Birds of my London neighborhood
Kindergarten: Science, ELA & Social Studies
The pin-headed quail is stout and gray and round / waddling through the grass, big belly brushing ground
Onyx rooftoop-raven storing secrets from the past / Chills roll down my spine each time its shrill caw casts
Ring-necked parakeet, neon streak zooming through the sky / an electric lime acrobat doing daring tricks on high!
Then there's the sneaky magpie with its brilliant bolt of blue / if you're not real careful, it'll steal your sparkles too!
Peckish pigeons, perpetually plotting snacks all over town: by the river, on the high street, they sure do get around!
Look and listen quietly: feel the birdsong symphony / sounding round Richmond town / magical musical memory!
Background
Birds of My London Neighborhood is a Grade 1 summative assessment of local birdlife. In order to make it fun, as all learning should be, we transformed the scientific data into a poem about our favorite bird species in London. This creative first grader crafted visual representations of each bird using “washi tape”, a favorite medium of the time. Finally, we explored the neighborhood snapping photos of favorite spots to use for backgrounds on each page.