Inside the Classroom: Kaylie Shuler - Seven Hills Elementary
Inside the Classroom: Kaylie Shuler - Seven Hills Elementary
Inside the Classroom is a series that visits Northwest ISD campuses throughout the year and highlights the magical moments that happen between teachers and students each and every day across the entire 234 square miles of NISD.
When it came time to teach her fourth graders about inherited traits and how they help animals survive in an environment, Kaylie Shuler knew she needed to get creative. That’s why Inside the Classroom visited Seven Hills Elementary to check out Ms. Shuler’s bird beak lab.
The lesson started with a student reading the learning target out loud, then Ms. Shuler led a class discussion about key terms like environment and inherited traits. She explained the class would take part in a bird beak lab, and this is where her creativity shined through.
How do you demonstrate different types of bird beaks to a class of fourth graders? For Ms. Shuler the answer was easy: binder clips, toothpicks, spoons, droppers and chopsticks.
She explained how different materials correlated to various types of beaks, such as nectar-sipping beaks (droppers), seed-cracking beaks (binder clips) and insect-catching beaks (chopsticks).
Next, she explained that each group of students would also receive different types of bird food. Ms. Shuler also got creative with the food, which included worms (rubber bands), small fish/fruit (gummy bears) and a few other imaginative examples.
Each group of students received a container with their lab supplies, and each student got a lab sheet. They started by writing predictions on their lab sheet.
Each student then used all five beaks to attempt to pick up all five types of food. On their lab sheet, they used a table to rank how easy or difficult it was to pick up the food. For the next few minutes, students worked well together as they shared beaks and food and made discoveries.
After filling out their tables, each student completed their lab sheet by writing conclusions. They then opened their science journals and answered discussion questions that made them think a little deeper.
What would happen to the population of birds if their beaks were not able to pick up the food that was available to them? How does having different inherited beak shapes help different birds live in the same ecosystem without competing too much?
Ms. Shuler then led a class discussion as students shared their thoughts and answers to the discussion questions. The level of discussion showed students were thinking critically, and it was clear to see that students grasped the concepts Ms. Shuler was teaching.
Sometimes it only takes binder clips, chopsticks, rubber bands, gummy bears and a creative teacher like Ms. Shuler to captivate a fourth-grade class!
Check back regularly all year as we continue to visit students and teachers throughout Northwest ISD and offer a rarely seen look Inside the Classroom.