Learning Goals Template

Name(s): Shannon Young and Austin Knolles

Unit Title: Birds

Grade Level: First

Driving Question: How does each bird's beak help it survive in the wild?

Ideal Response:
The different shapes of beaks determine what type of food the
bird eats.

Connections to Standards
NGSS Performance Expectation (with code)
4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have
internal and external structures that function to support survival,
growth, behavior, and reproduction

Disciplinary Core Idea (include code, and a short grade-band

description from the NGSS - (http://www.nextgenscience.org/)
1.
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various
functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)

NGSS - Cross-Cutting Concept – (Everyone must include patterns)

1. Patterns

NGSS – Practice(s)
 1. Engaging in argument from evidence in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and
progresses to critiquing the scientific explanations or solutions proposed by peers
by citing relevant evidence about the natural and designed world(s).

2. Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model. (4-LS1-1)

AZ State Standard (Include: include code and statement) –

https://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/k-12standards/standards-
science/

K.L1U1.6: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the

systems of the human body which carry out life processes how
organisms use different body parts for Survival.

Learning Goals
KNOWINGS: (no more than 2)
Students will know that:
1. Know that every beak has its own purpose to their survival.

2. Know that every bird depends on its beak for food and safety.

USINGS: (no more than 2)

Students will be able to:
 1. Predict what kind of diet the birds eat based on their beak shape.

2. Predict how they use their beaks to get their food.

Literacy Integration Goals: Identify two literacy goals that are aligned with
the lesson/science topic. Use the following format: How students will use
language, the content, and a support.

1. Students will be able to use the index of the book to find the purpose of
the beaks.

2. Students will use their research journals to either write or draw

about the birds beak and its purpose.

Considerations for English Language Learners: Identify at least two

specific supports for ELL students.
1. Visuals. Have pictures that show different bird beaks. Students will
be able to choose the bird they want to research.

2. Group work. Pair students up so they can work together. Students

will be paired based on their level of learning.

Experiences with Patterns Explanations

phenomena (matches ideal
answer; explains how
and why)
Free Exploration: • The shape of each Students will use their
The students will be birds beak help it exploration to learn
able to use books to eat its ideal food. about the different
explore through and
beaks and be able to
determine what bird • Meat-eater:
discuss that the
they want to Powerful, deeply
purpose of the beaks
research more on. hooked beaks.
Students will be put They are very is for the birds
into pairs and will strong with sharp survival.
have to collaborate cutting edges, to
together. tear in prey and
slice through skin
The students will be or flesh. Students will use trial
able to use their and error to figure out
materials to find • Fruit-and-nut-eater: the different diets of
how easy/hard it can Powerful beaks each beak and the
be to pick up food. with sharp hooked diets that to not work
tip. Their beaks are for each beak coming
used to peel back to the conclusion that
the thick skin off of
Structured the type of beak on
fruits and tear its
Exploration: the bird determines it
sweet flesh into
Students will rotate survival in the wild
pieces, and to
through our stations smash tough nuts and the types of food
to each different apart it eats.
beak and make a
conclusion on how • Seed-eater: Short
each beak cone shaped beaks We want students to
determines what make it well suited use their surroundings
type of diet that bird for picking up and to communicate
has.
with their parents
 seeds. about the different
types of beaks of the
• Fish-eater: Long, birds that they see and
strong, sharply
be able to explain
Out of school pointed and dagger
what kind of food that
experience like in shape. Some
bird would eat based
Students have seen fish eating birds
also have serrated on the shape of its
multiple types of
beak edges, like beak.
birds on the
saw blades, to grip
playground and at
their catch.
home. For example
students have seen
• Nectar-feeder:
pigeons and cardinals Long beaks that are
in their used to probe into
neighborhoods and deeper flowers and
playground. extend their long
tongues to lap up
the nectar.
Summative Assessment
What activity will you use to determine if students have met
your learning goals?
The activity that will determine if the students have met our
learning goals is being able to write in their journal with little
support of the type of beak their bird has and the purpose of it.
The students will be able to work with their partners when
writing in their journal and bounce ideas from each other. If the
students can come up with their own ideas and gather a two
facts about their birds beak than they would have met their
learning goals.

What will you look for in student performance that tells you if
they met the learning goals? Be sure to have at least one
indicator for each knowing and doing.
In our students science journals we want them to use their
matching from the experiment to determine that a stabbing
beak eating fish or meat, the strong jaw beak eats bugs, seeds,
fruit, meat and fish, the pointed beak eats worms, bugs, and
different types of meat, the long beak is the beak that picks up
the nectar, and the skimming beak is like a duck and is for fish
and different things at the bottom of the ocean. Using all of this
knowledge we want them to make the connection that the bird
looks for food in certain places because of the shape of their
beak and the type of food that they eat and how birds need to
eat to survive in the wild. (Knowings). We also want to see that
they know that every birds beak is shaped differently or has
different colors but they all work in similiar ways. (Usings). If
students can write up different facts and tell us the purpose of
the birds beak than it will show us they understood the
content.

Reflection / Contributions (done separately if working with a

partner)
a. What did you learn about learning goals from working on this
assignment?
What I learned about learning goals is that they are set up to make sure
every student can be successful in learning. In the learning goals there is
a template we as teachers follow and if we notice our students not
grasping the goals we can easily change things up to make it more
successful for our students. Learning goals are all about making sure
each students is getting something out of it. For lower level students you
use different types of supports to help them in their thinking and
communicating it others. For higher level students you want to be able to
extend their learning so they don’t become too bored and don’t want to
learn anymore. In our learning goals we made sure that all the students
are going to be successful and want to continue to learn about birds.
b. Why are learning goals important?
Learning goals are important because it gives teachers a template that
they can use to monitor students. It gives the teacher back up just in
case things don’t turn out the way they wanted. It also helps the teacher
get the most out of her students. It gives the teacher a basic
understanding of what she wants her students to learn. It allows for the
teacher to see if her students are grasping the content or is their things
she needs to review before moving on. Most importantly learning goals
are used to help teachers connect the standards to what they are trying
to teach to the students.
 Unit Plan
Red text is the directions. Delete the red text after you have
completed the section. The same directions and the rubric are
also provided on D2L.
Unit Overview
In this lesson we will be teaching a lesson on birds beak and
the purposes they have. Students will watch a video first
showing them various birds and how they use their beaks to
catch food or protect their family. This is part of our school’s
curriculum this semester on birds. We are in the portion of
the unit where we are starting to do research on different
parts of the birds bodies and how they use it to their
advantage. This lesson will be both whole group and small
group. During the video and discussion part it will be whole
group and when we do the experiments it will be small
groups. We will have students sit in groups in which we feel
like they would be the most successful. For example, we will
have higher level students paired up with lower level students
and have the middle group at each table. By doing this we
are hoping for more participation out of the middle and lower
groups.
Materials/Supplies
The materials that are needed are items that can represent
specific bird beaks. We don’t need materials for all students
just a set of them that 5-6 students can use at one time. One
table will have dixie cups with the sides cut out which will
represent a mallard ducks beak. Another table will have
straws that will be bent and that represents birds with
pecking beaks. Another table will have a spoon which
represents birds with spooning beaks, and the last table will
 have have toothpicks that represent birds with stabbing
beaks. We will also have a variety of different types of food
that each bird would eat. Fish(gummy fish), seeds and nuts,
worms (rubber bands), nectar (cup of water), and bugs
(round cotton balls). Each table will have 5-6 of the materials
depending on how many students are at each table.
Preparation
We will be setting up the stations each day. Each table will
have three trays. Two of the trays will have dirt and the
different variations of food. The other tray will have the
different types of beaks. After the rotations we will ask the
students to clean their area up and put the materials on the
tray in which they belong. Once they have cleaned up their
area we will come around and clean up the trays.
Safety
Before we start the experiment Shannon and I will tell the
students that they are not toys or food and they need to
treated with extra care. They know if they mess around with
the tools they will have to sit out. The tools we are putting
out will be for children and won’t cause anyone to get hurt. In
addition, there will be at least one teacher at teach table to
monitor and make sure every student stays on task.
Unit Plan

Day 1
Time Needed: 40 minutes Are
you teaching this lesson? N

Instructional Activities I-AIM Stage

& Function
(color code)
 1 Title: Bird Drawing Play (Orange)
Brief Description:Students will choose a
bird a draw what its beak looks like and
the diet they eat.

2 Title: Writing activity Question

Brief Description: Students will be able (Yellow)
to write about a bird and its beaks
purpose using the Index. Each student
will get its own book and choose a bird
and write about their birds beak.

3 Title:
Brief Description:

Literacy Integration:
We want to see the students using the index to find a bird of their
choosing. We want the students to realize an efficient way to find
information quickly. We don’t want students turning each page and finding
a bird that way. This also forces them to use their letter sounds/blending
to find the word in the index.

Assessment:
Formative: As we walk around and listen to their conversations we want to
hear them talking about the details of the bird and really focusing on the
shape of the beak of the bird they are drawing.
We want to see the students using their book to research about a bird of
their choosing. If we see them using the index and the words within their
chapter to write about their birds beak and purpose than they will
successfully complete this activity and will be able to move on to Day 2.
We want to see if they can use the pictures in the book to determine what
that bird eats and be able to communicate it in their journal. For the
students who aren’t able to write complete sentences we want them to be
able to draw the purpose of their birds beak and the diet the birds eat.
 Day 2
Time Needed: 1 hour Are you
teaching this lesson? Y

Instructional Activities I-AIM Stage

& Function
(color code)

1 Title: Table walk through and hands on Explore and

experience with stations investigate
Brief Description: Students will have the (green)
chance to walk through the stations with
no intention other then to test and use.
We will not explain what the stations are
about other then that they are able to
touch and play with them.

2 Title: Video on bird beaks Explore and

Brief Description: students will watch a investigate
video off of youtube that shows the (green)
different uses for each bird's beak and
how they actually use them in the wild.
At this point we will have the kids turn
and talk about each bird's beak. This is
also where we will introduce our driving
question
 3 Title: Start of experient and our table Explain (blue)
rotation
Brief Description: Our students will start
the first two rotations for the bird beaks.
They will sit at the table and experiment
with the different types of beaks and
how they are best used to “eat” the
seeds and be able to decide which types
of beaks is which and if that beak is best
used to eat seeds or other types of food.

Literacy Integration:

Using their Scholastic books at their stations students will use

the index to try and match the specific beak type they are
working with. We will model how to do this before hand. While
using this book students will get to choose a bird of their choice
using the Index. On the back of our worksheet we have a
picture of birds that our students can choose from.

Assessment:
Formative: Our assessment for these experiments will be use walking
around making sure that they are clearly matching the types of beaks and
deciding correctly if the beak is best used to eat seeds, fruit, or meat by
checking it off in our data worksheet and talking in their groups after they
finish the work sheet on why that beak works or doesn't work for the
different types of food.

Day 3
Time Needed: 30 minutes Are
you teaching this lesson? N

Instructional Activities I-AIM Stage

& Function
(color code)

1 Title:Final rotations of the beak stations Explain(blue)

Brief Description: Students will finish up
their final two rotations of experimenting
with the different types of bird beaks.

2 Title: Final thoughts and closing Apply (purple)

Brief Description: For our closing we will Reflect (red)
come together as a class and discuss
and draw pictures in our science
notebooks of each type of beak and
which type of beak has the best use for
eating the different types of food.
Students will share with their group
mates and discuss why they believe
each beak is better for each type of
food.

3 Title:
Brief Description:
 Literacy Integration:
Using our science notebooks students will write about
each beak type and the food that best fits that beak
type. Using their scholastic books they will find facts and
information about each beak and write about it in their
science notebooks.

Assessment:
Formative: The group talk at the end we want students
to be tell us which beak is the most efficient based on
the food. We want students to be able to look at their
worksheet on similarities and differences in the beaks
and notice how some beaks are good to eat more than
one type of food and explain to the class the shapes of
the beaks and that beaks diet.

Accommodations
Our accommodations for our students will have to do
with each of their needs. Some students who are not
able to read or write will be placed with more advanced
students and when the need for writing comes in they
will have the chance to draw. For our ELL’s we will
have everything labeled and have pictures on each bird
beak so they always know what we are talking about
because some of the bird beak types can be very
confusing to kids who aren't comfortable with the
language yet.

Student Science Toolkits and Family Connections

• The reason that this lesson connects and builds with
our students is because we have been learning
about birds for the last semester of school. We have
been on many field trips with them learning about
different types of birds and beaks is the final lesson
in learning about the functions of the birds body.

• We will connect this lesson to our students funds of

knowledge by bringing in their outside experiences
with birds, such as being on the playground or going
on our field trips and being close up to the different
types of birds. Asking them what kind of beaks the
birds that they've seen at home or outside at school
that they have seen.

• We will connect to our children's family by talking

about different trips the kids have been on where
they have seen different birds that we don't have in
arizona and what kind of food they think those birds
eat.
Lesson Artifacts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1BCehbUsTQ

Bibliography/Sources
For this lesson we when off of our Sunnyside Unified
school district curriculum that we plan on planbook.

Individual Contribution
Shannon:
1. or this lesson my mentor teacher helped me a
ton by giving me the plans that we use for our labs
which is what we call our science stations. She told
me that we needed to teach about the birds body
which means feathers, bones, and beaks. We chose
beaks for our big lesson because we thought it
would be the easiest for whole group. My mentor
helped me with finding books to look through and
learn more about beaks and how they contribute to
the bird and it surviving in the wild.

2. think that this lesson plan fits scientists

science because it gives the chance for kids to really
experience the different types of beaks and see how
they are best used. Without them knowing which
beak does what it gives them the chance to
experience on their own which beak is used best for
each food on their own and experience what the bird
experiences first hand and come up with their own
opinion after they have done the experiment.

3. ustin and i worked together to create this

lesson. We split up the lesson plans in half and one
person did one half and the other person did the
other half. We also worked really well together
bouncing ideas for how we want to carry out this
experiment and what would be best and most
meaningful for the kids. Our mentor teachers also
work very closely and it helped us to have the
support we needed to create this lesson plan.

4.
Austin:
1. y mentor teacher used her prior experience with this
lesson and helped me understand the strengths and
stretches of it. She helped me get ideas of how to teach
the lesson to a wide variety of students and learners. She
helped me with coming up with coming up with a
worksheet that will help the students better understand
the concept.

2.
2. The lesson plan fits scientists science by allowing
for students to gain experiences before doing the
actual activity. Watching the videos and asking open
ended questions allowed for our students to have more
prior knowledge before asking our driving question.

3. Shannon and I planned this lesson plan together.

We talked about how we wanted this lesson to look and
both of us were in charge of one day. Our mentor
teachers also helped us in making sure our lessons
would be successful. We decided as a team that it
would be most useful to teach together in both of our
classes and see how they are different with different
students.