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55-minutes
Using the early Louisiana Native Americans settlement at Poverty
Point as the focal point, this lesson examines the use of artifacts
and fossils to study people, plants and animals from the past.
Science and Social Studies
The learner will:
• observe and identify characteristics of artifacts and fossils.
• explain how artifacts and fossils are used to learn about
the past.
• identify ways that Native Americans prepared food and made
tools
National Science Education Standards
http://bob.nap.edu/html/nses/html
Science as Inquiry
Content Standard A:
Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
Understanding about scientific inquiry
Louisiana Science Framework: State Standards for Curriculum Development
http://www.doe.state.la.us/doe/assessment/standards/SCIENCE.pdf
SI-E-A1: Asking appropriate questions about organisms and
events in the environment;
SI-E-A3: Communicating that observations are made with
one’s senses;
SI-E-A4: Employing equipment and tools to gather
data and extend the sensory observations;
SI-E-A5: Using data, including numbers and graphs,
to explain observations and experiments;
SI-E-B1: Categorizing questions into what is known,
what is not known, and what questions need to be explained;
SI-E-B6: Reviewing and asking questions about the
results of investigations..
ESS-E-A7: Investigating fossils and describing how
they provide evidence about plants and animals that lived long
ago and the environment in which they lived.
Louisiana
Social Studies Content Standards
http://www.lcet.doe.state.la.us/doe/assessment/standards/SOCIAL.pdf
H-1A-E3: Identifying and using primary and secondary historical
sources to learn about the past.
Video:
Gumbo Island: The First Louisianans
Web sites:
http://www.crt.state.la.us/crt/ocd/arch/poverpoi/mapopo.htm
This website provides background information on the Poverty Point
site.
http://www.lpb.org/programs/povertypoint/pp_transcript.html
Transcripts of the documentary on Poverty Point, produced by Louisiana
Public Broadcasting, can be obtained from this site. It provides
excellent historical information for the teacher.
http://www.lpb.org/programs/povertypoint/pp_transcript.html
This site provided by the Library of Congress is an additional
resource for Poverty Point information.
http://www.intersurf.com/~chalcedony/lafossil1.shtml#fossil1
This site provides information on Louisiana fossils.
http://www.crt.state.la.us/crt/parks/poverty/pvertypt.htm
This site gives an overview of the Poverty Point Historical site
with photos.
http://www.chitimacha.com/
This site gives current information as well as historical information
on the Chitimacha Indian Tribe in Louisiana.
http://www.kidsdigreed.com/Archaeology
games and activities can be found on this page.
http://4archaeology.4anything.com/network-frame/0,1855,1491-82739,00.html
This site has excellent background information on Archeology that
is suitable for teachers.
1. CUE tape to the beginning of the first segment of Gumbo
Island: Birds
2. Have students color a map of Louisiana
3. A variety of bird field guides: Birds of Louisiana
from the Office of Tourism, Peterson’s Field Guide
of North American Birds are good examples.
4. Bookmark the websites listed.
5. Prepare 5 simulation stations:
Station 1. (Pond) Large container of water with raisins and seeds
Station 2. (Wetland) Rice
Station 3. (Rainforest) Colored water in plastic graduated cylinder
Station 4. (Forest) Gummy worms
Station 5. (Prairie) Sunflower seeds
Each station should also contain only one of the following objects:
• Plastic pipette
• Short tongs
• Long tongs
• Tweezers
• Pliers
• Spoon
• Clothespin
1. Have students name some familiar birds that they have
seen around their home or the school. (Possible names may include
robin, sparrow, blue jay, mockingbird, crow, grackle, woodpecker,
blackbird, cowbird, house wren, egret, hawk). It is very hard
for some children to distinguish one bird from another, i.e.”they
all look alike” so they may not be able to really distinguish
between a sparrow and wren, for instance.
2. After the brief discussion, ask the students if the
birds that they have named are seen throughout the entire year
or do they only see them a certain times of the year. (This is
to get students to think about the idea that some birds are not
year round inhabitants) If the classroom has internet connection,
call up the website of the Louisiana Ornithological Society to
show some pictures of Louisiana birds.
3. To the students who respond that some of the birds are
not there all of the time, ask if they know why they are not there
or where do they go? Do not provide students with an answer. (Some
birds may leave when their choice of food is scarce or the weather
gets colder.)
4. Ask the children if they have ever tried to draw a bird
or to take a photo of a bird. Ask children to determine if they
think that it would be easier or harder to draw a bird or to photograph
a bird. (Answers will vary.) Showing students some examples of
bird photos and drawings would be helpful.
5. Ask the students if they have ever heard of John James
Audubon? (Some students may have heard of the artist and others
may have just heard the name “Audubon,” as it is frequently
used in marketing initiatives in Louisiana.). After hearing their
comments, tell the students that he was a famous French artist
who lived near St. Francisville, Louisiana and painted birds that
he saw in the nearby woods. Point out where St. Francisville is
located on their Louisiana map.
6. Tell the students that you are going to introduce them
to John James Audubon in a video story and that they will see
some Louisiana birds. Ask students to pay particular attention
to the beaks of the various birds that they will see on the video.
1. PLAY the video, Gumbo Island: Birds and
run for 6 minutes 10 seconds. (PAUSE the tape when Audubon
says, “Louisiana is a stopping place for millions of birds
flying south for the winter.” ) Ask the students why Louisiana
is a good place for birds to “stop over.” After getting
several answers from the students, continue the tape to hear Audubon’s
answer to the question. (Louisiana has a warm climate and has
plenty of food) PAUSE the tape.
2. Have students suggest what foods would be more readily available
to birds during the winter months and why. (Answers will vary:
It is warmer here so there would be more vegetation growing; more
insects that are not killed off by hard freezes, etc)
3. Introduce the word, “migration” to students. Tell
students that Louisiana is one of the major “flyways”
for birds that are migrating in the Western Hemisphere. If you
have Internet connection, call up the website http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/intrnltr/mbta/mbtandx.html
and let students see some of the many birds that migrate. The
Web site http://www.birdnature.com/mississippi.html
has a map that shows the major Mississippi flyway that includes
Louisiana. You can print a copy of the map from another source
if there is not an Internet connection in the class. If you do
not have Internet connection, provide various bird books that
illustrate Louisiana birds.
4. RESUME playing the tape until Audubon and Britt sit
down on the bench and the chicken comes into view. STOP
the video.
Have students bring a variety of scrap materials from home and
design\construct their own “bird” that will be adapted
to a particular habitat and food source. Let students share their
models with the class, explaining how the bird is best suited
to its habitat, based upon its structure.
Social Studies:
• Explore the history of Oakley House, the plantation home
where John James Audubon lived when he painted many of his most
famous pictures. The website http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/okl.htm
gives an overview of Oakley House.
Art:
• Many galleries have prints of Audubon’s birds and
virtually all libraries have books that illustrate his works.
There are various websites including http://www.audubon.org/nas/jja.html
where examples can be found.
• Contact the art department at a local university or art
gallery to speak to the class and bring examples of Audubon’s
work for students to see.
• Schedule a visit to local parks, bayous, or the area zoo
to observe a variety of birds.
• Involve students in the annual Christmas Backyard Bird
Count, sponsored by Cornell University. (see website for more
details)
• Invite representatives from the local or regional Audubon
Society to talk to students. This group is highly motivated to
provide educational outreach to classrooms and would be an excellent
resource for field trips, etc. This group could also provide individuals
to assist children in construction of bird feeders and bird boxes
that could be used on the school grounds.
Habitat Record Sheet HTML PDF
