OWL PELLETS

Author(s):
Linda Swope and Patti Garza – We both did this lesson in Q200 at IUPUI University of Missouri:
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001418.shtml
Ruth Manna:
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=170

Grade Level:
5
Timeframe: Class periods? 4 (50 minutes each)
Total Number of hours? 3 Minutes? 20

Lesson Description or Explanation
In this lesson, students will research the eating habits of Owls and then dissect an Owl pellet, identify the bones, classify and reconstruct the skeleton, and identify the number of rodents and small animals found in the owl pellet.

Indiana Curricular Standards
5.1.3, 5.2.4, 5.2.7, 5.4.9, 5.5.1


ISTE Standards
3. Technology productivity tools -Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

4. Technology communication tools - Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences. Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

5. Technology research tools - Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.

6. Technology problem solving and decision-making tools - Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions. Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

Assessments:
Formative: Observation, Peer and Group comparisons, whole class sharing, discussion questions

Summative: Reconstructed skeleton, correct animal classification, Power Point presentation of data, graphs

Prior Knowledge
Curricular Knowledge or Skills: Background information on Owls and their eating habits, using tweezers and needle probes, determining fact from opinion
Technology Knowledge: How to use the internet, making graphs, using and understanding a dichotomous key and bone-sorting chart for small animals and rodents.

Technology
Internet Resources:
Students can also watch a virtual dissection of owl pellets at:
http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/
www.kidwings.com/teacher/owlpellets/bonechart.htm
www.kidwings.com/teacher/owlpellets/dichotomouskey.htm
http://www.carolina.com/manuals/manuals8/Owl_Pellet_Bone_Chart.pdf
http://www.hawkandowl.org/page102a.html
http://www.owlpages.com/index.php?file=faq
http://www.worldofowls.com/whatareowls.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110867/greathornedowl.html
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/owl-pellet-dissection-project.html
http://www.eagle-bluff.org/Owl%20Pellets%2005.pdf

Hardware: School computers in the Library

Software: Microsoft PowerPoint, Word

Procedure:
Materials - Owl pellet, white paper, dissecting tray, tweezers, needle probe, glue, bone sorting chart, and magnifying glass, dichotomous key, gloves, mask, paper and pencil to record information to be put into the PowerPoint slides and graphs.

Day One:

• Students will be taken to the library and given the chance to do research on Owl pellets and the eating habits of Owls. Students will gather information from at least one internet site and one resource from the library.
• Students will come back to the classroom and share the information that they have learned (i.e. what owls eat and what is contained in an owl pellet)
• Teacher will introduce the experiment and the materials required. Teacher will go over how to use equipment properly.

Day Two:

• Students will dissect their Owl pellets. They will separate out the bones from the rest of the pellet and clean them off.
• Students will identify the bones using the Bone Sorting Cart and dichotomous key.

Day Three

• Students will determine, by the data collected, how many animals were in the pellet (how many skeletons) and how many different types of animals (shrews, moles, birds, or rodents).
• Students will record their data.
• Students will begin reconstruction on one animal skeleton.

Day Four

• Students will finish their reconstructions and classify it based on their data and their current knowledge of rodents/mammals in an owl’s diet.
• Students will take a picture using digital cameras and upload their picture to a new page in Power Point.
• They will record and graph their data collection.
• The Power Point will be shown to the class as a whole and we will discuss what we found and we will discuss and compare graphs. At the end we will make a whole class graph.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL
Use www.babelfish.altavista.com or www.worldlingo.com to translate the skeleton diagram and instructions. ESL students will also work with a partner in order to support their understanding of the data, dissection, and classification activities. This will facilitate learning for both students. The ESL student can understand what the lesson is about and participate while the English speaking student might learn new words and phrases in another language.

Expand
Compare charts with classmates, hypothesize why there are differences and then research the hypotheses. Although the assignment is for each student to reconstruct and identify one animal in the owl pellet, students can also go further in their investigation by reconstructing and classifying each animal in the pellet.

Special Needs
Any students with special needs will be assigned a partner to work with. For example, if a student with special needs is unable to do the dissection due to fine motor limitations, they can still participate in the investigation by helping with the classification of bones and identification of the animal. Both students will benefit by working together to complete the assignment. Partners will also assist students using software available on the school computers to help with audio and visual needs such as those found at : http://www.wested.org/cs/tdl/print/docs/tdl/home.htm