Natural Selection of Birds- Outreach

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Students will become finches living on the Galapagos Islands. Through the use of hand-puppets, each student "bird" will try to feed on the islands using their specific behavioral and physical adaptations. Depending on success, the birds will decide if they stay or migrate to find the best environment to meet their needs. Through the simulation, students experience the variety of challenges, competition, and success that drive evolution and survival in nature. If time permits, they can also experience the influence of changes in the environment and attempt to be successful enough to reproduce and pass on traits to offspring. 

This lesson requires one location to set up, that provides open space for the islands and an area for students to process data on a worksheet and engage in discussion. Two teacher naturalists faciliatate this program for 1 class at a time.

Program Location(s):

Your school or other location

Grades:

3

Price:

  • Rate D-
    1st class $280
    Additional classes same day $165
    1st class on new day $225

    Travel fees apply to schools over 5 miles away

Curriculum Frameworks:

3-LS3-1 - Heredity--Inheritance and Variation of Traits - plant/animal inhereted traits evidence
3-LS3-2 - Heredity--Inheritance and Variation of Traits - inhereted/env. influnced characteristics
3-LS4-2 - Biological Evolution--Unity and Diversity - individual variation relates to survival
3-LS4-3 - Biological Evolution--Unity and Diversity - env. constraints on organisms survival
3-LS4-4 - Biological Evolution--Unity and Diversity - changes in habitat affect reproduction
3-LS4-5 (MA) - Biological Evolution--Unity and Diversity - pop. survival depends on reproduction

Want to know more about this program? Send us an email and we'll get right back to you.