STEM notebook

Project Birdman: Design a Bird Beak for a Feeding Frenzy

© KeslerScience.com 2

design challenges You’re going to make something amazing, and you’re going to start on it today. It’s going to be something that has never existed before in the history of humanity. You know how you typically turn in an assignment to your teacher and then you get it back and, well, that’s pretty much it. This is different. Working with your design team, you’re going to create something people will see!

the launch process

Look all around you. Seriously. Glance around your classroom. You are surrounded by things that people created. Not only did they create these things but they also designed them. The fancy term for this is design thinking. It’s the term professionals use. You’re going to use the LAUNCH Process. It’s a modified version of the design thinking cycle that artists and engineers use in the real world. Here’s how it works: Look, Listen, and Learn Ask a Ton of Questions Understand the Problem or Process Navigate the Ideas Create a Prototype Highlight What’s Working and Fix What’s Failing

Ready to Launch!

© KeslerScience.com 3

Look, Listen, and Learn THE BIG QUESTION: Why do birds have so many kinds of beaks? (Individual)

THE BIG QUESTION: What different ideas did your partner have about why there are so many kinds of beaks? (Partner)

THE BIG QUESTION: Why does this matter? (Partner)

© KeslerScience.com 4

look at the challenge

Watch the video and listen closely to the challenge. Have you ever noticed that different species of birds have different shaped beaks? You would expect birds that live in the same habitat to eat the same food sources. However, to avoid competition with each other, birds have had to adapt over time to fill different niches within the habitat. One of those adaptations is the shape of the bird’s beak, which is used to gather and eat food. You will be given a limited amount of supplies to construct bird beaks which are best suited to gather and capture food within the niche. The problem is that you don't know what the niches or food will look like. Each of your beaks will be highly specialized to gather the most food possible in each timeframe. Your beaks will need to overcome the following feeding behaviors: tearing, cracking, sipping, drilling, picking, probing, striking, straining, and scooping. Do your research about the feeding behaviors to have the best chance of success during the challenge. Along the way, you will also uncover how Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is related to bird beaks. Get to work. The survival of your species depends on it! You will need to think about how the bird will eat with the least resistance and how the bird will use their beaks to build a home. Required Materials:

• STEM Notebook • 3x5 card

© KeslerScience.com 5

investigate the challenge

After watching the video, jot down some observations. This could be anything you notice about this project. It could be ideas of what you’d want to create, details that stuck out to you, etc.

Observations about video Questions about video

Inquiry Create a list of inquiry questions connected to the topic.

© KeslerScience.com 6

learn more about your items Meet with your Launch Teams. Take some time to explore your items. You don’t need to write anything here. What are some of the possibilities that you see? What are some things that might come in handy?

Materials Suggested materials (Teacher may vary materials): • Plastic silverware • Toothpicks • Rubber bands • Cardboard • Chopsticks • Straws • Pencils • Scissors • Pipe cleaners • Plastic bottle tops • Paper • Beans • Rice • Sponge • Marbles • Nerds (candy) • Pistachios with shells

© KeslerScience.com 7

understand the problem or process

Individual

Research with graphic organizer Describe or draw what kind of bird beak you think would work best for tearing, cracking, sipping, drilling, picking, probing, striking, straining, and scooping.

Tearing Cracking Sipping Drilling Picking

Probing Striking Straining Scooping Add Your Own?

© KeslerScience.com 8

meet with your launch teams

Research with graphic organizer and answer questions.

Beak Types Function of Beak

What is natural selection? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Who is Charles Darwin, and how is he related to bird beaks? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

© KeslerScience.com 9

An Initial Sketch

Individual: Draw an initial sketch of different bird beaks. It could be a 3-D sketch or a plan. Focus on the specific features. Be creative. Take some risks.

© KeslerScience.com 10

Launch Team: Brainstorm

1. Review your group’s brainstorm and add any new ideas.

2. Discuss the sustainability and scalability of your solution.

3. Combine any similar ideas. 4. Get rid of any unacceptable ideas. 5. Narrow your ideas down into one concept.

© KeslerScience.com 11

create a prototype meet with your launch teams

Create it! Start building your bird beaks. In your notebook label each of your beaks with what feeding strategies the beaks work best with. Write any notes of observations you see.

© KeslerScience.com 12

Whole Class: Take turns at each different habitat to see which beak can capture the most food in the given amount of time.

Habitat Time Allotted Quantity of Food Collected

© KeslerScience.com 13

launch it!

meet with your launch teams

Launch It! Now that you have finished with the bird beak, you will launch the design to your classmates and audience. Option 1: Create a 3d model (digital or in paper) of your bird beak design. Option 2: Create a brochure/invitation with pictures showing how the new bird beak design looks and functions. What are the key features? Option 3: Create a video showing explaining the new bird beak and how it functions (and saves force). Option 4: Create an advertisement for the bird beak.

© KeslerScience.com 14

Elaborate what you learned! Individual: Self-Reflection Questions

1. What did you learn from this experience? Would you want to

do this again?

2. How well did you work with your group?

3. What were some creative risks that you took?

4. What strategy did you use to win this competition?

© KeslerScience.com 15

5. How is the environment impacted by the types of birds that

live there?

6. How are the birds impacted if the environment changes and

different organisms begin to grow?

© KeslerScience.com 16

Warm-Ups

1. Why are there so many different kinds of bird beaks?

Include how Darwin’s theory of evolution relates to bird beaks.

2. What are some genetic traits that might change in bird beaks over time? Describe how the process works.