Studying the Blue Jay

In our Bird Expedition we began to think about birds in three categories; seed eaters, birds of prey, and water birds. Our first in-depth investigation was on a seed eater; the blue jay.  Students used informational packets with several different texts and drawings about this bird.  We read through them together, discussing facts and determining important information.  Using a graphic organizer we took notes about 6 basic areas; feet, beak, food, habitat, nesting, size and special features.  Second graders have become very good at taking notes!  Another day we spent time analyzing how the design of their beak and feet help them survive.  Did you know that a blue jay can mimic the sound of other birds?  Ask your child why they think this can benefit the blue jay.  We also put our interactive white boards to good use by watching short clips of blue jays in action.  This allowed our young scientists to see these birds in their natural environment eating, bathing, taking care of their nests and looking for food on the ground.  Students also practiced drawing careful, realistic sketches of the blue jay.  Our next step was to write informational reports from our notes.  We then made beautiful pop-ups to show our knowledge!

Using notes from research packet to write rough draft report

All the parts of our research, note taking and drawing practice

Drafting drawings of the blue jay

Final pop-up project!