Birds are everywhere! Learn about some of our neighborhood birds and the techniques used to study them from a migratory bird scientist.
This virtual school program is part of Conservation Classroom, a collection of monthly lessons for K-5 students. This program reaches 2-6 students a little better, but we've had all ages enjoy it. Each lesson has four elements: wonder (video), engage (live virtual program), act (activities), and connect (video). Follow along with all four parts or pick and choose the videos and activities you want to explore.
2-8
Supports NGSS 2-PS1-2, 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1, MS-LS1-4, MS-LS1-5, MS-LS2-A
birds, migration, observation, tracking, bird banding
Patterns, Cause and Effect, Interdependence of science, engineering, and technology
Free
Wonder
I wonder... how do scientists study birds? Come along to discover how scientists study birds with banding and tracking tools.
Me pregunto: ¿qué es la migración? Explore el Zoológico Nacional y el Instituto Smithsonian de Biología de la Conservación para responder esta pregunta, siga a dos aves migratorias y descubra por qué se embarcan en estos viajes.
Engage
May 21, 2025 at 12pm Eastern
In this free, live virtual program, students will learn about neighborhood birds and techniques used to study them, such as bird banding, from a migratory bird ecologist.
Program is hosted in Zoom webinar. Please note: audio and video are disabled for participants, but students can still engage via polls, chat, Q&A and emojis. The program recording will be made available approximately 48 hours after the live program. Need to watch sooner? Check out last year's recording.
Language & Access: English, Spanish (simulcast), American Sign Language interpretation, and live English captions.
Act
During the live program, take scientific notes as we measure and weigh birds. After the program, take your bird journal outside and make observations. You can also watch Learn to Draw a Bird and draw your own bird. Share your drawings with us at nzp-education@si.edu.
Hojas de actividades disponibles en español: Registro de aves. Comparta sus dibujos con nosotros en nzp-education@si.edu.
Connect
Meet Nathan, a research ecologist and migratory bird scientist! As part of his "unZOOsual" career, Nathan study birds as they travel between their summer and winter homes to learn how to save them.
For Educators
Educator's Materials
Conservation Classroom: Exploring Neighborhood Birds is best suited for grades 2-6. The full lesson consists of two videos, a live program, and two activities. Refer to the Smithsonian Learning Lab collection to help teach this lesson.
Letter to Guardians
After participating in the live program, print or send the following letter to guardians, explaining what their student learned in this lesson and how they can continue to engage from home.
Carta para el tutor
Después de participar en el programa en vivo, imprima o envíe la siguiente carta a los tutores, explicando lo que su estudiante aprendió en esta lección y cómo pueden continuar participando desde casa.
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