Rain Forest Birds Research Projects

Unit 3 – Rain Forest Birds: A Study In Adaptation

Activity 3 – Rain Forest Birds Research Projects

Materials & Setup

For each student
• Student Page “Rain Forest Birds Research Projects: Topics and Resource List” (pp. 30-35)

Instructions

1) Students will be doing independent research projects on topics related to birds in Hawaiian rain forests, including the rain forest on Haleakalā. Brainstorm a list of topics or questions students find interesting. Students may select topics from that list or come up with another of their own choosing. Use the Student Page “Rain Forest Birds Research Projects: Topics and Resource List” in class to help spark students’ thinking, or hand it out to students at the end of class.

2) You will need to set the parameters for these research projects, such as:
• How long students will have to do their research;
• When they will need to hand in a research plan, including the question they are researching and sources of information (this research plan will help keep their projects on track and enable you to help students target their efforts);
• How students will present their findings (options include a research paper, class presentation, poster display, or multimedia presentation); and
• How research and presentations will be evaluated.

Note
• Depending upon the needs of your students, you may need to schedule some class time to help students refine their research questions, identify more sources of information, or develop reports.

Journal Ideas

None.

Assessment Tools

• Research plans
• Research reports or presentations

Media Resources

None.