High School Curriculum - San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

Free High School Bird Migration Curriculum for Teachers

This education module on bird migration and conservation promotes place-based learning by engaging students in scientific inquiry related to their local environment. Students will begin by learning about phenotypic traits and life history of their bird. Then they will analyze wildlife tracking data collected at Motus stations and investigate how environmental and human impacts can influence bird migration patterns in the Bay Area. Small student groups will focus on one local bird species to foster a sense of connection while building a depth of knowledge. Familiarization with birds in the area can inspire students to learn more about the ecology of their own community and connect with participatory science projects.

Birds explored in this module include Bay Area species that students may encounter during their field trip or at a local open space. They include:

Barn Swallow
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Swainson’s Thrush
Western Sandpiper
Western Tanager

Western Sandpiper feeding on the ground — Western Sandpiper. Photo by Garrett Lau

This module is designed to be done over many class periods and easily incorporated into your lesson planning for the school year. Detailed lesson plans, NGSS standards, worksheets, student examples, teacher keys, and supporting materials are available in each of the lesson links below. Students may work in small groups. Each group should be assigned a bird species and all following lessons should be completed using them. For larger classes, having two groups work on each of the 6 species will allow for deeper comparison of analysis and findings among students. Access to a Chromebook/computer is recommended throughout the module and is necessary for the Motus mapping activity in Lesson 2. Printable items are provided as well as suggested activity modifications to support diverse learning needs.

Additional Resources

Lesson overview and edits for time – Infographic overview of the three lessons and suggestions for what to cut or assign as homework if short on time.
Bird Migration Unit Glossary – Glossary of terms used in the lesson materials.

Videos:
- Motus Wildlife Tracking System Introductory Video (2.5 minutes) – This video from Motus provides an introduction to the importance of birds, the plight of bird populations, and how Motus can help.
- SFBBO Introduction to Motus and Tracking Birds Video (3 minutes) – This animated video created by SFBBO provides an introduction to bird tracking technologies with a focus on the advantages of Motus. Closed captions in Spanish are available.

Community science app guides for field trips:
- Merlin App Guide
- eBird Basics Guide
Mark & Recapture Activity – An extra activity worksheet modeling how mark & recapture works to estimate bird populations.

Field Trip

This module is aligned with field trips options for students when funding is available to support them:

Cooley Landing in East Palo Alto – a location considered for a Motus tower; students engage in community science, practice observing wild birds, and explore questions related to habitat and threats to birds
SFBBO’s Coyote Creek Field Station (CCFS) in Milpitas – our bird banding station where we have a Motus tower set up; students can see wild birds in the hand and explore why and how scientists study birds

Additional location options such as the the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Fremont may be available in the future as more Motus towers go up. A field trip is strongly recommended as an opportunity for students to inquire like scientists, share the explanations for phenomena that they generated in the classroom, and engage with community science projects. Funding may be available to support field trips – please contact outreach@sfbbo.org for more information.

A group of students standing in front of marsh habitat.

Teacher Feedback
As you review and use the lessons, we would appreciate your feedback. Please fill out this feedback survey so we can continue to improve the activities, make them more usable for you and other teachers, and understand how the lessons are being used.

This module was developed in partnership with Environmental Volunteers by Leslie Anido, Wendy Gibbons, Tonia Spyridi, Lisa Wagner, Sirena Lao, and Christine Zack thanks to a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Access, Interpretation, and Education Grant. A special thanks to high school volunteers Nishika Ivaturi and Jose Tadeo for their contributions on this project.

This grant supported SFBBO and EV’s mission of Expanding Access to Environmental Education and Science Engagement in our neighboring community. Our goal is to inspire positive environmental action and future fields of study in science among historically underrepresented populations through experiential science education.