Science and Technology/Engineering
15 Pre-Kindergarten
Lauren Weiss and Margaret Krone
The World Around Me
Pre-K students focus on experiencing and making observations of the world around them. They are beginning to learn about their own environment as they observe plants and animals, the Moon and the Sun, and the daily weather. They experience their world through their senses and body parts and begin to recognize that animals also use their senses and body parts to meet their basic needs. They investigate pitch and volume, shadow and light, liquids and solids, and how things move. They sort materials by simple observable properties such as texture and color. They share their understanding of these concepts through discussion as they develop their language and quantitative skills. Pre-K students build awareness of the wide variety of natural phenomena and processes in the world around them. [1] [2]
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Animal Behavior
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
Where is the sun when the falcons do different behaviors (i.e. eat, hunt, rest, etc.)?
Materials
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Sample Plan
Talk about how there are 2 types of birds: birds that are active during the day and sleep at night (diurnal) and birds that sleep during the day and are active at night (nocturnal). Falcons are active during the day. Ask students which best describes them: diurnal or nocturnal. Ask for examples.
Observe the falcon cam livestream at different points during the day (or scroll through the falcon cam prerecorded video clips) with students, and have them identify the positions of the sun throughout the day as the falcons do different behaviors (eating, resting, etc.). Compare/contrast with the positions of the sun when students do those activities. (Note that falcons will rest and loaf during the day, too, especially as chicks, like when students and/or their younger siblings take naps.)
Have students color the coloring sheet and glue/tape the sun and moon on the appropriate side.
ESS2. Earth’s Systems
- PreK-ESS2-1(MA). Raise questions and engage in discussions about how different types of local environments (including water) provide homes for different kinds of living things.
- PreK-ESS2-2(MA). Observe and classify non-living materials, natural and human made, in the local environment.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Geography
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
Where do falcons live, and what non-living materials do they use in their nest sites?
Materials
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Sample Plan
View the Falcon Curriculum: Habitat videos and look at photos of the peregrine falcon nests in the wild and in urban areas. Ask students why they think falcons like to nest on tall cliffs and buildings. Ask them if they were a falcon, would they prefer to live on a cliff or a tall building, and why.
Watch the falcon cam to see what the falcons have in their nest boxes.
Have students examine, touch, and classify the different materials in the sensory bins (pea gravel, feathers, etc.), asking them about each one and where it came from.
ESS3. Earth and Human Activity
- PreK-ESS3-1(MA). Engage in discussion and raise questions using examples about local resources (including soil and water) humans need to meet their needs.
- PreK-ESS3-2(MA). Observe and discuss the impact of people’s activities on the Local Environment.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Conservation and Policy
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
What local resources do humans need to meet their needs, and how have humans using those resources affected the local environment/peregrine falcons?
Materials
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Sample Plan
Watch the Falcon Curriculum: Conservation, Beginner videos. Talk about how humans used DDT to get rid of insects that ate their crops and made them sick, but DDT was bad for the environment and made peregrine falcons almost disappear from North America. That’s when Rachel Carson showed people how bad DDT was, and people listened and passed laws to stop it from being used. Also, Tom Cade started a program to have peregrine falcons lay eggs not in the wild so they would be good and hatch. Now, there are lots of peregrine falcons around.
Talk about how people are still helping peregrine falcons today, like how wildlife experts watch peregrine falcon nests to make sure they are doing well and then band the chicks so they can identify them when they fly away. This helps them study peregrine falcons. Watch the Banding videos.
Do the Banding Day Scavenger Hunt:
- Print and cut out the Banding Day falcons. Each has a different leg band.
- Hide them around the room.
- Print out the scavenger hunt sheets.
- Tell students they are going to pretend to be wildlife experts and have to find and identify the different falcons. They can either go around as a class/small groups or individually and cross each bird’s band off their identification sheet as they find it.
LS1. From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- PreK-LS1-1(MA). Compare, using descriptions and drawings, the external body parts of animals (including humans) and plants and explain functions of some of the observable body parts.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Anatomy and Life Cycle
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
How are birds built? What are the body parts of a peregrine falcon?
Materials
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Sample Plan
Watch the Falcon Curriculum: Basic Information videos. Talk about the different parts of a falcon (beak, wings, talons, etc.) and how they are similar and different to humans.
Teach them “Head, Feathers, Wings, and Feet” with motions towards each part mentioned:
“Head, Feathers, Wings and Feet”
(To the tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”)
Head, feathers, wings, and feet
Wings and feet
Head, feathers, wings, and feet
Wings and feet
Eyes and tail and talons and beak
Head, feathers, wings, and feet
Wings and feet
Do the Falcon Toilet Paper Roll Craft:
- Have students identify, color, and cut out the falcon parts.
- Stand the toilet paper roll upright.
- Glue gray paper/tissue paper around the roll.
- Glue a rounded section of white tissue paper on the front.
- Glue 2 strips of black paper vertically on the face; then glue the eyes over them.
- Glue the other parts in the appropriate places.
- Students can either take them home or you can “perch” them on high places/hang them from the ceiling around the classroom!
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Animal Behavior
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
How do peregrine falcons use their five senses to survive?
Materials
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Sample Plan
Review the five senses. Watch the Falcon Curriculum: Basic Information videos. Talk about how falcons use their five senses and how they are similar/different to humans.
Do the Five Senses Activity:
- Sight: Talk about how a falcon’s vision is 8 times better than humans. Have students use the binoculars/telescope as examples of how much better a falcon’s vision is than theirs.
- Hearing: Play the various falcon audio clips and see if students can hear the differences between them. Have them try to imitate the different sounds.
- Smell: Falcons have a basic sense of smell. Humans do not. Have the students close their eyes or blindfold them and see if they can identify various smells.
- Taste: Falcons have a basic sense of taste. Humans do not. Have students close their eyes or blindfold them; then have them hold their nose and see if they can identify the different tastes. Then have them not hold their nose and do it again to experience the difference.
- Touch: Falcons use their sense of touch quite a bit. Have students do a “Tonight Show”-style mystery box, where they reach into a box that they cannot see inside and try to guess what is inside based on how it feels. You can also have students try and experience touch like a falcon by asking them to try and pick up an object using only their feet/toes.
LS2. Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- PreK-LS2-1(MA). Use evidence from animals and plants that define several characteristics of living things that distinguish them from non-living things.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Anatomy and Life Cycle
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
What are characteristics of living things that distinguish them from non-living things?
Materials
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Sample Plan
This lesson is meant to be taught in conjunction with PreK-ESS2-1(MA) and PreK-ESS2-2(MA). As you talk about the falcons’ habitats and do the sensory bins, have students discuss characteristics of living things (i.e. falcons) that distinguish them from non-living things (i.e. gravel, etc.).
LS2. Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- PreK-LS2-2(MA). Using evidence from the local environment, explain how familiar plant and animals meet their needs where they live.
- PreK-LS2-3(MA). Give examples from the local environment of how animals and plants are dependent on one another to meet their basic needs.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Geography
Animal Behavior
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
What do peregrine falcons eat?
Materials
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Sample Plan
Watch the Falcon Curriculum: Prey and Hunting videos. Look at images of the prey. Ask students if they’ve ever seen or heard some of them.
Take a nature walk and go birdwatching/bird listening.
Make recycled bottle bird feeders to attract these birds and have students start to be able to identify local species. Compare the birds they see at the bird feeders to falcons (appearance, sound, etc.).
- Cut a large hole on one side of the plastic bottle for the birds to feed from, and 2 smaller circular holes opposite each other below it for the perch to go through (adults may want to do this part).
- Put the perch through those 2 small circular holes.
- Fill the bottle with birdseed up to the large hole so it doesn’t spill out.
- Tie the string around the top of the bottle.
- Hang it from a tree and observe the birds that use it.
LS3. Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
- PreK-LS3-1(MA). Use observations to explain that young plants and animals are like but not exactly like their parents.
- PreK-LS3-2(MA). Use observations to recognize differences and similarities among themselves and their friends.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Anatomy and Life Cycle
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
How are young falcons (chicks and juveniles) similar and different from their parents and each other?
Materials
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Sample Plan
Watch the Falcon Curriculum: Life Cycle videos. See how the chicks develop into juveniles and then adults. If possible, this lesson should be taught during March-June, when the falcon cam livestream is up, and students can see the chicks’ development on camera. Talk about the similarities and differences between the chicks, juveniles, and adults (color, etc.).
Do the cotton ball chick craft:
- Help students trace and cut out their handprints on white paper. These will be the chicks’ wings.
- Paste the handprint cutouts on either side of the paper plate.
- Have students paste the eyes and beak onto the plate in the appropriate locations.
- Have students paste on lots of cotton balls to resemble the white down fluff of the chick.
- Once dry, hang up all the chicks on a bulletin board in the classroom. Point out how they are all peregrine falcon chicks, but each chick looks a little different from each other, just like each student looks different from each other.
PS1. Matter and Its Interactions
- PreK-PS1-2(MA). Investigate natural and human-made objects to describe, compare, sort, and classify objects based on observable physical characteristics, uses, and whether something is manufactured or occurs in nature.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Anatomy and Life Cycle
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
How can we describe, compare, sort, and classify objects based on observable physical characteristics, uses, and whether something is manufactured or occurs in nature?
Materials
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This lesson is meant to be taught in conjunction with PreK-ESS2-1(MA) and PreK-ESS2-2(MA). As you talk about the falcons’ habitats and do the sensory bins, have students describe, compare, sort, and classify the materials based on observable physical characteristics, uses, and whether they are manufactured or occur in nature.
Falcon Curriculum Core Categories
Animal Behavior
Falcon Curriculum Essential Question
How do falcons move and fly?
Materials
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Sample Plan
Watch the Falcon Curriculum: Flight videos. Talk about how many birds’ wings and bodies let them move and fly the way they do. Compare/contrast with their bodies (i.e. humans don’t have wings/feathers/etc. so they cannot fly like birds). Ask students about different ways that humans can “fly” (i.e. planes, helicopters, hang gliding, parasailing, hot air balloons, etc.).
Do bird yoga with them.
Do the Bird Wings Craft:
- Cut open a paper grocery bag so the front and back are still attached to the bottom, but the 2 smaller, skinny sides get cut off. This opens up the bag.
- Shape the opened-up bag into wings; the bottom goes against the student’s back.
- Use the cut-off skinny sides as straps to hold the wings in place on the student. 2 straps like backpack straps and 2 straps for them to hold with their hands are needed to hold the wings in place.
- Optional: You can have students decorate them if they want.
- Have them wear them and see how they move/feel.
Media Attributions
- Peregrine Falcon Sensory Bin © Lauren Weiss is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
- Toilet Paper Roll Falcon © Lauren Weiss is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
- Recycled Bottle Bird Feeder © Lauren Weiss is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
- Cotton Ball Chick Craft © Lauren Weiss is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
- Paper Grocery Bag Falcon Wings © Lauren Weiss is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
- Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2022). SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / ENGINEERING Grades Pre-Kindergarten to 12 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework. https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html ↵
- Falcon Curriculum Common Core Standards mapping by Margaret Krone. Falcon Curriculum Lesson Plans by Lauren Weiss. © 2022 CC BY 4.0 ↵