Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: What is a Flesh-footed Shearwater?

30 minutes

Find Out: Migration journey class performance

15 minutes

Take Action: What can we do to ‘STOP the DROP?

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will:

recognise the physical features of a shearwater.
understand how and why shearwaters take long migration journeys.

Success criteria:

Students can:

identify one to three biological features of a shearwater that help it on its migration journey
understand how shearwaters navigate the oceans
identify how plastics are harming shearwaters
identify how to help shearwaters
participate in a role play activity
contribute to class and group discussions.

Preparation

Set up the this clip so, on arrival, students hear the sounds of the Flesh-footed Shearwater playing.
Migration Map: Use four pieces of fabric of different colours to represent the countries of Australia, New Guinea, Japan and Russia. To make the migration map on the floor, lay out the fabric pieces in a way that roughly represents the geographical relationship between Australia, New Guinea, Japan and Russia. Print out the Shearwater Migration - Countries and Oceans and place them in the correct location.

Tune In: What is a Flesh-footed Shearwater?

Step 1

Begin the lesson by directing students to the following clip of the Flesh-footed Shearwater colony:

Flesh-Footed Shearwaters or Muttonbirds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RllfFNA1BSg)

Allow students to observe the clip without interruption.

Step 2

Now, replay and watch the clip together, asking students to closely observe the physical features of the shearwaters in the clip. Once complete, invite students to participate in a class discussion around the following question:

What are the main observable features of a Flesh-footed Shearwater?

Use the Flesh-footed Shearwater Picture to help students identify the various features of the Flesh-footed Shearwater, and consider the following points in your discussion:

Feathers: Colour and patterns
Beak: Shape and size
Wing: Size and shape
Feet: Size and shape

Now, invite students to speculate how each of these features might help shearwaters in their environment. For example:

Why might shearwaters have dark grey feathers?
Why might they have long wings?
Why is their beak the shape it is?

Find Out: Migration journey class performance

Step 1

Explain to the students that some living things migrate or move. Migration is about moving from one place to another, and these movements often take place as part of a cycle.

Invite students to consider the following question and to suggest answers:

Why do living things migrate?

Ensure the conversation includes the following reasons:

Seasonal: Following the seasons to keep warm.
Food: Food sources being more plentiful in different locations.
Breeding: Location of nests/burrows.

Explain to students that a migration journey is undertaken using natural instincts: shearwaters will instinctively follow a particular migration pathway. Chicks aren't shown this pathway; instead they use environmental cues (smell) and features (sight) to guide them on their migration journey.

Show students the Shearwater Chick Picture, highlighting the face and nose area to the students.

Explain to students that shearwaters have a highly sensitive nasal or nose area at the top of the beak. The form and function of the beak enables the shearwater to detect the smell of marine food sources, such as areas of plankton (or microscopic marine algae) that krill and bait fish swarms feed on. Recent scientific studies reveal that oceanic seabirds such as shearwaters may learn this information before they leave the burrow!

Step 2

Students will now complete a 'Think-Pair-Share' routine around the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How might shearwaters learn about the ocean migration journey before they leave the burrow?
What things in the environment might they use?

Once complete, invite students to volunteer their answers through a class discussion. Through your discussion, lead students to the following points:

Shearwater chicks are not able to leave their burrow until they can fly, so there must be something in the burrow (either already there or brought in) that they can learn from.
The food that the parents regurgitate to the chick provides sensory clues of the food sources. The shearwaters use the smell of the fish, other shearwaters and landform shapes as environmental clues of the migratory path.
Scientists have found that shearwaters can also smell their own colony as they return closer to their breeding areas.

First Nations connections: First Nations peoples in Victoria and Tasmania/Lutruwita have a close connection with shearwaters. Shearwaters are a seasonally reliable food source for First Nations peoples. First Nations people know the shearwater as 'moonbirds' because they navigate using the moon, knowing when to return to the shore to breed using the lunar cycle. Traditionally, shearwaters are collected sustainably and with respect to the moonbird songline.

For more information about First Nations peoples connections to shearwaters, view the following clips (note: the first clip refers to shearwaters by their other common name - mutton birds):

Mutton Birds - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MqvB36Muzk)

Songlines of the Moonbird - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAugRUk43qc)

Step 3

Lead students to where you have set up the fabric on the floor. Explain to the students that they are now going to take part in an interactive role play. Show the students that they are going to move around the room, to the different areas (countries) defined by the fabric placed on the floor. Use the world map to show the students the different countries the fabric pieces represent and the surrounding seas.

Begin reading the Shearwater Migration Journey - Script aloud to the students, with students participating in the role play activities suggested throughout the script. Follow the migration journey until the shearwaters return to Lord Howe Island.

Step 4

Once complete, invite students to share their thoughts on the role play, considering the following questions in your discussion:

What did you find out during this role play that was interesting or surprising to you?
How did this role play help you understand the migration journey of shearwaters?
What questions do you still have about shearwaters?

Tip: You could record students thoughts and use some of these ideas to guide further discussion or inquiry.

Take Action: What can we do to ‘STOP the DROP?

Step 1

Now, watch the following clip as a class:

Ode to seabirds - (https://vimeo.com/1056609559/4415169959)

Once complete, invite students to share their thoughts about this video, including:

What did you see in this clip?
What things did you find interesting or important and why?
What new information did you find out about the shearwaters from this clip?
What does this clip make you think about?
What questions does this clip leave you with?

Step 2

Discuss with students that shearwaters need our help to stop plastic waste from entering the oceans. Invite students to suggest ways that they could help reduce the amount of plastic waste getting into our oceans.

Students can then create a drawing, painting or take a photograph in response to the following question:

How can we 'STOP the DROP' of plastic waste in our community?

Step 3

Finally, invite students to suggest ways to share their creations with people at their school or community, such as featuring them in the school newsletter, presenting them to the school, creating a gallery display, uploading them to a blog post, etc.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to return to some of the ideas posed at the start of this lesson and answer the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Why do you think shearwaters have long strong wings?
How might a shearwater's beak help it fish?
How do the feet of a shearwater help it survive?
What other features of a shearwater help it in its daily life or on its migration?
What was the most interesting thing you found out about shearwaters from this lesson and why?

Assessment

Teachers can use the following items as part of their formative assessment:

Watched a video clip for understanding.
Learnt about the features of a shearwater and how these help the bird survive in ocean and coastal environments.
Learnt about the migration of the shearwater.
Took part in a shearwater migration interactive movement piece.
Suggestions made for ‘Stop the Drop’.

For summative assessment, visit the Drawing Conclusions lesson: Blue: We Owe The Ocean - Years 5 & 6.

Blue - Great Global Travellers

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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