Bird Watching Activity
Provided by: National Wildlife Federation|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Type: Activity - Classroom
Subjects: Biology
Authors: National Wildlife Federation, Eco-Schools USA
Location: North America
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This activity from the National Wildlife Federation outlines how to identify birds around homes in North America.
- The activity includes a short informative introduction and questions to help students conduct further research on their findings.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The activity is well laid out and easy to follow, so it is a suitable homework task for all ages.
- The activity is open-ended, so it is easy to differentiate for all age groups.
Prerequisites
- There is vocabulary included in the activity that could need to be taught before sending the activity home, especially for younger students.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Elementary science and social studies classes can use this activity when discussing the importance of trees as habitats in their environment and how they can create community change.
- Elementary students can also create a diorama habitat of the birds they spotted and their habitats.
- Middle school students can use this activity when planning ways they can take action in their community. The video 3 Reasons Why Trees Are Important for the Environment can be used alongside this.
- High school science students can use this activity as a research homework task while learning about the impacts of climate change and globalization on plant and animal species. Related resources include Why Some Animals Are Shrinking, Biogeography: Studying the Distribution of Species Across Space, and 5 Plants and Animals Utterly Confused by Climate Change.
Climate change has endangered bird species, threatened some to migrate, and placed others on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Bird species have gradually reduced in number in North America. This resource also contains bird identifiers to guide students in observing the most common bird species through a birdwatching activity. This is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
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