This lesson will provide students with an understanding of the life, the size, the habitat, and the migration of the hummingbird. The students will gather data from the video and additional resources. Through hands-on and small group activities the students will be able to compare the life of the hummingbird to other birds. The students will then visit a local museum or environmetal center, listen to a presentation from a naturalist and use the Internet to gain additional information on hummingbirds.
ITV Series
Hummingbirds, Jewels of the Forest (ABC Video Publishing Inc.)
Students will be able to:
Per class:
Per student:
Vocabulary
distance -- a gap, space between two intervalsspecies -- a group of animals or plants that have permanent characteristics in common
habitat -- the place where an animal lives or grows
nectar -- a sweet liquid found in flowers which attracts insects and birds that carry out pollination
pollen -- a fine yellowish powder formed in the anthers of flowers
bill -- the beak of a bird
hover -- to stay in or near one place in the air, hang fluttering or suspended in air
migration -- the action of moving from one place or region to another
iridescent -- displaying changing colors like those of the rainbow, changing colors when moved
plumage -- the feathers of a bird
incubate -- to sit on eggs in order to hatch them
aggressive -- ready to attack others
lichen -- a plant without roots, leaves or stems that grows on rocks
camouflage -- to disguise or hide from view, to blend with the background
Have pictures, books and charts about hummingbirds displayed around the room. Where possible have nests, feathers, or feeders available for the students to view.
On a chart or blackboard have a large circle in the middle with the word "hummingbird" written, radiating from the circle should be seven lines ending with circles. In each circle should be written these words, size, weight, nest, food, habitat, speed, and migration.
The focus for viewing is a specific responsibility or task(s) students are responsible for during or after watching the video to focus or engage students' viewing attention.
Say, "Today we are going to learn about the life of an incredible bird called a hummingbird. We will learn how they live, what they eat and how a hummingbird helps the flowers in the forest." Say, "Have you ever seen a real hummingbird? How do you think it got the name hummingbird?" Accept all answers.
Begin the video Hummingbirds after opening credits. Video displays a hummingbird feeding on a flower. Pause the tape after the narrator says, "They are the smallest birds in the world. For their size they burn energy faster than any other warm-blooded animal. Darting from blossom to blossom, their lives depend on the flowers and the nectar they provide."
Ask if anyone can describe the size of a hummingbird. At this point have the children use their centimeter rulers to mark on a piece of paper a line that measures 5 centimeters and another line that measure 8 centimeters. Explain that different species of hummingbirds grow to these sizes. Ask for examples around the room that would be the same size as a hummingbird. Ask, "Where does the hummingbird get its food and what does it eat?" Ask, "What would happen to the hummingbird if it did not find enough nectar?"
Resume video, pausing after, "The secret of their success lies not only in their intriguing lifestyles, but in their reputation as the most skillful flying machines on Earth?" Ask, "What do you think is meant by the most skillful flying machines on Earth? Have you ever watched a hummingbird while it is flying?" (Might rewind video again to show demonstration of hummingbird flying at this point.) Ask, "What do you think a hummingbird can do that other birds can not do?" At this point introduce the word hover. Ask the children to stand up and using their arms as wings, demonstrate how they would hover standing only in one spot. Continue to pretend to be hummingbirds darting in and out of flowers. Ask , "Has anyone noticed in what directions the hummingbird can fly?" (It is the only bird in the world that can fly sideways and backwards.) Again, allow the students an opportunity to demonstrate the hovering and flying motions of the hummingbird.
Resume video, pausing after, "Millions of years ago, an intriguing group of birds evolved in the Americas and no where else in the world. Today their descendants are found from Alaska to Argentina." Display large world map. Call student attention to the continents of North and South America. Ask, "If hummingbirds have been around for millions of years, why is it that they only live on the North and South American continents? Why are they not found in Africa or in Europe?"
Resume video, pausing after, "It is in the forests of Belize that hummingbirds achieve stunning varieties. Flowers are in bloom year round and provide nectar which fuels their frantic lives." Ask, "How is the life of the hummingbird adapted to its surroundings?" Again draw the attention of the students to the map. Select one student to find and show where Belize is located on the map.
Have another student find and show where the equator is located. Ask, "How is it possible that flowers are able to grow year round in Belize? Why not in Massachusetts?
Resume video, pausing after, "By comparison humans would have to eat 100 pounds of natural sugar a day." Display 5 lb. bag of sugar to students. Select one child to hold this bag of sugar and estimate how many more bags of sugar he would need to hold in order to equal 100 pounds of sugar. Ask, "Who thinks they could eat a total of 20 bags of sugar a day?" Remind students that this energy is quickly used up by the hummingbirds and that is why it is necessary for the hummingbird to feed 5 to 8 times an hour.
Resume video, pausing after "Because of their mutual need, both flowers and hummingbirds have come to depend on one another." Ask for three student volunteers, so that one student can play the role of the hummingbird and the other two students will be the flowers. Let students act out the scene, gathering nectar and distributing pollen at the same time. Ask, "Why do the flowers and the hummingbird need each other? What might happen if this friendship is broken?"
Resume video. Let video continue as it displays a hummingbird chasing after fruit flies. When the video shows a mother hummingbird sitting on the nest feeding babies, pause the video. Ask, "Why would hummingbirds take the time to chase insects instead of searching for nectar?" Leaving the video on this same screen pause the video long enough for students to get a good view of the hummingbird nest in the tree. Ask, "Is the hummingbird nest much different from other birds' nests that you have seen? Can you tell by looking at the nests what the nests are made from? Who do you think is responsible for building the nest ?" (Explain that the nests are really made from sticks, lichens, and even spider webs and that some nests are used over and over again from year to year.) Ask, "How many eggs do you think the hummingbird lays in her nest?"
Resume video again. Pause after, "As nesting time approaches, they are most vulnerable to predators, so their nests must be well concealed." Ask, "Why does the hummingbird place its nest underneath a branch with leaves covering it? Ask if the students at this time could make any predictions about who the predators of the hummingbirds might be. Ask, "Can you think of any other birds or animals who use camouflage to help them?"
Resume the video again. Pause after, "In the cold gray hours before sunrise, hummingbirds gradually stir from sleep, their breathing and heart rate picking up pace." Ask, "How is a hummingbird different from other birds at night time? Why must they stay so still?"
Resume the video. Pause after, "The fastest wings in the forest."
Ask, "What are some of the dangers and what are some of the other animals that the hummingbirds need to be on the look out for? Can you name the other animal that is carried in the hummingbird's nostril? Why?"
Resume the video. Pause after, "Feathers quickly become worn, dirty , dusty, and pollened." Ask, "Do you think that hummingbirds are the only birds that take daily baths? Why is it necessary for hummingbirds to take such good care of their feathers?"
Continue viewing the video to the end.
Tell the students that with all the new knowledge that they have just gathered from the video they will work together in small groups to fill in the chart with information gained from the video. Divide the class into small groups and allow each group sufficient time to write down their information. This chart will then be shared again with the whole class at a later time.
Students will take a field trip to a local science museum or environmental center to observe the numerous species of birds and to locate a hummingbird nest with eggs. Using crayons or markers students will sketch the items on display.
Students using the computer with Internet access will be requested to find additional information about hummingbirds. They will be given specific addresses to go to. (See attached appendix.) One of these sites shows the migratory routes of the hummingbirds. Children can use the specific data to create a map of their own and measure the distances flown by migrating hummingbirds.
Students without access to the Internet will be requested to write to nature sanctuaries and bird organizations to obtain some free materials about hummingbirds.
A presentation will be given to the students by a local naturalist and bird watcher. In his presentation he will share with the students his experiences with hummingbird observations and how to build hummingbird feeders.
Art: Have the students create a transparent window ornament of a ruby throated hummingbird. (See appendix)
Art: Have the students create a mural depicting a rainforest, showing other animals that live on the floor, the tree level or the canopy.
Art: Have students create their own hummingbird feeders from a baby food jar.
Materials:
Hammer the nail into the center of the lid to make a hole about 3 mm (1/8 of an inch) across. Remove the nail.
Turn the lid over and hammer down the sharp edges around the hole.
Paint a red flower around the hole of the top of the lid.
Fold the wire in two and wrap it around the neck of the jar twice. Twist the ends together to keep the wire around the jar neck.
Pour the nectar (sugar solution) into the jar and put the lid on.
Twist the tail ends of the wire together and hang your feeder from a hook or nail on your porch, balcony or a nearby tree.
Note:The feeder needs to be washed out every week with a little vinegar and cleaned thoroughly. Rinse with water and refill with nectar.
If a lot of insects feed on the nectar, rub a little vegetable oil around the opening of the feeder and this will keep the insects away but not the hummingbirds. The students could paint these or decorate them with colorful ribbons.
Art: Create a postage stamp showing a hummingbird in its habitat. (see attached sheet)
Science: Have the students research the flowers that hummingbirds are attracted to. Students could call nurseries, garden centers, and look in seed catalogs. (Hummingbirds are fond of salvia, impatiens, and honeysuckle.) Have the students plan a hummingbird garden, and draw a map of their gardens.
Science: Have the students make a sugar mixture for hummingbirds. Recipe for homemade mixture is 1 part sugar = 1/2 cup (not honey) 5 parts water (2 1/2 cups), boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Cool. Store the extra in the refrigerator. Students may then add the mixture to their own feeders.
Science: Have the students make a nesting bag. Using a net bag either from onions, oranges or fruit, add pieces of cotton, hair, string, leaves, dried grass, straw, or thin strips of tissue paper to the bag. In the spring and early summer, hang the nets containing the different materials from a tree or tie the net to pegs, bricks or stones. Watch to see which kind of birds take the different materials. See how often each bird comes and where it goes.
Writing: Have the students close their eyes and pretend to be a bird. Tell them to imagine that they are soaring high above the playground. What would it feel like to soar down to the ground and then up into the sky again. Ask them to write what they would see from a bird's point of view.
Writing: There are over 300 different species of hummingbirds each with their own unique color and size. Have the students write an imaginary story about how one hummingbird might have gotten its colors. For example how might the colors a hummingbird living in Alaska be different from the colors of a hummingbird living in the jungles of South America? Remind the students that hummingbirds are wonderful adaptors to the environment around them.
Math: Compare your wingspan! Using a large sheet of butcher paper, draw an eleven foot line and a simple bird shape beneath it. Define wingspan as the distance between the tips of the bird's wings when they are fully outstretched. The albatross has the longest wingspan of all birds - eleven feet or more. Place the mural at a level where the children can compare their arm spans to the wingspan of an albatross.
* Have the students work with partners to measure each other's arm spans. Using a piece of string, have them cut it to the arm span length and then measure with a yardstick to the closest inch. How does the student arm span compare with the albatross wingspan?
* Have the students measure two inches of string, and several other pieces of string up to five inches. These are the lengths of the hummingbird wingspan. How does this compare to the wingspan of the albatross?
* List all of the students' arm span measurements on a chart and note the longest, the shortest, and find the most common length. Graph the results.
Math: How many squares will an egg cover? Consider that the female hummingbird lays two eggs at a time and each of those eggs is about half the size of a jelly bean (less that a 1/2 inch long). Have the students observe a jelly bean, and then carefully slice or bite the jelly bean in half. Then have the students, while looking at the grid, make a prediction of how many squares the egg will cover when placed down upon the grid. After all predictions have been made, allow the children time to experiment by placing their half jelly bean in different positions around the grid. When they are satisfied that they have tried all possibilites, have the students count the grids covered.
Math: A bird's beak or bill is adapted to the food it eats. Some birds have short beaks ranging from 1/2 inch to one inch. Other birds like the hummingbirds have bills that range in size from two inches to five inches. Have the students cut several straws beginning at two inches, then three inches, four inches and then five inches in length. Fill several cups half full with pear nectar and distribute them to the students. Have the students begin with the shortest straw. How difficult was it to get the nectar from the cup?
Then have the children use the next longest straw. Was it still as difficult? Continue until all the straws have been tried. Ask the children to explain which straw allowed them the easiest drinking and why this is so. If possible have the students observe some pictures of hummingbirds bills that have even adapted in more ways by forming curved bills to allow more access into the nectar of the flowers. If a hummingbird bill is about half of the total body length of the bird then how long of a straw would a student need to be half of his/her body length? Let the students tape some straws together to equal half of their body length, and then measure with string or yardsticks the length of these straws. How difficult would it be to drink using these longer straws? Explain why. (A hummingbird uses its very long bill much like a medicine dropper to draw in nectar).
Math: Using a world map and a piece of string, locate the northeastern habitat of the ruby throated hummingbird, and use the string to show the journey it would take to Mexico for its winter migratory route. This migratory journey takes the ruby throated hummingbird across the Gulf of Mexico and into the jungles of Mexico. Carefully remove the string and measure the length of the string with a yardstick. Look at the map for the distance or mileage key. Have the students calculate the miles that the hummingbird flew to get to its winter habitat. (The rufous hummingbird has the longest migration route of any hummingbird. Some fly up to 3,000 miles from their breeding range in Alaska to their wintering grounds in Mexico.) The ruby throated hummingbird flies an average of 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico.
Math: A ruby throated hummingbird weighs 3 grams, or one tenth the weight of a first-class letter. A paper clip is about one gram. Have the students hold the equivalent of a hummingbird (3 paper clips) in their hand. Have the students look around the room and try to find anything that would be equivalent to the same weight.
www.Birder.Com, Favorite Birds
Location: http://www.birder.com
In this site there are population maps to view and range maps of many hummingbird species.
Debbie's Tips for Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds
Location: http://www.birdwatchers.com/debtips.html
Super site for lots of good information about feeders, and how to clean them. Included in this site is information on what plants hummingbirds like the most.
Zoo Books. Wildlife Education Ltd., 930 West Washington St., San Diego, CA 92103 June 1991 Hummingbirds.
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Forsyth, Adrian and Laurel Aziz. Exploring the World of Birds. Altona, Manitoba: Camden House Publishers, 1990.
Gill, Peter. Birds. New York: Troll Associates, 1990.
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Stokes, Donald and Lillian. The Hummingbird Book. Boston, MA.: Little, Brown and Company, 1989.
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Birdwatching - National Wildlife Federation, 1412 16th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20036
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North American Rare Bird Alert (NARBA) 1-800-438-7539
Massachusetts Voice of Audubon
Eastern Massachusetts 617-259-8805
Western Massachusetts 413-596-3355