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Mrs. Sherrer’s Classroom Edit display name

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When introducing the 4th grade life science unit of ecosystems, I present my students with owl pellets. Very few students know what these mysterious tin foil packages hold. We make predictions about what they could contain, however I give very little information about them other than letting the students watch a short clip of an owl regurgitating a pellet. Owls cannot digest bones, feathers, or fur, and they compact those items into a nice little ball that companies collect and sell to science teachers. Some students become very queasy when I tell them we are going to investigate the inside of the pellets. This is my favorite activity of the year because I see students go from disgusted to amazed over the period of a week! Students are so proud of themselves when they can identify what their owl ate using bone charts and often brag about having the largest skull in the bunch. No matter what a child’s reading level or background, they can do this activity and learn from it. They ask questions, they investigate those questions, and teach each other! Without hands on activities like this, school would be a drab place. I believe that students have to be excited in order to learn. What’s more exciting than digging through owl vomit and decorating a poster with bones?!

About my class

When introducing the 4th grade life science unit of ecosystems, I present my students with owl pellets. Very few students know what these mysterious tin foil packages hold. We make predictions about what they could contain, however I give very little information about them other than letting the students watch a short clip of an owl regurgitating a pellet. Owls cannot digest bones, feathers, or fur, and they compact those items into a nice little ball that companies collect and sell to science teachers. Some students become very queasy when I tell them we are going to investigate the inside of the pellets. This is my favorite activity of the year because I see students go from disgusted to amazed over the period of a week! Students are so proud of themselves when they can identify what their owl ate using bone charts and often brag about having the largest skull in the bunch. No matter what a child’s reading level or background, they can do this activity and learn from it. They ask questions, they investigate those questions, and teach each other! Without hands on activities like this, school would be a drab place. I believe that students have to be excited in order to learn. What’s more exciting than digging through owl vomit and decorating a poster with bones?!

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