Students Give a Hoot About Science

Fall is officially in full swing! If you've been following along with me on my Instagram page, you know that this is one of my favorite times of the year, thanks to my fall mini unit series. Between assemblies, start of the year data collection, field trips, and other fall festivities, I find that I don't have a whole lot of time to prep during the months of October and November, which makes these no prep mini units the perfect solution. Best of all, they are integrated to touch on several subject areas at once!

Grab the full bundle on TpT HERE...on sale until 11/1/17!

Last week, my students became ornithologists with my All About Owls mini unit. Thanks to Donors Choose, we were able to end the week with an incredible owl pellet dissection. Even without the help of donations from community members, this project is definitely achievable even on a teachers budget! It's a lesson that's sure to stick with your students throughout their year with you and beyond. 

I begin the unit by giving each student a piece of scrap paper and a set of Crayolas. They are instructed to listen and draw what they hear. Without any further instruction, I play an audio clip from YouTube of different owl sounds, making sure that my students cannot see the screen for any clues. After about five minutes, I pause the track and we share what we've heard. Many students will correctly guess that we are listening to owls, but it is very silly to hear their other, more inventive ideas! 

Without further ado, we launch into our owl study by starting a KWL chart. We record what we already know, and what we what to know about owls. We keep this chart up for the remainder of the study, being careful to remember to address any misconceptions we may have had in the "K" column, answering our questions from the "W" section, and recording new information under "L."

We begin our learning with a book from one of my favorite non-fiction authors, Gail Gibbons. This text is jammed packed with information and amazing diagrams, so it's best to split up over several readings. My students will also be given their own leveled readers to practice reading on their own or with a partner. These books are kept in their book boxes to revisit during independent reading time. A comprehension guide is a great assessment piece for their reading grade, as well!

We fill the middle of the week with more no prep learning activities. We label the owl, create a drawing of an owl's habitat, record facts, compare owls to other birds, and reflect upon educational videos. I'm always amazed with the sheer volume of facts my little ornithologists learn in just a week! Did you know that an owl can hear a mouse run across a pile of leaves from 75 feet away? A group of owls is called a parliament! The smallest owl is only five inches tall. There's so much to learn about owls!

The highlight of this mini unit, of course, is the owl pellet dissection. For those of you who aren't yet familiar with an owl's digestive system, know first that owls swallow their prey whole. They cannot, however, digest all they swallow. A special part of their digestive system, the gizzard, compacts these items - hair, fur, bones - and creates an pellet, which the owl expels from its body by regurgitating it. Isn't nature amazing?

I go back to our non-fiction text, which informs us about the diet and digestive system of owls. We make predictions about what we might possibly find in an owl pellet. We then watch the first part of this video for some more information, pausing before the actual dissection. This is the "and the crowd goes wild" part of the lesson...I reveal to my firsties that they are going to be performing this scientific experiment themselves, and they can't contain their excitement!

Using the observation guide from my mini unit and this handy (FREE!) bone guide makes this experiment incredibly engaging and educational for students as young as PreK. I was fortunate enough to utilize incredible materials from Donors Choose, however, I have completed this project with Dollar Store materials in the past. The most important elements are owl pellets (I found mine on Amazon here, but there are cheaper options available!) and paper plates. I prefer to have one owl pellet per two students, but larger groups of 3-5 can have success with this as well, if your funds are limited. Fun extras like tweezers and magnifying glasses can be found at the Dollar Store, but aren't completely necessary.

Following the step by step directions including on our observation guide, we observe the outside of the pellet before carefully splitting it open with our fingers. We then peep in to study the structure of the pellet, and notice anything unusual or surprising. We record our observations carefully as we go...after all, scientists always share the results of their experiments with the world! Finally, it's time to completely dissect the pellet, carefully studying the bones. We make predictions about what the owl may have eaten based on what we find.

For three days only (ending November 1, 2017 at midnight), this mini unit is on sale for 20% off in my store! Inside this set, you'll find leveled readers and a matching comprehension guide, a KWL chart, a can/have/are chart, Spotted Owl interactive fact sheet, owl labeling activity, a fact sheet, compare and contrast Venn diagram, report pages, a story problem activity, and owl math riddles. You'll also find directions for a fun art activity and the titles and authors of my favorite owl read alouds! 

Looking to save even more? Check out my Fall Mini Unit bundle, covering bones, leaves, owls, and spiders HERE! You'll score all four of my fall mini units for the price of just three marked down to a record low price! But hurry...this deal won't last long. These no prep, print and go sets make planning during this hectic time of the year a breeze. Download your new mini unit today!