Download the guide (144kb – PDF)
The BIRD BRAIN Educational Resource Guide has been developed by Jennifer Monson in conjunction with the Walker Art Center and the Bell Natural History Museum in MN for the Ducks and Geese Migration. It is written for students in grade 3-6. Ideally each of the guide’s projects are introduced by local specialists in ornithology, ecology, natural history and urban design. However, the guide can stand alone as an integrated resource relating the study of the migration of ducks, geese and migratory species in general with experiences in movement, writing, and art. GOALS
- to lead students to connect their own navigational skills to those of animals.
- to use movement, dance, writing, and art as tools to teach students about bird navigation and physiology.
- to help students become more aware of their environment and to become more educated stewards of the environment through both scientific and artistic exercises.
- to use the interconnectedness of migratory bird habitats as a metaphor for how our own communities are linked.
A special web site has been created to provide information about the BIRD BRAIN navigational dance project and to follow the dancers as they travel the migration route. There are classroom links on the site for participating schools to post data and share writing, videos, photos, artwork and observations with other classrooms along the route.
The Resource Guide has been developed as a collaboration between Jennifer Monson, Jane Greenberg, Teacher Resource Center, Bell Museum of Natural History, College of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota; and Susan Rotilie Associate Director, School Tours and Family Programs, Walker Art Center. Additional content has been contributed by Mary deLaittre, The Environmental Literacy Project; Joanne Toft, classroom teacher, Marcy Open School, Minneapolis, MN; materials from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are used with permission.
The Bird Brain Resource Guide is made possible through the support of the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund and Target Stores.