Today is National Bird Day, and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has some great resources you can use to celebrate! Enjoy these free chapters from NSTA Press—they will ease you into the new year and help you look forward to spring.

Birds, Bugs, and Butterflies: Science Lessons for Your Outdoor Classroom | From the book Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide and geared toward elementary/middle school science teachers. Among the wild animals that may travel through a school yard, birds, bugs, and butterflies are the most common—and they are the focus of most of the lessons in this chapter. It offers a variety of activities to allow you to “tame” the wildlife to help you teach. Instructions for each lesson are presented first to help you make the most of each handout.

Classifying Birds in the United States | From the book Scientific Argumentation in Biology: 30 Classroom Activities and geared toward middle/high school science teachers. The purpose of the activity in this chapter is to help students understand (1) what counts as a species in the field of biology, (2) some of the various definitions for species that can be used by biologists, and (3) the challenges associated with biological classification. This activity also helps students learn how to engage in practices such as constructing explanations, arguing from evidence, and communicating information. This activity is also designed to give students an opportunity to learn how to write in science and develop their speaking and listening skills, which are important goals for literacy in science.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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