TCHLS Undergraduate Lesson Plan Template

Learner and Environmental Factors

Grade Level : 4th Grade
Content Area: Stem

State or Local Standards:

-4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external
structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1 Solve problems involving measurement and
conversion of measurements.

Lesson Performance Objective/Student Learning Outcomes (SLO):

The student will be able to know and recognize the different functions of bird beaks.
The student will be able to design a bird beak that is optimal for picking up a certain type
of food.
The students will be able to measure the amount of food that their designed bird beak is
able to pick up.

Materials:
https://prezi.com/w613xsmaz9_q/bird-beaks/
Student Lab Sheet - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-B4TvS8t4cv6r-U7-
sYuq3cw4e2scx3qvE7JKXO6hT0/edit
Plastic Forks
Plastic Spoons
Craft Sticks
Fuzzy Sticks
Rubber Bands
Wooden Dowel Rods
Tape
Scissors
Bowl
Gummy Worms
Rice
Elbow Pasta in Water
*Vocabulary:
Adaptation
Beak
Bill
 Seed
Sieve
*Student Grouping: Students will work in pairs
*Blooms Taxonomy: Analyze
Anticipatory Set: (13 Minutes)
Follow along with the Prezi for the entire lesson!
During the A-set you will:
Go over different types of birds, the functions of their beaks, and how we have
modeled tools after the different types of beaks.
Instruction: (32 Minutes)
Explain to the students the Bird Beak Challenge
Using the materials provided the students must build a bird beak that can pick
up the most food in one try.
Explain to the students the Challenge Rules
You must use only the materials provided to build your bird beak.
You need to pay attention to the type of food you are trying to pick up, it may
influence your design!
The goal is to pick up the most food in one try using your beak without
touching the food with your hands.
There are many different ways to complete this challenge. Be creative!
Show the different types of food that the beaks will have to be able to pick up. (dry beans,
elbow pasta, and rice)
Give each pair of students the list of materials that they are allowed to use to build their
bird beak.
Allow the students 7 minutes to build their bird beaks.
Give the students 2 minutes to talk with other groups about ideas.
Give another 5 minutes to complete beaks.
Once the students have completed their bird beaks, have them work on their Student Lab
sheets.
When the 15 minutes end, call on pairs to come to the front to test their beak and see how
much food they were able to pick up. (Try to complete test in around 15 Minutes)
Test this by having a scale at the front of the classroom and weigh the amount of
each type of food that the beaks were able to pick up.
Have students graph their results
**If time allows, give time to revamp their beaks and do a second test.
Check for Understanding:
Understanding will be checked by checking the Student Lab sheets, completing the
Kahoot, and by testing the built bird beaks.
*Understanding will also be checked throughout the lesson
Application/Guided Practice/Independent Practice: (10 Minutes)
Go over the Student Lab Sheet with the students and then give the students 10 minutes to
complete it.
Closure: (5 Minutes)
The students will review the purpose of different beaks and identify some of the
examples used in class today.

Assessment/Evaluation:
Assessment will be completed by grading the Student Lab Sheets and checking
the bird beak tests.