Lessons & Activities
• Eagle Quest (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
Challenge your students to an
Internet scavenger hunt related to
eagles! This lesson was created for the
5th & 6th grade students at our school
using the sites available in the
Sites for Students area. The pdf download contains a student worksheet and answer key.
Student Worksheet: Eagle Quest (pdf)
Bald Eagle Survey (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
My students visited the riverfront in
our area to complete two surveys related
to bald eagles. The first survey
was a population count, while the second
survey had students recording the
various behaviors they observed in the
eagles. The PowerPoint includes
charts to help the students analyze the
data to answer the questions on the back
of the student worksheet.
Student Worksheet:
Bald Eagle Survey (pdf)
Class
Presentation:
Bald Eagle Data Analysis (PPT)
•
Eagle Days Web
(Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
For this activity, 8th grade
students use their knowledge of lessons
from previous years to create a concept
web using eagle-related terms. Students
are allowed to use sites available
in the
Sites for Students area. as well as printed resources. I allow students to work in small groups to create the web on a large sheet of construction paper and require groups to use 30 out of 36 terms. I usually allow 1 1/2 to 2 class periods for the project. After everyone is finished, we hang the webs in the hallway and I give the students a chance to compare their projects to the others. The pdf download contains the student worksheet as well as a sample concept web using all 36 terms.
Student Worksheet: Eagle Days Web (pdf)
• The Search for National Symbols (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
This Internet activity was
created for our 7th and 8th grade Social
Studies classes and explores the symbols
of our nation. A listing of sites for
this lesson is available in the
Sites for Students area. The pdf download contains a student worksheet and answer key.
Student Worksheet: The Search for National Symbols (pdf)
• Literature Connection: The Bald Eagle Free Again (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
Our 5th grade students start their eagle unit with this book by Carol A. Amato. As the students read the book, they add eagle information to a graphic organizer and use the information to create a bald eagle bumper sticker. Students learn about the life cycle of an eagle by complete the Eagle Family Album activity from Eagles: Hunters of the Sky.
NOTE: See the resources section for more information about these materials.
Student Worksheet: Free Again Crossword (pdf)
NOTE: For a great graphic to use for an organizer, use the Bald Eagle Printout from Enchanted Learning. Students can use the different sections of the eagle to group the facts from the story.
• Literature Connection: Three Rivers Junction (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
Our 6th grade students focus
their lessons around this book by
Saranne Burnham. After reading the book,
students complete extension lessons from Ranger Rick, Eagles: Hunters of the Sky, and Bald Eagle: Master of the Sky to learn more about bald eagles and their habitat.
NOTE: See the resources section for more information about these materials.
Student Worksheets: Web of Life (pdf) and Three Rivers Junction Word Search (pdf)
• Build-A-Nest Challenge (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
After a discussion on the construction of eagle nests, I challenge my students to build a nest out of paper strips, toothpicks, thread, and pipe cleaners. Teams are provided with $1.00 (or a Bird Buck) to buy nest-building materials from the Nest Store. After they are done building, we place the nests on "branches" and determine the best nest or the one that holds the most pennies.
Lesson Worksheets:
Build-A-Nest Challenge (pdf),
Project Score Sheets, &
Grade Worksheet
Also available
...
Build-A-Nest Challenge presentation
(PPT) and
Teacher Information page
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Trivia, Puzzles, & More!
• Bald Eagle Trivia Challenge (pdf) (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
Challenge your students to test their eagle IQ with these trivia questions! An answer key has been provided.
• Bald Eagle Word Search (pdf) (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
Help your students identify terms associated with bald eagles with this puzzle.
• Bald Eagle Basics (pdf) (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
Test your eagle knowledge with my Bald Eagle Basics games at Quia! Play the games to help you complete the worksheet! A link to this game has been provided
in the
Sites for Students area.
• Mighty Eagles song (pdf) (Corinne Koehler & Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High School, Havana, IL)
Our junior high students enjoy this "rap" song about bald eagles! The 5th & 6th music classes as well as the 7th & 8th grade science classes compete to see which class can do the best job. Some classes sing the song and create a "dance" while others enjoy a "drill sergeant" version with the teacher calling out the lines and the students repeating them.
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School & Community Projects
• Eagle Days Penny Drive
Our school held an Eagle Days Penny Drive to raise money for Eagle Days activities and eagle books for the classrooms as well as allow us to adopt an eagle or donate to an eagle group, such as the World Bird Sanctuary or the American Eagle Foundation! Students and staff donated their pennies and other spare change to the Eagle Days fund. The class that collected the highest amount of money in each grade level received a special treat or reward!
• Eagle Days Trivia Challenge
Each day my 8th grade students start class with a Daily Science Trivia question. To highlight the local Eagle Days Festival, junior high students and staff tried their luck with trivia questions related to eagles. Many of the questions were from the Bald Eagle Trivia Challenge page listed above. The daily question was read on the morning announcements and the winners were announced at the end of the day. I provided prizes, such as candy and pop, for the winners!
• Raptor Show
For Eagle Days 2002, the World Bird Sanctuary presented an excellent show about raptors for the entire school as well as four shows for the local community. The show included background information on raptors and featured a bald eagle as well as a flight demonstration. Visit their website for more details. Check with your local wildlife refuges or zoos to see what programs they offer!
• Eagle Watch
My students enjoy spending science class at the Havana riverfront and Chautauqua Wildlife Refuge looking for eagles. The students compile a list of eagle behaviors they observed during the trip as well as the number of immature and adult eagles. Students compared their results with those of other science classes. Thanks to Jo Skoglund (from the Nature Conservancy) for helping with the event and Chautauqua Wildlife Refuge for the loan of binoculars! Special thanks to the parent volunteers who shuttled the students to the riverfront!
The Emiquon Audubon Society hosted an Eagle Watch at the Havana riverfront during the Eagle Days weekend. Volunteers provided spotting scopes and were available to answer questions. In addition, “Emi” eagle (a volunteer wearing an eagle costume) visited the riverfront to pose in her nest for pictures with eagle watchers of all ages. Check with your local or state Audubon chapter for bird watching events in your community or a list of volunteers to visit your classroom!
• Eagle Story Hours
The Havana Public Library presented story hours with eagle books, games, and craft activities for kids.
• Eagle Days Art Contest
Local community groups sponsored an art contest for 1st through 12th grade students. The entries were on display at the local library and various businesses in the community.
• Eagle Days at the Museum
Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown offered a special Feathered Friends program from the Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria, Illinois, for children and adults during the Eagle Days weekend.
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Favorite Resources - Books, Websites, and Videos
Books
• The Bald Eagle Free Again
By Carol A. Amato
ISBN # 0-8120-9288-0
A great story about the life of an eagle at a nature refuge. The story provides information about an eagle's life cycle as well as conservation issues.
• Three Rivers Junction - A Story of an Alaskan Eagle Preserve
By Saranne Burnham
ISBN # 1-56899-442-7
The story illustrates the connections between animals in an eagle's habitat in Alaska and provides excellent pictures to capture the attention of your students. This would be a great book for any ecology unit!
• Soaring with the Wind- The Bald Eagle
By Gail Gibbons
ISBN # 0-688-13730-X
A fantastic book with colorful pictures and great information to teach your students about bald eagles!
• Eagles: Hunters of the Sky
By Ann C. Cooper
ISBN # 1-879373-11-4
One of the best eagle resources for teachers from the Denver Museum of Natural History! Lots of great stories and activities to explore the world of the eagle!
• Bald Eagle: Master of the Sky
This resource provides an assortment of ideas for K-12 students as well as a great CD-Rom filled with bald eagle facts and interactive activities!
NOTE: This resource is available through Acorn Naturalists with an item # of BIRD-6445.
• Hunters of the Sky - An Activity Guide on Birds of Prey
From Science Museum of Minnesota
Lesson ideas and information for a variety of raptors! This resource provides activities exploring feathers, food chains, environmental issues, and more!
NOTE: This resource is available through Acorn Naturalists with an item # of BIRD-5234.
• Ranger Rick Nature Scope- Birds, Birds, Birds!
ISBN# 0-945051-32-8
A great resource for any K-8 unit on birds! Great activities and background information will provide you with lots of ideas to give your students a "birds eye view" of the world.
Videos
• Animal Adventures: Saving the Eagle
A wonderful video hosted by Jack Hanna highlighting the world of eagles!
NOTE: This resource is available through the American Eagle Foundation store.
• Eyewitness Flight
I use this video as an introduction to a lesson on eagles and flight. Students complete various activities from Bald Eagle: Master of the Sky, Eagles: Hunters of the Sky, Hunters of the Sky - An Activity Guide on Birds of Prey, and online resources to explore the principles of flight. Once they have completed the lessons, they enjoy building a variety of paper airplanes (gliders, fast flyers, etc.) and relating their observations to birds.
NOTE: This resource is available through Acorn Naturalists with an item # of V-7293
Visit these sites for ready-to-use paper airplane designs and links:
Alex's Paper Airplanes - http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/
Paper Airplane Theme Page (Links) - http://www.cln.org/themes/paper_airplanes.html
Websites - Background Information and Educational Materials
Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Teacher Resources - Explore the great educational materials on this site! Visit the projects page to learn more about Project Feeder Watch and Classroom Feeder Watch.
Eagle Links for Kids page at the Kid Zone -Visit this page for an assortment of informational sites for bald eagles!
Raptor Center Lessons
- Explore the resources for great ideas! This website provides background information, activities, discussion questions, and ideas for extension lessons.
