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Screech Owl Activity Directions: Use the links to gather facts so you can answer the questions. |
Eastern Screech-Owl Otus asio 1 | Eastern Screech-Owl 2 | Western screech-owl Otus kennicottii
The Owl Pages | Screech-Owl Video | Eastern Screech-Owl info
1. Vocabulary: Use each word to write a sentence about screech owls.
nocturnal
trill
cavity
talons
owlet
pellet
predator
feathers
2. "People can often learn about things around them by just observing those things carefully, but sometimes they can learn more by doing something to the things and noting what happens. Describing things as accurately as possible is important in science because it enables people to compare their observations with those of others. Tools such as thermometers, magnifiers, rulers, or balances often give more information about things than can be obtained by just observing things without their help."1 Scientists collect data when they study animals. Sometimes this data is a measurement like the length of a body part. Sometimes it is an observation like where an animal nests. |
Check out the photos in Chris' Eastern Screech Owl Nest Box Cam (2011 and 2012 have lots of images)
a. List at least 5 observations that a scientist could make of an owl and its nest.
b. Quantitative data is observations that can be measured. Write a Q next to the observations listed above that are quantitative.
An ornithologist is a scientist who studies birds. What branches of science might be involved in investigating owls?
3. Would screech owls live in your neighborhood? Consider the range and the habitat to decide.
4. Have you ever heard the whinny or the trill of a screech owl in the night? A second source
5. The owls nest in a cavity of a sycamore tree. Tree range maps
Do sycamore trees grow in your community?
6. The author writes, "Up in the sycamore tree 14 lemon moons blink. The screech owl family is safe."
How many owls are in the family? (Do the math.)
7. The screech owls eat many different animals. Select one.
Write 5 facts about screech owls or one of the screech owl's prey. (Utilize your online research skills.)
crayfish, frog, beetles, moth, grasshopper, cricket, meadow vole, earthworm, garter snake, deer mouse, spider
8. Is Screech Owl at Midnight Hollow by C Drew Lamm an example of narrative writing, persuasive writing or informative writing?
Extensions: complete at least one
* Build your vocabulary with this Frayer worksheet Nocturnal - doc | pdf
* Watch this YouTube animation of Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.
Based on what you know about owls, list how is the story accurate. Identify the incorrect things in the story.
* Watch All About Owls on YouTube. Note some facts. Now compare/contrast owls with another bird like a Puffin or hummingbird.
*Investigate - Which owls are likely to be found in or near your community?
* Harness your Know How
Your class has decided to attract an owl to your school's property.
Use the resources in The Owl Pages site, as well as information you've learned in this hunt, to create a proposal for your principal or PTO.Include the whys in your proposal.
Consider: equipment, concerns/fears, location, value to the school. Jazz it up with some images and symbology to support the idea of owls at schools.
Extras:
Color the Screech Owl | Owl information
Nests Internet Hunt | Learn About Birds Activity | Egg Facts Internet Hunt
Pure Poetry - add an Owl stanza to Over in the Meadow
OwlCam - nest box barred owls | Ecology Vocabulary Exercise
There's An Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George Look for it in your library.
Fields, Meadows and Fencerows Eco Study Unit | M-W Visual Dictionary | Owl Facts
Fields, Meadows, and Fencerows EcoStudy unit: Habitat / Mammals / Birds - Owls / Butterflies / Trees & Plants/ Conclusion
Bats are our Buddies / Bats at the Beach Activity / Food Web Activity / Digital Science Journal
Internet Hunts / Puzzles and Projects / Bluebird Projects / Civics & History / Habitat Garden / Computers / Nature / Home
posted 1/2008 by Cindy O'Hora, Updated 11/2013, 10/2023, 4/2024
Released to public domain in honor of Dr. John Edward Farr, an extraordinary man
Save a tree - use a Digital Answering format - Highlight the text of the title, directions and questions. Copy the text. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Enter your name and the date at the top of the document. Answer on the word processing document in an easily read, contrasting color or font. (No yellow, avoid artistic fonts like: Symbols, 
, 
, & 
fonts). Save frequently as you work. Submit your digital answer sheet via email or drop box.. Make Your Own Printed answer sheet.
English Language Arts Standards » Reading: Informational Text