on outdoor exploration, games that simulate bird behavior and interactive habitat building activities.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

Students are involved in hands-on outdoor exploration, games that simulate bird behavior, and interactive habitat-building activities.

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Good

Students work in pairs or groups to map the schoolyard, observe birds, and play interactive games simulating bird behavior, promoting cooperation and communication.

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Good

Although there are no specific tools or rubrics, the lesson plan uses a variety of informal assessment tools to evaluate student learning. Teachers can observe students’ note-taking and data collection during outdoor activities, assess the accuracy and completeness of their schoolyard maps, and review tally sheets or charts to see how well students organize and interpret information. Participation in group discussions, reflections on habitat improvements, and engagement in interactive games also provide insight into students’ understanding of bird habitats, environmental concepts, and their ability to apply knowledge. These assessments focus on observing skills, reasoning, and collaboration rather than formal testing.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Good

Students share their findings by presenting maps, data charts, or reflections to classmates and teachers, or by creating displays, posters, or journals for the wider school community. This process allows students to communicate the impact of their actions, see the real-world effects of habitat improvements, and inspire others to contribute to protecting wildlife.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Poor/Not considered

Not considered in this resource

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Very Good

The lesson plan provides meaningful opportunities for student choice and deeper engagement. Students can decide which areas of the schoolyard to focus on, select the medium for recording observations (e.g., maps, charts, journals, drawings), and choose specific actions to make the environment more bird-friendly, such as planting shrubs, setting up feeders, or providing nesting materials. These choices allow students to explore aspects of the program that interest them most, take ownership of their learning, and engage more deeply with environmental stewardship.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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