Eating Like a Bird.

This teacher guide and student workbook set contains two learning activities, designed for fifth through ninth grade students, that concentrate on the adaptations of shorebird beaks for a variety of habitats and food sources, and the effect of toxic chemicals in the food chain on the birds. In activity A, students discover how shorebirds are adapted for feeding by simulating species of shorebirds with beaks of different shapes and sizes, using everyday objects. They gather different food items with different beak types. They compare feeding success and survival to these adaptations. In activity B, students play a tag game simulating organisms in a food chain and observe the concentration of toxic chemicals through the food chain. As prerequisites for participation in these activities, students should be somewhat familiar with the concepts of adaptation and food chains and be able to construct bar graphs. The teacher's guide includes additional information to aid in processing the activities. Extension activities are provided along with suggested references, review questions and student worksheets. (MCO)