Calling All Citizen Scientists! Ornithology is Elementary
My students need bird feeders and binoculars to continue their work on citizen science projects where they identify and count birds to contribute to research into migratory patterns.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Welcome to the world of budding scientists in an urban environment! My scholars love learning about the world around them, and thrive when given the chance to experience making discoveries firsthand, whether through experiments and investigations, watching video clips of scientists online, conducting computer simulations, or by reading about a topic in a book.
My scholars love to learn about science, and consistently raise the bar in science through hard work and dedication.
The majority of my scholars come from low-income households, many living with the reality of homelessness, so I strive to provide an enriching classroom environment. In my class, I use a variety of different activities to address all learning styles and to make science come alive. My scholars often work in collaborative groups to solve problems or to teach each other about various topics. My goal is that my scholars see themselves as scientists and learn to investigate the world independently and with confidence. My kids are excited to come to science class every day and eager to learn, and I am honored to be their teacher.
My Project
For the past year, my students have been participating in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Feeder Watch program. Each week, we observe, identify, count, and log the species of birds that visit our classroom bird feeders. My fifth graders are now experts at identifying a variety of birds at a glance. We had a couple of especially memorable moments, like when the first bright red cardinals came to the feeders, and when a small fleet of mourning doves landed, surprising us all with their comparatively large size!
What makes this fledgling crew of ornithologists particularly amazing?
My classroom is on the second floor of school in the middle of a city, and my students were completely unfamiliar with the different types of birds when they first came to my class!
As we close up this year's rounds of observations, and make plans for next year, my kids have decided that they would like to teach more students in the younger grades about how to identify birds in our city. Having more bird feeders will allow us to bring observation posts to our main hallway and to our outdoor learning garden so that more classes will have feeders at which to watch the birds. Binoculars will let students observe the birds in much more detail, so that they can observe feeding behaviors much more closely. My students enjoyed the citizen science project so much that they believe that all students in our school should have a class to participate!
There are so many ways in which observing birds connects to the science curriculum - from adaptations, to migration, to ecosystems, to food chains. The possibilities are endless! I look forward to plan ahead with teachers in all grades for next year in terms of spreading our joy of birding!
Perky-Pet 325S Panorama Bird Feeder
• Amazon Business
$32.67
1
$32.67
Bird Quest SBF2G 17" Spiral Thistle Bird Feeder - Green
• Amazon Business
$32.49
1
$32.49
Nature's Hangout Window Bird Feeder with Removable Tray, Drain Holes and 3 Free Extra Suction Cups. Large Size, 100% Clear Acrylic. Easy to Clean. Great Gift. Guaranteed For All Weather
• Amazon Business
$24.97
1
$24.97
Luwint 8 X 21 Kids Binoculars for Bird Watching, Watching Wildlife or Scenery, Game, Mini Compact and Image Stabilized, Best Gifts for Children (Orange)
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Luwint 8 X 21 Kids Binoculars for Bird Watching, Watching Wildlife or Scenery, Game, Mini Compact and Image Stabilized, Best Gifts for Children (Green)
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Luwint 8 X 21 Blue Kids Binoculars for Bird Watching, Watching Wildlife or Scenery, Game, Mini Compact and Image Stabilized
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Luwint 8 X 21 Kids Binoculars for Bird Watching, Watching Wildlife or Scenery, Game, Mini Compact and Image Stabilized, Best Gifts for Children (Yellow)
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Luwint 8 X 21 Kids Binoculars for Bird Watching, Watching Wildlife or Scenery, Game, Mini Compact and Image Stabilized, Best Gifts for Children (Red)
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Window Bird Feeder - Suction Cup Attaches Feeder to Outside of Window - Best Feeder for Small Wild Backyard Birds - Feeding station Mounted to Window so Watching Birds Is Fun - Unique Clear Feeder
• Amazon Business
$11.95
1
$11.95
Materials cost
$187.03
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$14.59
3rd party payment processing fee
$2.81
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$234.43
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$41.37
Total project goal
$275.80
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$275.80
9 Donors
-$269.98
Donations toward project cost
-$234.43
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Mrs. Lalli and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
