Integrative Ecology Education
Educator Introduction
The Kahoot survey helps teachers access what students already know on the subject of migratory shore birds and how relevant this research is to their interests.
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These activities and resources centre around the work of Prof. Marcel Klaassen investigating migratory shorebirds. To access the full video of his talk at the Integrative Ecology Education Symposium, go to the Migratory Birds Home page or the Scientist page. Clips from Prof Klaassen's symposium talk are utilised across the following topics.
Victorian Curriculum Links
Levels 7/8 & 9/10
Science Understanding:
Science as a Human Endeavour
​Scientific knowledge and understanding of the world changes as new evidence becomes available; science knowledge can develop through collaboration and connecting ideas across the disciplines and practice of science (VCSSU089)
Scientific understanding, including models and theories, are contestable and are refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community (VCSSU114)
Biological Sciences​
​The theory of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of living things and is supported by a range of scientific evidence (VCSSU120)
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Science Inquiry Skills:​
Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations (VCSIS140)
Introduction to Migratory Shore Birds
In Australia we have roughly 37 Migratory shore birds that visit our coastal areas, beaches and mudflats during summer. In Victoria they feed on invertebrates on the mudflats of coastal and inland wetlands. Migratory shore birds migrate the greatest distance of any known species, from their breeding grounds in places like Northeast Asia, in northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere arctic, stopping at feeding grounds in counties like New Zealand and Australia. We are yet to known exactly how these birds navigate their migration but we do know that they can sense the earth's magnetic field to direct them towards the south or the north, and we believe that they can distinguish markers such as stars and mountains to assist in navigation. When the weather cools, migratory shore birds sense the change and prepare for migration by eating extreme amounts to double their body weight in fat, which will be converted to energy during flight.
To learn more about the Migratory Shore birds that visit Australia, click on the link below for BirdLife Australia.
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Activity 1
This worksheet is designed for students who have been introduced to or have completed the the topic of Evolution and Adaptation.
Adaptations are physical or behavioural characteristics that assists the individuals survival in its environment and inherited (passed down from parents to child) .
To complete the first activity download the document, read the background information provided about the sharp-tail sandpiper and answer the questions based on your knowledge of adaptions and evolution and the background information provided.
Extension Activity
Students complete their own research on another migratory shore bird that visits Australia during migration.
- They can display the information in a short paragraph adding images
- They could choose to create a PowerPoint or short animated video using https://www.powtoon.com.
- Another option is creating a comedic skit in teams such as the following example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bndabWDDX8o&list=PLJe8R7wWkPekoblwfuAVCfT1SYSdvaEv5
The can use the following questions to guide their research and task:
Which country/countries do they breed in?
Which country/countries do they migrate to during the winter?
Which countries other than Australia do they visit on their way?
What habitats are they usually found in when they visit Australia?
What physical and behavioural adaptions do they have to assist survival and migration?