About Falcons

The “About Falcons” chapter of this Pressbook contains a moderate overview of peregrine falcons for instructors and older students, and is referenced in the majority of the lessons. The information in this chapter was gathered from reputable sources, including the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and The Peregrine Fund. If you would like further information regarding peregrine falcons, we encourage you to connect with your local Fisheries and Wildlife departments and raptor/bird organizations. Some may even be available for classroom visits.

Curriculum

Index

The curriculum section of this Pressbook begins with a categorical index listing all of the lessons by Common Core Standards, Falcon Curriculum Core Categories, description of lesson, and related activities. This is designed to make the lessons more easily searchable.

Common Core Lesson Labeling

The falcon curriculum lesson plans were designed to correlate to the Massachusetts Common Core Standards. Each lesson begins with a colored learning objectives box denoting the grade level theme at the top, followed by the disciplinary core idea, and then the standard(s). These standards are labeled using the NGSS system; if (MA) appears at the end of the standard label, it means that this standard was added by the state of Massachusetts and does not align with NGSS.

Relation to Falcon Curriculum

After the learning objectives box, you will find the applicable Falcon Curriculum Core Categories and Falcon Curriculum Essential Question relating the standard(s) to the falcon curriculum.

Materials

After the question, you will find a table containing a list of materials needed for the lesson by instructors and students, respectively.

Many of the materials listed (text, photos, videos, worksheets, etc.) are provided in this Pressbook in the “Resources” section and linked to in the Materials tables. Other materials used, such as the craft materials, were recycled or obtained at discount/dollar stores for minimal cost.

Sample Lesson Plans

After the Materials table, you will find a sample lesson plan with discussion topics and activities.

Some activities are repeated in different grade levels because they align with more than one grade’s standards, albeit with more advanced instruction for older students.

We encourage you to use the sample lesson plans as starting points for what would work best in your own classroom environments.

Resources

The “Resources” section contains a comprehensive list of the videos, images, activity sheets, glossary, etc. referenced throughout the Pressbook. All images found throughout the “About Falcons” section and the curriculum section are listed in the “Resources” section and link to their full resolution.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback as you use the Falcon Curriculum. Please use this form.