the fascinating world of owls · owls the fascinating world of mary lester fine-feathered facts...

The Fascinating World Of

OwlsOwlsThe Fascinating World Of

Mary Lester

Fine-Feathered Facts “Whooo”hasthefactsaboutowls?Yourstudentswillwhenyoucarryoutthisfact-sharingidea!Mountalargeowlcutoutinaprominentclassroomlocationandcopythetenowlfactsprovidedin“HaveYouHeard?”ontoindividualsentencestrips.Eachdaypostoneowlfactandreaditaloud.Discussthefactasaclassand,ifdesired,haveeachstudentcopythefactinanowl-shapedjournalliketheonedescribedin“An‘Owl-some’Journal”onpage5.Whenalltenfactsareposted,invitestudentstosubmitadditionalowlfactsforthedisplay.Bytheconclusionofyourowlstudy,youryoungsterswillbeallthewiser—andthat’safact!

An Ancient Bird Owlshavebeenaroundforaverylongtime—over50millionyears!Forthisreasontheowlisanintegralpartofmanycultures.Tosometheowlisasymboloflifeandgoodhealth.Toothersitisasymbolofbadluck,evendeath.Beforeintroducingyourowlstudy,investigateyouryoungsters’owl-relatedknowledgeandbeliefs.Thenplanyouractivitiessothatknowledgeisenhancedandbeliefsarerespected.

Fromthetopsoftheirfeatheryheadstothetipsoftheirneedle-sharptalons,owlsarefulloffascinatingsurprises!Usethisintegratedstudytoinvestigatetheseremarkableraptors.There’snodoubtthatyouandyouryoungsterswillhaveahootin’goodtime!

ideas contributed by Carrie Geiger, Kathleen Kopp, and Sharon Strickland

Have You Heard?

• An owl can hear a mouse 60 feet away.

• All owl eggs are white.

• An owl has three sets of eyelids.

• Owls cannot move their eyeballs.

• An owl can turn its face upside down.

• An owl can swing its head around and look

behind its back.• Owls live on every continent except

Antarctica.• An owl can open and close its ears.

• An owl’s coat is made of thousands of

feathers.• Owls use many different sounds to com-

municate.

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Kind Number

NightOwl

EarlyBird

All About OwlsBy Sharon

An “Owl-some” Journal

Thesestudent-madejournalsareahoottomakeandawiseplaceforstudentstorecordtheirowl-relatedknowledge!Giveeachstu-dentawhiteconstruction-papercopyofpage11.Tomakeherjour-nal,astudentcolorstheowlonthepage;thenshecarefullycutsalongthedottedlinethatoutlinesthebeak—stoppingattheblackdots.(Provideassistancewiththisstepasneeded,oryoumaywishtocompletethisstepbeforedis-tributingstudentcopies.)Nextthestudentstaplesastackof31/2”x81/2”writingpapertothebottomofthepagewhereindicated,foldstheprojectforwardonthethinline,andtucksthefoldedportionoftheprojectunderthebeakflap.Lastlysheaddsatitleandhernametothefrontoftheproject.Writeon!

Tip To Tip Fromheadtotalonandwingtiptowingtip—notwokindsofowlsareexactlythesame!Duringthissmall-groupmea-surementactivity,studentssizeuptheirarmspansandthewingspansofseveralowls.Postthewingspaninformationthatisprovided;thendividestudentsintosmallgroups.Giveeachgroupyarn,aruleroryardstick,scissors,maskingtape,andpencils. Tobegin,haveeachstudent(withthehelpofanothergroupmember)cutalengthofyarnthatequalshisarmspan.Thenhaveeachchildfoldapieceofmaskingtapeoverhisyarnlengthandlabelthetapewithhisname.Beforethegroupmemberscutandlabelayarnlengthtoequaleachpostedwingspan,askthemtopredictwhichwingspanswillbelongerorshorterthantheirarmspans.Whenthelengthsarecutandlabeled,haveeachgrouporderitsyarnlengths—wingspansandarmspanscombined—fromshortesttolongest.Setasidetimeforthegroupstocomparetheirresults;then,asaclass,

discusstheaccuracyofthegroups’predictions.Nowthat’sameasurementactivitythat’s

beyondcompare!

Night Owls Mostowls—butnotall—arecreaturesofthenight.Theysleepduringthedayandhuntfromdusktodawn.Havestudentsconsidertheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofsleepingduringtheday.(Foragreatliteratureconnection,checkyourlibraryforThe Owl And The WoodpeckerbyBrianWildsmith[OxfordUniversityPress,1996].It’sadelightfultaleaboutawoodpeckerandanowlwhosharethesameforest,butnotthesamesleepingschedules.)Thengiveeachchildastickynote.Ifastudentthinkshe’drathersleepduringtheday,heillustratesanowlonhisnote.Ifastudentlikessleepingatnight,heillustratesawoodpeckeroranotherdiurnalbird.Thenhaveeachchildinturnattachhisillustratednotetoagraphliketheoneshown.Summarizethegraphasaclass;thenhavestudentsrefertothegraphtoansweraseriesofquestions,like“Ifeachnightowlhootstwicewhenitawakes,howmanyhootsareheard?”and“Ifonlysevenearlybirdswereawakewhenthesunrose,howmanyearlybirdsoverslept?”

Wingspans Barn Owl—44inches Great Horned Owl—60inches Screech Owl––22inches Hawk Owl—34inches Pygmy Owl—15inches Long-Eared Owl—40inches

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The Life CycleOf The Barn Owl

By RussThe owlet starts growing

feathers. It starts to move

around. Then it starts

practicing to fly.

The owl is fully grown. Itflies. And it hunts its ownfood.

omes Around The World

oot! oot!

A eek At ellets

I might live in a barn, a cave, a tree, or

an old building. I might even live in the

city!

Barn Owl

Wheredoowlslive?Justabouteverywhere!OwlsliveoneverycontinentexceptAntarctica,inplaceslikeforests,deserts,fields,mountains,swamps,caves,andevencities.Theirhomesvarygreatly,butmosthaveonethingincom-mon—theyarenotbuiltbyowls.Usethebookletprojectonpage12tointroducestudentstosixowlsandtheirhomes.Tobegin,giveeachchildawhiteconstruction-papercopyofthepage.Readeachdescriptionaloud;thenaskthestudentstocolorthehabitatthatisdescribed—withoutcoloringtheowl.Nexttellstudentsthateventhoughowlscanlookquitedifferentfromeachother,theyareusuallyacombinationofthefollowingcolors:brown,gray,black,andwhite.Explainthattheuniquemarkingsofeachkindofowlhelpitblendintoitsnaturalhabitat.Thenchallengeyourstudentstocolortheowlsusingtheirnewfoundknowledge. Tomakethebooklet,eachchildcutsalongtheboldlines,pairseachscenewithitsmatchingdescription,andglueseachpairofcutoutsona41/2”x6”rectangleofconstructionpaper.Whiletheglueisdrying,thestudentfoldsa6”x9”sheetofconstructionpaperinhalftomakeabookletcover.Hewrites“OwlHomes”andhisnameonthefrontcover;thenhedecoratesthecover.Lastlyhestacksthebookletpages,slipstheminsidethecover,andstaplesnearthefold.Nowthat’sahandyhabitatreference!

Scientistsfindlookingatowlpelletsaveryeye-openingexperience,andsowillyouryoungsters!Remindstudentsthatowlsarebirdsofprey,whichmeansthattheyhuntandeatotheranimals.Alsoexplainthatowlsdonothaveteeth,whichmeansthattheyswallowtheirfoodwholeorinlargepieces.Becausemuchofwhatanowleatscannotbedigested,severalhoursaftereating,anowlcoughsupapelletofundigestiblematter. Tellstudentsthatscientistsstudypelletstolearnaboutwhatowlseat;thenaskyourstudentstodothesame.Giveeachsmallgroupofstudentsapellet,papertowels,plasticknivesortoothpicks,andamagnifyingglass.(PelletsareavailablefromCarolinaBiologicalSupplyCompany.Call1-800-334-5551orfax1-800-222-7112fororderinginforma-tion.)Challengeeachgrouptocarefullypickapartitspellettofindoutwhatkindsofitemswereeatenbytheowl.Setasidetimeforeachgrouptotellwhatitfound,andifpossibleforeachgrouptoseewhattheothergroupsfoundintheirpellets.Veryinteresting!

Believeitornot,thereareasmanydifferentowlcallsastherearespeciesofowls!Thissmall-groupactivityisafunwayforyoungsterstolearnthatowlsdomorethanhoot!Giveeachsmallgroupaconstruction-paperstripthatyouhavelabeledwithadifferentowlcall—how-ever,donottellstudentsthatallthecallsaremadebyowls.Allowsomepracticetime;thenhaveeachgroupperformitscalltwoorthreetimesfortheclass.Aftereachperformance,tapethegroup’spaperstriptothechalkboardandtakeaclassvotetofindouthowmanystudentsbelievethecallisauthentic(madebyarealowl)orfake.Writetheresultoftheclassvotebesidethepaperstrip.Whenallthecallshavebeenmadeandvotedon,revealthateachcallisreal;then,besideeachcall,writethenameoftheowlthatmakesit.Won’tyouryoungstersbeamazed?

Owl CallScreechOwl kyew…kyew…kyew…PygmyOwl whee…whee…whee…BarnOwl cirrrrrrrrrrrr…cirrrrrrrrrrrr…Long-EaredOwl oo-oo-oo…oo-oo-oo…Short-EaredOwl boo-boo-boo…boo-boo-boo…EagleOwl ooo-hu…ooo-hu…ooo-hu…Tengmalm’sOwl poo-poo-poo…poo-poo-poo…LittleOwl hoo…hoo…hoo…hoo…hoo…

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The Life CycleOf The Barn Owl

By RussThe owlet starts growing

feathers. It starts to move

around. Then it starts

practicing to fly.

The owl is fully grown. Itflies. And it hunts its ownfood.

From Egg To Barn Owl Lookwhatjusthatched—an“egg-citing”life-cycleproject!Shareinformationaboutthebarnowl’slifecycle.(Inadditiontotheinformationprovided,Barn Owls[ACarolrhodaNatureWatchBook,1992]andSeeHowTheyGrow:Owl [DorlingKindersleyPublishing,Inc.;1992]arebothexcellentresourceswithoutstand-ingphotography.)Thenhaveeachstudentmakeabookletthatfeaturesabarnowl’slifecycle. Tobegin,astudentfoldsa4”x16”stripofwhiteconstructionpaperinhalftwice;thenheunfoldsthepaperandrefoldsitaccor-dionstyle.Keepingtheprojectfolded,hecarefullytrimsoffeachcornertocreateanegg-shapedbookletthatresemblesthewhite,almost-roundeggoftheowl.Nextthestudentunfoldsthebooklet,andonthebottomhalfofeachpagedescribes—insequentialor-der—adifferentstageofabarnowl’slifecycle.Thenheillustrateseachstageonthetophalfofitspage.Lastlyherefoldsthebooklet,writes“TheLifeCycleOfTheBarnOwlby[hisname]”onthefrontcover,anddrawsalinetorepresentacrackintheegg.Studentswillbeproudtosharetheseadorablebookletswiththeirfamiliesandfriends!

Believe it or not, the barn owl… • isthemostcommonofallowls • doesnotalwaysliveinabarn • doesnothootlikemostowls • oftenlivesnearhumans,thoughhumans

rarelyseeit • isalsocalledthemonkey owlbecauseofits

looksandactions • hassmallereyesthanmostotherowls

An Owlish Snack Yourowlenthusiastsaresuretoenjoymakingandeatingthesebarnowllook-alikes.Andit’stheperfectopportunityto

shareafewadditionalfactsaboutthisunique-lookingowl!

LifeCycleOfTheBarnOwlStage1:Amotherowllaysonewhiteeggeverytwotothreedays.Somebarnowlslayupto10or11eggsinall.Stage2:Afterabout28days,theeggsbegintohatchintheordertheywerelaid.Whenitisfirstborn,anowlchickhasathincoatofdownanditseyesareclosed.Aftertwoweeksitseyesareopenanditiscoveredwiththick,fluffydown.Stage3:Asanowletgrows,itsdownisreplacedbyadultfeathers.Afteraboutonemonth,anowletbecomesveryactiveanditbeginsinvestigatingoutsidethenest.Whenitswingsarestrongenough,itbeginstopracticeflying.Aftertwomonthstheowletcanfly,butithasn’tyetdevelopedhuntingskills.Stage4:At12weeksold,abarnowlisfullyfeatheredandabletohuntonitsown.

BarnOwlLook-AlikesIngredients:1sliceofbrownbread1sliceofwhitebread2blackolives1cheesetrianglepeanutbutter

Directions: 1. Usecookiecutterstocutaheartfromthewhitebreadandaslightlylargercirclefromthebrownbread. 2. Usepeanutbuttertoattachtheheartshapetothecenterofthecircle.

3. Usedabsofpeanutbuttertoattacholiveeyesandacheesebeak.

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GiveAHoot!

Buildanestboxforan

owl.N

ever

use

inse

ctici

des

that

can kill owls. Cut down trees only if you haveto. S

preadthe

wordthatowlseatrodents.

Legendary Owls Throughouthistory,peoplehavebeenfascinatedbyowls.Manyancientlegendsabouttheowlwereinspiredbyitsuniqueappearanceandbehaviors.Forexample,inthelegendWhyOwl Comes Out At Night (TrollCommunicationsL.L.C.,1996),theowl’snocturnalhabitsareexplained.(Forotherbooksaboutowllegendssee“HangingOutWithOwls”onpage9.)Readaloudalegendortwoabouttheowl.Thenchallengeeachyoungstertowriteandillustratealegendlikestorythatexplainsaninterestingfactaboutthebird,likewhytheowlcanseeinthedark,whytheowlcanturnitsheadupsidedown,orwhytheowlcanflysosilently.Aftereachchildhassharedhiswork,bindthetalesintoaclassbooktitled“NewLegendsAboutAVeryOldBird.”

Making An Owl BookletStep 1: Fold a 9” x 12” sheet of brown construction paper in half lengthwise and trace a template like the one shown on the folded paper. Cut on the resulting outline; then unfold the paper and set it aside.

Step 2: Stack and align the lower edges of a 9” x 12” sheet of orange paper, a 9” x 12” sheet of brown paper, and a 9” x 6” piece of yellow paper. Holding the pages vertically, slide the top sheet (yellow) upward approximately one inch and the bottom sheet (orange) downward approximately one inch. Next fold the tops of the brown and the orange sheets forward to create five graduated layers.

Step 3: Place the folded project atop the owl cutout and align the lower edges. Staple near the fold. Flip the resulting booklet over and trim the folded papers to match the shape of the cutout.

Step 4: Turn the booklet faceup. Glue beak and eye cutouts in place. Scallop the bottom of each booklet page; then label each page with a desired owl- related topic.

“Whooo” Cares? Whocaresaboutthelivelihoodofowls?Yourstudentswillafterthisimpor-tantreal-lifelesson!Explainthatatonetime,farmerskilledowlsbecausesomeowlsoccasionallypreyonchickens.However,farmerssoonrealizedhowimportantowlsareincontrollingrodentandinsectpopulations.Todayitisagainstthelawtokillorcaptureanowl.Yetthefutureofmanytypesofowlsisstillthreatenedbyhabitatdestruction(suchastheclearingofforests)andtheuseofinsecticides. Afterdiscussingthisissuewithstudents,informthemthattherearethingstheycandotoprotectowls,suchasbuildnestboxesforthem,neveruseinsecticidesthatmightkillowls,andspreadthewordabouttheimportanceofowls.Concludetheactivitybyhavingeachchilddecorateaconstruction-papercircletocreatea“GiveAHoot”badgeliketheoneshown.Thenhole-punchthebadgesanduseasafetypintoattacheachchild’sbadgetohisclothing.

Fine-Feathered Assessment Choosethisfine-feathered(andfun!)approachtoassessingyouryoungsters’knowledgeaboutowls.Firsthelpeachchildmakeandlabelanowl-shapedflapbookliketheoneshown(seethedirectionsbelow).Thenhaveeachchildwritewhatheknowsabouteachtopiconthecorrespondingbookletpage.“Whooooo”knewassessmentcouldbesomuchfun!

All About Owls

by Carrie

More Facts About Owls

Step 1

Step 2

Where Owls LiveWhat Owls Eat

Kinds Of Owls

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