Biology Lesson: Design Thinking Solutions for Birds
Lesson Plan
3 hoursGrades9, 10, 11, 12Biology
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Written by Isabelle Pardew
About this lesson
Students design a local place-based proposal to improve climate resilience for migratory birds.
Inquire: Students analyze photos and play a game to discover the challenges faced by migratory birds.
Investigate: Students investigate an impact on migratory birds, then teach their classmates.
Inspire: Students conduct a site evaluation and write a proposal to make the site more migratory-bird friendly and climate resilient.
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Everything you need to teach it
- Teacher SlideshowOpen
- Student DocumentOpen
- Background Information for StudentsOpen
- Student Site Assessment DocumentOpen
- Student Project Proposal IdeasOpen
Teaching tips
Suggestions
- This lesson can be taught in a science class as part of a biology, climate change, ornithology, or environmental science unit.
- This lesson can also be incorporated into an English class to practice reading comprehension skills for nonfiction resources and proposal writing skills.
- The game in the Inquire section and the site assessment in the Inspire section can both function as standalone activities.
Prerequisites
- Students need individual access to the internet for the game in the Inquire section.
- Students need to go outside on their school campus or in their neighborhoods to conduct the site analysis.
- Students should have a basic understanding of climate change and its impacts.
Differentiation
- Teachers can assign some activities for homework, such as the game reflection in the Inquire section, the presentation preparation in the Investigate section, and the site assessment or project proposal in the Inspire section.
- The whole class can assess the same site, then advocate for implementing one of the projects on the Project Proposal Ideas Slideshow instead of designing their own proposal.
- Students can conduct the site assessment at different locations or they can choose a local community center and create a proposal directed at the board of directors.
From the scientist review
This lesson identifies the main causes of the fall in migratory bird populations and suggests countermeasures to reverse the trend. The source materials for the lesson have been thoroughly examined and approved by our scientific review panel.
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About the teacher writer
Isabelle Pardew
Research & Operations Associate
Isabelle Pardew, M.S., is SubjectToClimate's Development Associate, committed to environmental conservation and the growing impact of climate change and human activity on birds. They hold a B.S. and M.S. in Applied and Industrial Mathematics from Towson University and an M.S. in Communication from Stevenson University, and are now pursuing a J.D. at the University of Baltimore School of Law. With four years at SubjectToClimate, they have established campus research groups monitoring bird-window collisions to raise awareness and propose action strategies. Fun fact: based in Maryland, they enjoy spending time outdoors and filling out crossword puzzles.
