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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Kawasmi from Raleigh NC is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Kawasmi is requesting

Using Owl Pellets to Study Food Chains

My students need 3 owl pellet study kits and disposable gloves to wear during the dissection activity.

  • $321 goal

This project expired on December 12, 2011.

This project expired on December 12, 2011.

My Students

What is an owl pellet, you may be asking? When owls eat their prey, the indigestible parts (mainly fur, feathers, teeth and bones) are regurgitated as an egg shaped pellet. Sounds pretty gross, but when purchased from a supplier, the pellets have been heat sterilized so they pose no risk of disease.

I teach 6th grade science in a rural North Carolina middle school.

Part of our curriculum is the study of feeding relationships in nature. But how do you study feeding relationships in nature up close when you are confined to the classroom? I think the perfect way to bring this concept into the classroom is by dissecting owl pellets. But I need your help to make this project become a reality for my students.

My Project

This proposal is for the purchase of three owl pellet kits, each containing 15 sterilized pellets, dissecting tools, and bone sorting charts. This will allow my four classes to work in groups of 3-4 students on the project. I'm also requesting disposable gloves for the students to wear as they dissect the pellets. Students will carefully dissect the pellet, removing all bones. They are given a bone identification chart to determine what animals the owl had eaten. Students can try to assemble complete skeletons of the prey animals and determine how many animals had been eaten when the pellet was formed. They can also determine how much the owl would eat in a week, month or year based on the average formation of one pellet per day. The activities are endless.

If funded, this project will help students understand that while energy is cycled through an ecosystem, there is a one-way flow of matter.

Besides teaching environmental science concepts, this project also introduces students to some of the basic concepts of archeology, comparative anatomy, and forensic science. It is a very engaging activity that students will likely remember for years to come. Your help can make this possible. Thank you for your consideration of this proposal!

Ms. Kawasmi
Grades 6-8

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Ms. Kawasmi is requesting.

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Classroom Owl Pellet Kit • Nasco $59.95 3 $179.85
Poly Gloves - Medium Size • Nasco $6.50 3 $19.50

Materials cost

$199.35

Vendor shipping charges

 $19.94

Sales tax

 $15.55

3rd party payment processing fee

$2.99

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$272.83

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$48.15

Total project goal

$320.98

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Kawasmi and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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