Project Based Learning Electives provided by the Berrien Springs Virtual Academy
Birding and Beyond Fall 2024
All students must complete a project for this class.
- Instructor: Sherry Manison 7sherrym@gmail.com
- Location: Various birding spots around the county
- Day/Time: Wednesdays 9:15 AM - 11:15 AM
- Grades: K-12 Parents are required to accompany pre-teen children.
- Start Date: August 28th.
Birding and Beyond is a great introduction to the world of nature! One goal is that students will learn to be more aware of the birds around them wherever they go, particularly around their own homes. We will learn to recognize birds in the wild using their common names, and develop a beginning familiarity with their habits, habitats, migration, families, identifying features, ecology, etc. We will also introduce being tuned in to bird sounds, recognizing that learning the songs of birds can help us identify them.
Studying birds and being outside to observe them will open doors for other nature areas, so we will also notice other flora and fauna around us. During each semester we will have a class or two on other aspects of nature, such as frogs, flowers, ecology, etc.
Birds are more active in the mornings and evenings. Therefore, we will meet in the mornings on ten Wednesdays during the semester, in-person if possible. If we are rained out (or snowed out!), we will accommodate, possibly on zoom. Love Creek will be our in-person home base and the site of our first class, but we will also go birding at different locations and habitats around the county.
Each birding class time we will meet formally for a short time at our chosen location, then use the remaining class time to look for birds in the woods, prairie, beach, swamp, and other habitats. The internet is useful for resources, so we may opt to do a zoom class once during the semester, even if we are otherwise face-to-face.
We may also visit one or two private properties to observe birds. Should we do this, it is appropriate, and good birding etiquette, to gift the property owner with some bird seed or a donation toward bird food.
Review class syllabus for important information and required materials.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two meetings. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so choose wisely; if you do not take the class off of your student's schedule by the deadline, you may be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Teacher of Record: Tom Hurst
