Wild Bird Conservation Curriculum Lesson Plans

These lessons are aligned with 6th grade science TEKS but can be scaled up or down to fit any grade level. All rights for these lessons are reserved. Lessons may be downloaded, printed and copied for educational use only.




Please contact us via email (tamukbirdsgk12@gmail.com) to get the supplemental resources pages for each lesson or to reserve the loaner supply kit. Priority reservations go to teachers involved in our lesson evaluation program, otherwise, the kit is available on a first come first serve basis.




CKWRI Copyright information:


Author:  Janel Ortiz


Year published: 2015




Basics of Birding




Learn how to identify common South Texas birds through field marks and conduct your own bird count.




Lesson_Plan.pdf


Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details




Common_South_Texas_Birds.ppt


Identify common South Texas birds by learning bird topography and field marks (Explore#1)




Student_Worksheet.docx


Students will draw, color, and identify field marks of three birds (Explore #2)




Worksheet_Rubric.doc


Rubric for grading student worksheets




AOU_Bird_Codes.pdf


Four-letter alpha codes used in recording bird species during surveys or when creating lists




Be a Bird Biologist




Learn the technique of mist-netting to capture, handle, and band wild birds.




Lesson_Plan.pdf


Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details




Bird_ID_Guide.doc


Bird ID guide to aid in bird identification




Field_Notes.doc


Field notes sheet for student use




Rubric.doc


Rubric for grading student field notes




Citizen Science for South Texas Birds




Create your own bird sighting database and submit it to researchers studying birds as you become a citizen scientist.




Lesson_Plan.pdf


Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details




Record_Format_Template.xls


Excel template used for data entry into the South Texas Wintering Birds (STWB) database




eBird_Protocols.pdf


Protocol list approved by eBird that is used for data collection and entry into STWB




Data_Prep___STWB_Navigation.pdf


Procedure for entering data into Excel in preparation for upload to STWB and basic introduction to navigating the website




Early bird catches the WORM??




Age quail wings and identify internal worms commonly found in Bobwhite and Scaled quail.




Lesson_Plan.pdf


Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details




Aging_Bobwhite_Quail_Using_Wings.ppt


Learning how to age quail by looking at wing coloration




Notecards.doc


Text to create adult and juvenile identification cards




Internal_Parasites_ID_Guide.pdf


Identify internal parasites (worms) of Texas quail




Bird_Anatomy.pdf


Labeled bird anatomy to identify location of internal parasites




Buildings, Rivers, and Roads




Explore how habitat fragmentation affects a quail's home range by creating your own map.




Lesson_Plan.pdf


Includes background, materials list, procedure, and activity details




Maps.ppt


Maps serve many purposes and come in many types




Ariel_Photos.zip


Photos depicting quail "ranges" with various land cover types and barriers




Student_Worksheet.docx


Students will define a wildlife barrier and corridor while identifying barriers to their quail's movement




Worksheet_Rubric.doc


Rubric for grading student worksheets




DIVA_GIS_Activity_Extension.pdf


Extend the lesson by including hands-on GIS practice in mapping out bird locations