Students explore the adaptations that allow beavers to thrive in aquatic environments, then make observations and inferences about the functions of diverse bird beaks.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the amazing birds that live in or migrate to the polar regions. The issue was co-produced with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In addition to content knowledge articles and lesson plans, the issue includes information about bird-themed citizen science programs from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This article assembles free resources from the Arctic and Antarctic Birds issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

This activity is an introduction to the study of birds. Students will gain observation and classification skills.

This activity is a field investigation of the bird population in the schoolyard and how the students will plan to attract more birds.

Join us on a special trip up to Bathurst Island to record birdsongs, and learn about how you can use bird observations to create scientific inquiry in your classroom using ebird.org and birds.cornell.edu/birdsleuth.

This article discusses misconceptions about birds (and penguins in particular). It provides tools for formative assessment and ideas for teaching correct scientific concepts.

This activity is a field investigation where students gather population data on bird species. The students will create bar graphs and interpret their findings. Based on their experiences and data, they will write an answer to the guiding question.

This activity is a class lab activity in which students will observe unknown rocks and learn about how they fit into the rock cycle.

Almost everyone has wished at one time or another to be able to fly like a bird. Just the thought of soaring above your city or town without any mechanical device gives us a reason to envy these feathered animals. Also in: French | Spanish

This activity is a classroom and field activity in which students record observations of birds in their natural habitat and make connections between the structure and function of the bird feet.

This article provides links to lessons and units about birds, bird characteristics, and penguins. Ideas for literacy integration are included, and all lessons are aligned to national standards.

This article discusses the physical and behavioral adaptations that allow birds to survive in cold climates such as the polar regions.

This article provides an overview of scientific inquiry and how citizen science programs run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provide opportunities for inquiry about birds.

This activity is a classroom introduction to bird migration. Students will acquire new vocabulary, sharpen their map skills, and discover the scientific reasons some birds migrate.

This article introduces the 17 species of penguins and shows how a study of penguin habitats and life cycles can fulfill national science content standards for K-grade 5. The author provides links to web resources and suggests books. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

 Pollinators are a vital part of our world and are essential for creating and maintaining habitats that many animals – including us! – rely on for food and shelter. The diversity of pollinators in a particular area is a key indicator of the health of an overall ecosystem. Unfortunately, many pollinators are in trouble, with populations declining significantly around the world. This episode highlights the importance and function of pollinators, with an emphasis on what we can do in our homes and communities to ensure the survival of these important species. For more information and classroom activities, please visit The Wildlife Center of Virginia and VPM UNTAMED websites.

This video aims to provide an illustrative lesson about the respiratory system in birds and how the adaptations of that system over time have made it different than that of other living creatures, especially mammals. Birds are omnipresent in our lives, and students will come to understand and appreciate the fascinating inner workings of these beautiful creatures. This lesson discusses avian features and differences for 20 to 25 minutes, with approximately 20 minutes of in-class student activities.