Winter Wanderers Teacher Guide
Winter Wanderers
TEACHER GUIDE
Differentiating between migration and adaptation in winter birds.
Grade Level
2nd - 3rd Grade
Duration
45 - 50 Minutes
Materials
Map Worksheet, Sorting Cards, Scissors, Glue, Colored Pencils
1
Warm-up: Move or Stay? (5 min)
Define the two key behaviors for the class:
- Migrate: To move to a warmer place (think "Go!").
- Adapt: To stay and change behavior or body to survive (think "Stay!").
Action Game:
Call out animal names. Students run to the left for "Migrate" and crouch/stay put for "Adapt".
Examples: Robin (Migrate), Squirrel (Adapt), Monarch Butterfly (Migrate), Cardinal (Adapt).
2
Video Discovery (5 min)
Watch the "How to Help a Bird!" video intro (0:00 - 0:50).
Pause at 0:36:
"Why do you think some birds leave and some stay? What do the ones who stay need to survive?"
3
Map & Migration Mission (20 min)
Distribute the Migration Mission Map and Animal Sorting Cards.
Phase 1: The Map
Students draw long arrows from North America to South America for birds that migrate. They draw snowflakes over the northern regions for birds that adapt/stay.
Phase 2: Sorting
Students cut out the animal cards and glue them into the correct columns: "Stay Put" or "Fly South".
Quick Key:
Fly South: Hummingbird, Monarch, Goose
Stay Put: Blue Jay, Cardinal, Chickadee
4
Reflection & Wrap-up (10 min)
Ask students to complete the writing prompt on their worksheet:
"If you were a bird in winter, would you choose to stay or go? Why?"
Closure: Have students share their choices with a "shoulder partner" using the sentence starter: "I would stay/go because..."
Winter Wanderers Slides Presentation
❄️
🐦
🌎
Winter Wanderers
Migration vs. Adaptation
Move or Stay?
✈️
Migrate
To move to a warmer place for the winter.
Run to the Left!
🏠
Adapt
To stay put and change how you live to survive.
Crouch Down!
How to Help a Bird!
Embedded media
Watch closely: How do the birds in the video handle the snow?
The Big Journey
🌎
Some birds fly thousands of miles from North America down to South America!
Why leave?
Favorite foods like insects and berries are buried under snow!
Why stay?
Some birds find different food or have warm feathers to survive the cold.
Migration Mission
1
Draw Lines
Trace the path from North to South!
2
Snowflakes
Draw them where birds stay put!
3
Sort It!
Cut and paste your animals.
If YOU were a bird...
Would you stay or go?
Explain your choice with 2-3 sentences!
Migration Mission Map Worksheet
Migration Mission
Will you stay or will you go?
Name:
Date:
1. The Bird's Eye View
Migrate (GO!)
Draw long arrows from North America down to South America for birds that leave.
Adapt (STAY!)
Draw snowflake symbols on North America for the birds that stay put.
North America South America
Stay Put
Fly South
My Winter Strategy
If you were a bird in winter, would you choose to stay or go? Why?
Winter Animal Sorting Cards
Winter Animal Cards
Carefully cut out each animal and glue them onto your Migration Mission Map!
Cut Sort Paste
🦋
Monarch Butterfly
I fly to Mexico to find warm trees to rest on!
🐦
Blue Jay
I stay in the cold and look for nuts and seeds.
🕊️
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
I am tiny, but I fly far south where flowers are blooming.
🦜
Northern Cardinal
My bright red feathers look pretty against the white snow!
🦆
Canada Goose
We fly in a "V" shape to travel to warmer lakes.
🐤
Black-Capped Chickadee
I hide seeds in the bark of trees to eat later in the winter.
Clean-up Crew
Don't forget to put your paper scraps in the recycling bin!
