Help me give my students large owl pellets so they can learn life science in a hands-on way by dissecting the pellets and matching what the owl ate and regurgitated.
I teach twenty-five happy and excited-to-learn third graders, and all day long they have fun growing and thinking, and trying their best. Our school is a wonderful, small multicultural school located in Los Angeles. Approximately 30% of our students school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and everyone receives free breakfast. Our school specializes in integrating art and technology with our academic subjects. I try to include hands-on projects whenever possible when studying science.
There is nothing better than a hands-on experience dissecting owl pellets!
My students learn best when I generate excitement for learning. Dissecting owl pellets sounds like a great way to have a wonderful time looking for bones, skulls, and teeth that the owl ate and regurgitated.
My Project
When an owl captures its prey, it swallows it whole. Then the owl's body uses the prey's protein, and the owl regurgitates the fur and bones of the prey. We have a tradition in my classroom where my students dissect their own owl pellet as part of the excitement before our annual Halloween Parade.
I have requested large owl pellets which my students will dissect to have a hands-on STEM experience as they learn about the different animals the owl ate that are in the pellets.
There is nothing more compelling (and gross) then dissecting owl pellets! All morning long I hear, "Mrs. K, look, I found a skull!" or "Mrs. K, are those the teeth of a mouse the owl ate?" After all the bones have been sorted and categorized, my students get white glue and black paper so they can create a new animal by gluing the bones on the paper. I have seen 4 headed beasts and all sorts of wonderfully creative creatures! This is a great way to integrate art and science = STEAM!
Your help donating to this project means that this year's students can have a memorable hands-on science experience.
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. Kugelman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
