UWSP Museum of Natural History Exhibits

University of Wisconsin Stevens Point

Investigating owls

by Donna Schwede and Theresa Schlimm

Topic: Investigating Owls

Grade Level: 3

Subjects: Science and Language Arts

Overall rationale

^{It is important for students to understand that
owls have certain relationships in nature with other animals, such as the woodpecker. It
is also important for students to understand there are many different types of owls, all
of which have diets, habitats, nesting places, and physical features that distinguish them
from each other. Students must also realize that each type of owl has different
specializing functions that are used for survival in nature.}

^{ILO's/Objectives}

^{After reading the story, The Owl
and the Woodpecker, students will explain the relationship between owls and
woodpeckers.}

^{Students will identify the
habitats, diets, nesting places, and other unique physical characteristics of eleven
different owls.}

^{After a field trip to the
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Museum of Natural History, students will research
and prepare a presentation on a selected owl.}

^{Preactivity: An
introduction to owls.}

^Materials

^{The story "The Owl and the Woodpecker"
by Brian Wildsmith and different owl books and pictures to place
around the classroom.}

^Rationale

^{It is important for students to understand that
owls interact with other animals in the environment. Students need to be aware of these
relationships and how the relationships affect the lives of animals in nature.}
^{Anticipatory
set}
^{The teacher will place books and pictures of
owls around the classroom to spark students’ interests for the new topic. At the
beginning of class, the teacher will begin by telling the students they will be doing
several lessons on owls. At this time the teacher will also tell the students they will be
taking a field trip to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Museum of Natural History
to do an investigation on the many types of owls that exist in the environment. The
teacher will then ask the students what they expect and hope to see at the museum. After
asking the students what they would like to see at the museum, the teacher will explain to
the students that today they will learn about the relationship between owls and
woodpeckers.}
^Procedure
^{Teacher role: The teacher will
ask the students if they can describe the relationship between owls and woodpeckers. After
listening to the students’ answers, the teacher will read the first half of the
story, The Owl and the Woodpecker, by Brian Wildsmith.

Student role: After listening to the
first half of the story, the students will work with partners to write a conclusion to the
story. Each group of students will then be asked to share their conclusion with the rest
of the class. After sharing their conclusions, the students will listen to the teacher
read the remainder of The Owl and the Woodpecker. Once the students have heard the
ending, they will discuss the similarities and differences between their conclusions and
the author’s conclusions. Finally, the students will discuss the relationship between
owls and woodpeckers.}

^Assessment

^{The students will be assessed based on their
conclusions to the story, The Owl and the Woodpecker. They will also be assessed on
their participation and responses during the discussion about the relationship between
owls and woodpeckers.}
^{Considerations}

Time frame: This lesson should take approximately one hour: Five minutes for anticipatory set; Forty minutes for activities listed under procedure; Fifteen minutes for wrap-up/discussion about the story.

^{University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Museum of Natural History}

Field Trip Schedule

8:15 Gather students and explain to them the rules and proper behaviors that are expected of them while at the UWSP Museum of Natural History. Dismiss students and have them use the bathrooms, get their jackets, and line up at the door.

8:30 Load bus and depart.

8:45 Arrive at UWSP Museum of Natural History and enter into the auditorium.

Students remove jackets, pile them in the corner, take a clipboard with attached worksheets & pencil and sit down.

8:50 Teacher begins with the anticipatory set.

9:00 After being divided up into groups, students will tour the museum with their chaperone and complete the tasks as listed under procedure in the on-site lesson plan.

10:00 Students will return back to the auditorium for discussion and wrap-up.

10:10 Students will return their clipboards and worksheets to the teacher, get their jackets on, and line up.

10:15 Load bus and return to school.

10:30 Arrive at school.

^{Parent/guardian field trip permission slip

My child, _____________, has
permission to attend the field trip to UWSP’s Museum of Natural History on Monday,
November 22. We will be leaving at 8:30 a.m. and will be returning to school at 10:30 A.M.
The purpose of our field trip will be to identify the different types of owls and their
respective habitat, diet, nesting place and any other interesting physical characteristics
or functions. Please sign the form below to grant your child’s permission to attend
our field trip.

Signed by
___________________________on______________________
**If you have any information
(books/stories/magazines) about owls, please send them to school with your child. We will
be using these resources to research owls. Thank you!}
**Also see attached chaperone form if you are interested in coming with us!

^{Chaperones needed!

Our class will
be taking a field trip to the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Museum of Natural
History on Monday, November 22, 1999. We will leave the school at 8:30 A.M. and return at
10:30 A.M. We are in search of several people who would be interested in serving as
chaperones. Your responsibilities would be to ride the bus with our class and guide a
small group of students through the museum as they complete the activities. The students
will be identifying different types of owls and their respective habitats, diets, nesting
places, and any other interesting physical characteristics or functions.

If you are interested, please fill
out the following form and have your student return it to me as soon as possible.
Grandparents, friends and neighbors are welcome as well!

Thank you.}
^{____________________}

^{Please cut along the dotted line and
have your student return the bottom portion to school.}
^{------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name __________________________Phone
Number _____-________

Relationship to the
student_____________________

Any past chaperone experiences (not
required to participate) ____________________________________________________}
Please list a good time that I can reach you. __________________

^{On-site
activity}

^Materials
^{The story "Barn Owl" by Phyllis
Flower; Owl Treasure Hunt worksheet and Owl Trivia worksheet (see attached); clipboards
(one for each student); pencils; white drawing paper.}

^Rationale

^{It is important for students to understand that
there are many different types of owls. Each type has distinguishing characteristics such
as diet, habitat, nesting place, and physical features.}
^{Anticipatory
set}
^{The teacher will read the book "Barn
Owl" to the students. This book will introduce some of the vocabulary terms that the
students will encounter while touring the museum. To prepare the students for the Owl
Treasure Hunt worksheet, the teacher will ask students questions pertaining to the barn
owl’s habitat, diet, nesting place and physical features.}
^Procedure
^{Teacher role: The teacher will hand out a
clipboard and pencil to each student, as well as the Owl Trivia and Owl Treasure Hunt
worksheets. The teacher will split the students up into groups of 4-5 and send them with a
chaperone to complete the activities. Before the students go on their way, the teacher
will explain the worksheets.

Student role: Students will go on an owl
treasure hunt and fill out the Owl Treasure Hunt worksheet first. Once finished with this,
students will complete the Owl Trivia worksheet. If time allows, students will return to
the conference room and pick up a white sheet of drawing paper to sketch their favorite
owl. After students sketch their favorite owl, they will return to the conference room for
a discussion and to ask any questions they may have. Students will also be allowed time to
make any additional comments about their experience at the museum.}

^Assessment

^{Students will be assessed based on responses
they make during discussion time as well as their completion of the worksheets.}
^{Considerations}

Time frame: Ten minutes for anticipatory set; One hour for activities listed under procedure; Ten minutes of wrap-up/discussion (If more time is needed for discussion, make time for it after returning to school.)

^{Owl treasure hunt}

^{Name_________________}

^{Directions: Can you find all eleven owls? Be sure to record the each
owl's name, habitat, diet, nesting place and any other comments. T D}

^{1.2.
3.
4.}

^{6. 7.
8.
9.
10.}

11.

^{Owl Treasure Hunt Answer Key}

^{1. Name: Snowy owl.Habitat: Tundra.
Diet: Lemmings, mice, ptarmigans and other birds.}
^{Nesting place: In years
when food is scarce, snowy owls, especially young ones, move farther south during the
winter.}

Other: Very white.

^{2. Name: Barred owl.Habitat: Pond and wetland.
Diet: Mice, chipmunks, squirrels, opossums, rabbits,
and birds
Nesting Place: Nests in tree cavities.}
^{Other: Hunts mainly at
dawn and dusk, but may be seen on overcast days. Often responds to humans imitating its
call.}

^{3. Name: Boreal owl.Habitat:
Northern forest (found in Europe and North America).

Diet: Mice, insects, and some small birds.
Nesting place: Nests in abandoned woodpecker nest
cavities.}
Other: Round spots on forehead distinguish it from the saw-whet owl.

^{4. Name: Great gray owl.}
^{Habitat: Northern forest.}

^{Diet: Mice, insects, and small birds.}

^{Nesting place: Nests in tree
cavities.}

^{Other: Puffy feathers make it
look like the largest owl, but it is actually lighter than the snowy owl or great horned
owl.}

^{5. Name: Long-eared owl}
^{Habitat: Northern forest}

^{Diet: Mice and small birds}

^{Nesting place: Nests in tree
cavities.}

^{Other: Feather tufts on top of
head do not aid hearing; rather they break up the owl's silhouette when it perches or
roosts up in a tree. When disturbed, it compresses its body feathers and raises its
ear tufts to make it appear like a broken branch or a piece of bark.}

^{6. Name: Northern hawk owl.}
^{Habitat: Northern forest.}

^{Diet: Mice, lemmings, snowshoe hares,
ground squirrels, grasshoppers, small birds, and other insects.}

^{Nesting Place: Nests in hollow tops of
dead trees or abandoned woodpecker holes.}

^{Other: Active in the day; appears
hawk-like in flight.}

^{7. Name: Great horned owl.Habitat: Northern forest.
Diet: Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks,
rats, birds (grebes, ducks, geese, small herons, coots, pheasants, grouse, jays,
woodpeckers, crows, and songbirds).
Nesting place: Have a regular feeding
roost where they prepare and eat prey.}
Other: Can find bones, hair, feathers from prey, and regurgitated pellets of undigested material that have collected on the ground at their site.

^{8. Name: Saw-whet owl.Habitat: Large river and forest.
Diet: Mice and other small rodents.
Nesting place: Nests in abandoned woodpecker
holes and tree cavities.}
Other: White streaks on forehead.

^{9. Name: Eastern screech owl.Habitat: Large river and forest.
Diet: Mice and other small rodents.
Nesting place: Nests in tree cavities,
woodpecker holes, hallowed tree stumps.}
Other: Doesn’t screech; whistles softly.

^{10. Name: Short-eared owl.Habitat: Grassland and wetland.
Diet: Mice and other small rodents.
Nesting place: Does not use trees; only on land
.}
Other: Lays eggs on ground.

^{11. Name: Barn owl.Habitat: Forest edge.
Diet: Mostly rodents; occasionally bats,
muskrats, and skunks.
Nesting place: Nests in bottoms of tree cavities
or on flat surfaces in buildings or silos.}
Other: This barn owl has a meadow vole in its mouth.

^{OWL TRIVIA}

^{Name __________________}

^{Directions: Through observation and reading the descriptions of
each owl, answer the questions below.

1. Which owl eats mostly
insects?

2. Which owl lays the largest eggs?
3. Which owl lays the smallest eggs?
4. Which owl moves south for the winter?
5. Which owl is known to respond to humans imitating
its call?
6. Due to puffy feathers, which owl appears to be the
largest, but is actually lighter than the Snowy or Great Horned owl?
7. Name the only white owl.
8. Which owl is found in Europe as well as North
America?
9. What are the feather tufts on top of the
Long-eared owl’s head for?
10. What characteristics distinguish the Boreal owl
from the Saw-Wet owl? (please make careful observations of their foreheads)

BONUS Question: What is a baby
owl called?}
Clue: You should know this from the book Barn Owl that was read to you earlier.

^{Owl Trivia Answer Key: ; 1. Saw-wet owl; 2. Great Horned owl; 3. Burrowing owl; . Snowy owl;
5. Barred owl; 6. Great Gray owl; 7. Snowy owl; 8. Boreal owl; 9. They do not aid in
hearing, but help break up the owl’s silhouette when it perches in a tree. When
disturbed this owl will compress its body feathers and raise its ear tufts to make it
appear like a broken branch or piece of bark; 10. A major characteristic that
distinguishes the Boreal owl from the Saw-wet owl is that the Boreal owl has round white
spots on it’s forehead while the Saw-wet owl has white streaks on it’s forehead.
Bonus Question Answer: an owlet.}

Post activity: Research and present your favorite owl.

^Materials

^{Access to research materials, books & computers.}

^Rationale
^{It is important for students to pick a favorite
owl and research it because they will learn about the specific functions that their owl
has. In addition, by listening to other presentations students will realize that even
animals in the same family, such as owls, have different specializing functions.}
^{Anticipatory
set}
^{^{The teacher will have copied off or
cut out pictures of owls from magazines or books.}}
^{The teacher will
hold these pictures up in front class and identify each owl.}

^{The teacher will review with the students any information they remember
about each owl.}

^Procedure

Teacher role: The teacher will have already talked with the school librarian about their project on owls. The teacher will take his/her students to the school library and have them research it. The teacher will allow students 2 days to complete their research and presentation. On the third day students will be expected to present their research.

Student role: Students will be researching one of the owls they saw at the museum. Students will choose a partner to work with. Since there are 11 different owls, each pair of students will be assigned to a different owl. After gathering research each pair of students will prepare a five-minute presentation to present to the entire class. In addition, students will be able to use the magazine cutout of their owl that their teacher had used earlier to aid their presentation. Students will be allotted class time to do this activity.

Following the presentations, students will discuss the differences between owls and their similarities and differences. Students will have their charts that they filled out at the museum available to participate in class discussion.

^Assessment
^{Students will be assessed based on their
knowledge and distinction of the owls’ habitat, diet, nesting place, and any
specializing physical features.}
^{Considerations}

^{Time frame:}

^{for research: 45
minutes for 2 consecutive days}

^{for presentations:}11 groups x 5 minutes = about an hour
^{You will want to allow extra time following the presentations
for class discussion. It would be best to plan the presentations on the day
following the children’s completion of their research.}

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