3RD GRADE

Topic Overview

The Aves Compartidas 3rd-grade curriculum focuses on pollinators and their role in the greater ecosystem, in addition to learning about migratory birds we share with our partners in Guanajuato, Mexico. The 3rd grade class is represented by the Rufous Hummingbird, a pollinator who will be explored through a variety of interdisciplinary lessons, activities, and a gradually assembled student poster. Throughout our five in-class sessions, students will investigate the topics of migration, bird anatomy, bird identification, habitat, pollination, as well as new vocabulary in both Spanish and English. The Aves Compartidas program includes a 3rd-grade field trip to the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Here students will receive lessons and activities that will add depth to the knowledge we have provided throughout our previous sessions. Field trip activities include teaching the basic functions of binoculars, bird watching, the steps to proper bird identification, guided nature walks, a scavenger hunt, and a guided sit spot that includes a letter writing activity to our partners in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Highlighted Bird Species

Rufous Hummingbird (Colibrí Rufo)

The Rufous Hummingbirds are known for their bright male coloration of orange and red with a deep copper throat. They travel from Alaska to southern Mexico during their annual migration routes, making them have the northernmost breeding grounds of any hummingbird, and the longest migration route of any other hummingbird species. The rufous hummingbirds can be found eating nectar and small insects, and inhabiting small woven nests between 3 and 30 feet from the ground.

Male Rufous Hummingbird

Photo by VJ Anderson (Wikimedia Commons)

Methods

Utilizing the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdSleuth International, Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, and Audubon de Mexico curriculum, the 3rd-grade curriculum aims to engage students in immersive, hands-on, and interdisciplinary activities. This activates student awareness of the world of birds, their local landscape, and the cross cultural connections they hold with our program partners. The Aves Compartidas program challenges the archaic notion that environmental education is strictly taught from a science-based perspective. Our curriculum aims to engage our students with diverse materials that utilizes the arts, and that are accessible to all learning styles and backgrounds.