Bird Exploration: Interactive Unit Study

New class

Ages 11-14

Live Group Course

In this 5-week study, learners will explore birds with art projects, experiments, and hands-on activities that include a dissection!

Kristi Given, M.S.

Average rating:

4.9

Number of reviews:

(126 reviews)

Live video meetings

1x per week, 5 weeks

3-8 learners per class

50 min

About Learning Overview Teacher Reviews

What's included

5 live meetings

4 hrs 10 mins in-class hours

Class Experience

US Grade 6 - 9

Welcome to Bird Exploration: Interactive Unit Study! As with all of my unit studies, this course will be taught with hands-on activities, STEM challenges, and a dissection. I strive to develop and deliver classes that are interactive and allow learners to practice what they are learning. This course can be used as an introduction for bird lovers or a continuing education course for birders who are looking for some extra activities to add to their portfolio! 

Learners are invited to share stories, experiences, and/or artifacts that pertain to our topics, but it is not required. You should expect to see us diving into any new questions that learners have that haven't been addressed in my presentations. We research together and find the answer! After every class, I will post a post-activity that is not required, but optional. This could be a video clip, worksheet, or another hands-on activity. 

Take a look at our activities!

Week one: DIY Bird feeders (these will be used as weekly observation stations)
Week two: Researching and observing with live bird cams 
Week three: Building bird nests
Week four: Bird wing adaptation (STEM challenge)
Week five: Bird Dissection 
. 
*****Please note- there is a bird dissection in this class and you can order the bird at home science tools. Link below: https://www.homesciencetools.com/product/pigeon-double-injected-specimen/

Other Details

Parental Guidance

There is a dissection in this class. Students will use scissors.

Supply List

Materials will posted in the classroom each week. 

Air dry clay
Leaves
Sticks
Twine
Hair
Paper
Research tool (computer, tablet, iPad)
Backyard Birds- book is optional  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395922763?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=educatpossi0a-20&linkId=fa3e42b687ca94f36830b96e28feb00c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Empty plastic bottle (large yogurt container, sour cream container also will work)
6inch wooden dowel (or stick of similar size)
Screw driver/scissors/knife (Something sharp to poke a hole) 
Bird seed 
A funnel 
Bird dissection  -- https://www.homesciencetools.com/product/pigeon-double-injected-specimen/
Paper (sturdy paper and light paper)
Straws
Tape

External Resources

In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:

Youtube

Meet the teacher

Kristi Given, M.S.

Joined January, 2021

4.9

126reviews

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

2 Degrees

Master's Degree in Science from Green Mountain College

Bachelor's Degree in Science from Washington College

Hi! My name is Kristi and I am so happy you ventured over to my science learning lab! 

My goal is for students to have fun, maybe get messy, and gain a love for science! My teaching style is interactive and hands-on as I try to bring science to life. My classes work well for the kinesthetic learner. 
You will find that most of my classes have a hands-on component to complement the learning experience and my presentations are very visual. 

I do my very best to keep prices lower than average as I understand how quickly classes add up for parents. Keeping the prices lower also helps parents as there are material lists for experiments and activities. However, almost every class that I have has a coupon! Please reach out if you need assistance. 

When I am not teaching I love to spend time with my daughter outside, gardening, raising chicks, and learning new skills. My goal is to combine some of my hobbies while teaching. 

I have been teaching environmental science to students in pre-k through 12th grade for over 12 years. I have taught in various settings including outdoors, in classrooms, and online. I currently run my own business developing and delivering science lessons and custom curriculums to students in school settings, early learning centers, scouts, libraries, and more! I received my B.A.s in Environmental Science and Sociology in 2016 and my M.S. in Resilient and Sustainable Communities in 2019.