These Maps Are For The Birds - Teacher Section

………These Maps Are For The Birds Students will study New York State Breeding Bird Atlas maps to learn where different bird species nest and how their distributions have changed over time. Objectives: Students will understand: • how maps serve as representations of a geographic region; • how the distribution of animals varies geographically based on habitat requirements; • how the distribution of animals changes over time as environmental conditions change, often in response to human activities. Grade level: Elementary/Middle School (Grades 4-7) Subject Area: Science, Social Studies Standards: Social Studies Standard 3 Mathematics, Science, & Technology Standard 4 Skills: • Interpret data presented geographically on a map. • Observe, identify, and communicate patterns in data. • Analyze document-based information presented in scientific figures. Duration: Preparation time: 10 minutes Activity time: 50 minutes Materials: Each student should have: Worksheet: These Maps Are For The Birds Relief Map of New York State with county boundaries Pencil or pen Hudson River Estuary Program NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Background: Maps usually show terrain, political regions, roads, towns, and similar features of the natural and built landscape, but can also show other information linked to geography. This lesson explores maps from the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas. The Atlas was created using ...