Bird Journeys

Overview

Students investigate why some birds migrate between places, using a general shorebird example and focusing on Tasmania and King Island. Through mapping, comparison and discussion, students consider how people can care for bird habitats and Country/place.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• locate Tasmania and King Island on a simple map
• understand that some birds travel seasonally between places
• investigate how food, weather, breeding and safe habitats influence migration
• compare King Island and Tasmania as places
• suggest respectful ways to protect bird habitats

Vocabulary: migrate, migration, seasonal, shorebird, habitat, shelter, breeding, protect, Country, place.

Success criteria

• I can point to Tasmania and King Island on a map.
• I can explain that some birds move between places at different times of year.
• I can give reasons why a bird might migrate.
• I can name one way people can care for a bird habitat.

Curriculum links

• Geographical knowledge and understanding: location, features and connections between places.
• Geographical inquiry and skills: asking questions, reading simple maps, comparing places and communicating findings.
• Sustainability: recognising how environments support living things and identifying actions that care for places.
• HASS inquiry and personal and social capability: observing, sorting information, listening to others and making reasoned suggestions.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 minutes – Engage: Where has the bird gone? Open with the migration hook and mystery-bird image. Show a general shorebird at a coastline and ask: “Why might this bird leave one place and travel to another?” Accept ideas without confirming species-specific details. Explain that migration routes vary by species.

2. 7–17 minutes – Locate the places Display the Tasmania and King Island map and distribute the map and migration investigation sheet. Model finding Australia, Tasmania and Bass Strait. Students work with a partner to circle Tasmania, mark King Island and draw an arrow showing a possible seasonal journey. Clarify that the arrow is a simple example, not the route of every shorebird.

3. 17–27 minutes – Build understanding Use the four migration reasons slides to introduce food, weather, breeding and safe habitats. For each reason, show a simple picture and ask, “How could this help a bird?” Students turn and talk, then contribute one explanation. Emphasise that different species migrate for different combinations of reasons.

4. 27–39 minutes – Compare places In pairs, students use the picture prompts and map on the place comparison table. They record one similarity and one difference between King Island and Tasmania, such as both being Australian places with coasts, while differing in size and location. Invite pairs to share answers and model respectful language: “King Island has…” and “Tasmania has…”.

5. 39–50 minutes – Care for habitat inquiry Show the habitat-care scenario slides. Present situations such as a bird feeding near a beach, rubbish near a wetland, or people disturbing resting birds. Groups discuss: “What could people do to help?” Students draw or write one action on the worksheet, for example keeping dogs under control where required, taking rubbish home, staying on paths and not disturbing birds. Connect this to respectful care for Country and place: people have responsibilities to care for living things and important places.

6. 50–56 minutes – Share and check Groups share their action and explain which habitat need it supports. Use the traffic-light check-in cards for a quick self-assessment: green means “I can explain migration”, amber means “I need more practice”, and red means “I need help”. Address common misunderstandings, especially that all birds do not follow the same route.

7. 56–60 minutes – Exit reflection Return to the final review and reflection slide. Students complete the final three prompts on the exit reflection section: “Migration means…”, “One reason birds migrate is…”, and “I can care for habitat by…”. Collect worksheets as formative evidence.

Resources

• the bird migration teaching deck
• the map and migration investigation worksheet
• the traffic-light check-in cards
• Large display or interactive whiteboard
• Class atlas or simple Australia map
• Pencils, coloured pencils and erasers
• Optional bird, coastline and wetland photographs
• Board space for recording student ideas

Assessment

• Observe partner map work and listen for accurate use of location and migration vocabulary.
• Check worksheets for correctly locating Tasmania and King Island, one valid comparison and a plausible migration reason.
• Use student explanations, traffic-light responses and exit reflections to identify who needs further support with maps, vocabulary or habitat-care ideas.

Differentiation

• Provide a simplified, enlarged map with Tasmania and King Island highlighted for students needing positional support; allow students to place labels rather than write them.
• Use picture-and-word vocabulary cards, gestures and sentence frames: “Birds may migrate because…” and “People can protect habitat by…”.
• Pair EAL learners and students needing communication support with a supportive peer; accept drawing, oral explanation or scribed responses.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain how two reasons might work together and to design a second habitat-care action for a different place.