Owls
Are the
Tigers of the Sky
An Inservice Workshop for Leon County Teachers
Presented by Sandy Beck, Education Director, The Wild Classroom
Sponsored by Leon County Schools Title I Program
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
(Please click on thumbnail photos for larger images.)
• Teachers met and learned about native owls:
a Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl and Eastern Screech owl.
They learned first-hand how owls hunt in darkness.
And they wrote and illustrated wild poems.
• Teachers took home interdisciplinary lesson plans and resources.
They also received Buffy the Burrowing Owl, a book by Betty Gilbert and Owls Are the Tigers of the Sky, a film by Sandy Beck.
Teachers do the "Toothpick Shuffle" . . .
. . . to learn about camouflage.
Teachers sort and count the "prey" they found in the grass.
Then they create graphs to display their "prey."
Teachers create "camouflaged owls" from natural materials.
Pinecones, feathers and acorns, oh my!
More "camouflaged owls."
My, what big acorn eyes you have!
Teachers learn about an Eastern Screech Owl
while they take Nature Notes for Wild Poems and sketch.
Many delightful books have been written about owls.
A Barred Owl demonstrates her silent flight.
Teachers examine her amazing ears.
Teachers use microscopes to compare owl and hawk feathers
Whoooo are you?
Teachers were thrilled by the impressive Great Horned Owl.
They learned about his acute eyesight and three eyelids.
They compared their field of vision with an owl's.
Teachers share the Wild Poems they wrote about the owls.
The owls inspired some amazing sketches.
Teachers learned about an owl's digestive system . . .
. . . by
dissecting owl pellets.
Then they reconstructed the prey animal's skeleton, . . .
. . . and labeled the bones . . .
. . . which are a lot like our bones!
"My students will love doing this."
Teachers brainstormed action projects
their students could do to help Florida's owls.
Owls are amazing. Teachers are too!
The Wild Classroom
Tallahassee, Florida