My students need an owl pellet study kit, dissection tools and owl pellets to dissect during their ecosystems and understanding food chains unit of study.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Hanson's classroom raised $665
This project is fully funded
My Students
The fifth grade students at East Side Intermediate School are constantly working toward being stewards of our watershed, empowered decision makers and conscious community members. We are located in south, central Montana just north of Yellowstone National Park. We are an active, outdoorsy and environmentally aware class.
Being engaged with our "backyard" keeps us connected to our watershed.
Our goal is to explore learning through personal experience. The fifth graders of Livingston, Montana value the knowledge of science in our environment.
My Project
Like fossils, owl pellets provide student scientists with clues about the animals in our watershed and who preys upon whom. Owl pellets are masses of undigested parts of food that owl species occasionally regurgitate. The contents of the owl pellet depends on its diet, but can include the exoskeletons of insects, indigestible plant matter, bones, fur, feathers, bills, claws, and teeth. Students will use hands on learning- engaging in discovery as they dissect their owl pellet. They further their processing by identifying the bones found within their sample. Students will build/assemble a skeleton(s) of the prey animal and chart their overall findings. Actually doing the owl pellet lab builds greater understanding and connections than watching or reading about food chains.
Three of the four items requested are reusable and only need purchased once.
The Classroom Kit has 16 owl pellets, 32 wooden probes, and a teacher's guide with reproducible student sheets. The student sheets include skeleton and bone charts and pellet activities. The Biorama™ preparation identifies skulls and mandibles of 5 mammal prey usually contained in an owl’s diet. The mount also features a complete owl pellet and a partially opened owl pellet mounted for display. The Owl Pellet Dissection Mat is designed to guide students study. Included on the mat are detailed bone charts of a bird, mole, and rodent, helping them identify the types of bones typically found in pellets, plus information on owl pellet formation and instructions that guide them through the dissection. The mat is double-sided vinyl that wipes clean. Future classes will only need to acquire the pellets (which have a somewhat minimal cost) to keep the experience possible year after year. Experiencing labs and simulations first-hand make learning enjoyable and motivating.
Half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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