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The Life of a Bald Eagle

By:  |  May 20, 2020  |    476 Words

Liberty Nation GenZ  believes in educating young Americans about the country, the Constitution, and the history that created U.S. culture. This elementary level lesson plan can be used in the classroom or the home, and adapted to a range of student abilities.

Objectives:

 Students will be able to describe basic facts about the bald eagle.

  • Students will recognize the bald eagle as the symbol of the United States.
  • Students will practice reading and comprehending an informational article.
  • Students will complete a creative project to reinforce their knowledge.

Materials:

ARTICLE: The Life of a Bald Eagle

HANDOUT: Bald Eagle Crossword

HANDOUT: Bald Eagle Booklet

Other:

  • scissors
  • colored pens/pencils
  • stapler or hole-punch & ribbon

Suggested Procedure:

Step 1

Tell the students you are thinking of a very special animal. Students can ask yes/no questions about the animal until they figure out that you are referring to the bald eagle. If necessary, give them some hints. (Optional: turn this into a competition, with teams/individuals taking turns to ask)

Step 2

Ask students what they know about the bald eagle. Elicit any prior knowledge they may have and write keywords on the board.

Step 3

Tell students they are going to learn more about the Bald Eagle. Students read the article The Life of a Bald Eagle. Depending on the students’ reading level, this can be done together, led by the teacher, or students may take some time to review the text individually.

Step 4

Verbally ask students comprehension questions about the article. Give them time to find the information and then answer. If they have print versions of the article, have the students circle the answers; if you are working from a computer screen, students can take turns to come and point to the answers.

Suggested questions:

  • What is the bald eagle the emblem for? (It may be necessary to explain the word “emblem”)
  • Why is this bird called the “bald” eagle?
  • What size is the bald eagle?
  • How much does it weigh?
  • How long does it live for?
  • What does the bald eagle eat?
  • How far can bald eagle travel?
  • What dangers does it face?

Step 5

Students complete the bald eagle crossword, using information from the article to solve the clues.

Step 6

Students create a bald eagle booklet. They complete the sentences and illustrate the book, before cutting out the pages and stapling or tying them into a booklet.

Extension 1

Research poster: Students choose another animal that is native to the United States or North America. They can create a poster about their chosen animal, including information such as habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, etc.

Extension 2

American Wildlife Fact File: Students create a fact file of animals native to the United States or North America. They can use a notebook, or make their own booklet, with one page per animal.

Download a PDF of this lesson plan and handouts.

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