Science Lab #4

For the lab session on adaptation, I arranged for three activities. One group played the on-line camouflage game I had intended to use in the libary.

The second activity centered on the "What is your Wingspan?" banner that I borrowed from Tim Keyes at the Department of Natural Resources. The science lab coordinator managed this activity which began with a closer look at wing shape and differences. After that, the students spent some time measuring the wingspan of different birds using tapes and rulers in meters and centimeters.

I led an investigation of bill shape and purpose as a form of adaptation. I used an analogy with kitchen implements and the students quickly made the connection between the tools and particular types of food. We were fortunate to have 3 bird specimens on loan from Fernbank Science Center to compare bill shapes. We noticed that although fish was an important food for all three birds (Green Heron, Belted Kingfisher, and Hooded Merganser), their manner of catching the fish called for a differently shaped bills. We compared the birds with different ways in which people use tools to catch different kinds of fish - hook and line, nets, spears/harpons.