KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher: Victoria Castner
Group Size: 20

Date: Day 4
Allotted Time: 50 minutes

Grade Level: 2

Subject or Topic: Bird Beak Adaptations

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):
4.1.2.D: Identify differences in living things (color, shape, size, ect.) and describe how
adaptations are important for survival.
I.

Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes)

The 2nd grade students will analyze why birds eat certain foods by testing which
different representational beaks are best to eat various foods with.

II.

Instructional Materials
A. Timer
B. 20 science journals
C. 20 Bird Beak Table Sheets
D. 20 pencils
E. Smartboard
F. 10 trays
G. 10 sets of chopsticks
H. 10 clothespins
I. 10 spoons
J. 10 large paper plates
K. 10 cups
L. Oats
M. Marbles
N. Seeds
O. Gummy Warms
P. Mini pretzels

III.

Subject Matter/ Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, new
content)
A. Prerequisite Skills:
1. The students know that many birds live in the temperate forest.
2. The students know that birds eat things like nectar, seeds, snails, fish,

warms, and insects.

3. The students can work well in the predetermined partners they are
assigned to.
B. Key Vocabulary:
1. Adaptation: a change in a plant or animal that makes it better able to
live in a particular place or situation
2. Beak: a birds jaw/mouth
3. Probing Beak: a long and slender beak.
4. Cracking Beak:a short wide beak, strong enough to crack open
nuts/seeds.
5. Scoop Beak: a beak big enough to scoop up larger foods or foods in
the water.
C. Big Idea:
1. A birds beak will determine the type of diet that bird has.
D. New Content:
The shape of a birds beak helps it to eat various types of foods. A bird
with a probing beak, such as a hummingbird, uses its beak to eat
nectar, or probe and search in the mud for insects or worms. A bird
with a cracking beak, such as a sparrow or cardinal, uses its short and
strong beak to crack nuts and seeds. A bird with a scoop beak, such as
a pelican, uses its big beak almost as a spoon to eat bigger foods like
snails or fish.
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. The teacher will call the students to the carpet in the front of the room for
a discussion.
2. On the smartboard, the teacher will display the focus questions, How
does the shape of a birds beak help determine the food it can eat?
3. The teacher will ask the students to turn and talk to brainstorm ideas.
4. The students will talk to people around them.
5. The teacher will ask for three students to share their thoughts/predictions.
6. The teacher will say, Today we are going to learn why different birds eat
different things.
7. The teacher will ask the students to return to their seats next to their pre
determined lab partners.
B. Development
1. The teacher will hand each student the Bird Beaks Guided Notes Sheet.
(See attached)
2. Using the Bird Beak teacher created PowerPoint (see attached), the
teacher will teach about the different beak types.
3. The students will fill in their guided notes based of the powerpoint.
4. The teacher will explain. Now that we have learned a little bit about the

5.
6.
7.
8.

different beaks, we are going to see for ourselves why different beaks
determine which foods birds eat. The teacher will give each set of
partners a tray. On the tray there will be a bowl with oats, marbles, seeds,
gummy warms, and mini pretzels. There will also be a cup, spoon, set of
chopsticks, and clothespin. The teacher will explain the directions. One
partner will be in charge of the timer and the other will be the bird for that
round. The partner who is acting as the bird will take the beak and try to
gather as many foods as they can from the paper plate into the cup. At the
end of 30 seconds, the person who gathered the food will record the results
on their table. After each recording they must add the food back onto the
paper plate. Then the partners will trade jobs for that beak. The entire class
will first do the spoon, and then answer the reflective question. Then they
will do the chopsticks and answer the reflective question. Then they will
do the clothes pin and answer the reflective question. The students may
work with their partner to answer the questions.
The students will conduct the experiment. As the students do this, the
teacher will walk around the room to help as needed.
When they entire class is finished, the teacher will ask the groups to help
clean up by bringing the trays up to the front table.
The students will put the guided notes in the right side of their journal and
the table in the left side of their science journals.
The students will turn in their science journals.

C. Closure
1. The teacher will lead a while group discussion. She will ask students what
they noticed about using the spoon.
2. Expected student responses will be that it was the only beak that could
pick up the marbles. The teacher will prompt discussion so students
understand the relationship between the scooping beak and eating fish.
3. The teacher will do the same questioning/prompting/explaining for the
other two beaks.
4. The teacher will ask students to turn and talk to their partners or tables
about the focus question, How does the shape of a birds beak help to
determine the food it can eat?
5. Students should be able to explain that certain beaks are easier to eat
certain foods with.
D. Accommodations / Differentiation
1. Students will be discussing in small groups, partners, and whole group
through out the lesson.
2. To accommodate a student with Autism, the teacher will make that child a
checklist/schedule for the lesson. It will read:
a. Carpet talk
b. Guided notes on powerpoint
c. Bird beak experiment with partners

d. Science journals
e. Clean up and turn in work
f. Class talk
E. Assessment/Evaluation plan
1. Formativea. The teacher will collect the students experiment sheet. They will be
given a total score out of 6.
b. 1 point for experimenting with each beak (total 3 points), and 1point
for reasonably answering each question (total 3 points).
c. A score of 4/6 or higher will be considered proficient. 3/6 or below
will need remediation.
2. Summativea. There is no summative evaluation for this lesson.
b. At the end of the unit, students will complete a unit test.
3. Performance Assessment:
V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Students Performance in Terms of States Objectives (Reflection on
students performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who failed to meet acceptable level of achievement)
1. Report of Student Performance:

2. Remediation Plan: Students earning a 3/6 or below will be pulled in a

small group to review the guided notes with a teacher or aid.
B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught.)(Reflective
answers to questions recorded after lesson is taught.)
1. Was I able to keep the class under control?

2. Was I able to answer any questions the students had to give them a
further explanation if needed?

VI. Resources:
Classifying Birds According to Their Beaks. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015.
Pawlak, S. (n.d.). Bird Beak Adaptations. Retrieved October 6,
2015, from https://www.bayercropscience.us

Name_____________________________________________
Date__________________________

Bird Beaks Guided Notes

Directions: Fill in these notes from the Powerpoint. This sheet will go on the
right side of your science journal at the end of class.

Scoop Beak: We used the spoon to act as the scoop beak.

Examples of birds with a scoop beak:
1. Brown Pelican
2. American White Pelican
Foods birds with a scoop beak commonly eat:
1. Snails
2. Fish

Probing Beak: We used the chopsticks to act as the probing

beak.
Example of a bird with a probing beak:
1. Hummingbird
Birds with a probing beak commonly eat:
1. Insects
2. Nectar

Cracking Beak: We used the clothespin to act as the cracking

beak.
Examples of birds with a cracking beak:
1. Sparrows
2. Cardinals
Birds with a cracking beak commonly eat:
1. Seeds
2. Insects
3. Worms

Name______________________________
Date__________________

Complete the table and questions during your

experiment. This will go in the left side of your
science journal at the end of class.
Insects

Worms

# Of Mini
Pretzels
Collected

# Of
Gummy
Worms
Collected

Fish/Snails Bird
Seed
# Of
Marbles
# Of
Collected
Seeds
Collected

Scoop Beak
(Spoon)
Probing Beak
(Chopsticks)
Cracking
Beak
(Clothespin)
1. Which food(s) did you collect the most of with
the spoon? Why do you think birds with a scoop
beak eat these food(s)?

2. Which food(s) did you collect the most of with

the chopsticks? Why do you think birds with a
probing beak eat these food(s)?

3.

Which food(s) did you collect the most of with

the clothespin? Why do you think birds with a
cracking beak eat these food(s)?