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Winter: Seed Gathering

Feed the Birds

Elementary

Description

This exploration themed video encourages young students to follow their curiosity and ask questions when they don't understand, and find answers using science inquiry skills. In this episode, Elinor befriends a chickadee she names Chicky. When snow covers the yard, Elinor begins to wonder how birds find food during the  winter. As she and her friends observe birds struggling to find seeds, they learn that winter makes food scarce for animals living in cold climates.

This episode helps students understand how seasonal changes affect food and resources and shows how people can help birds survive by providing food.

General Assessment

Recommendation of how and where to use it

This resource complements science units focused on habitats, biodiversity and animal adaptation. It includes support materials for teachers, along with age-appropriate questions that guide student inquiry. The hands-on activities help deepen students’ understanding of the challenges birds face during winter.

To extend learning beyond the classroom, students can participate in a winter walk to observe birds in their natural environment, paying close attention to where they are found and how they meet their needs, such as finding food during colder months. After the walk, students can create a drawing that captures something they observed a bird doing and share it with the class, encouraging discussion, reflection, and connections between real-world experiences and classroom learning.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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  • Alberta
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        • Earth Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions.
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        • Living Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions.
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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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        • Science: Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
    • Grade 2
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        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 2: Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment

Themes Addressed

Ecosystems (2)

  • Appreciating the Natural World
  • Biodiversity