The Perfect Nest

1. The teacher will read the story ‘The Perfect Nest’ by: Catherine Friend
2. The teacher will ask the following questions to start the lesson:

How strong can you make a bird's nest?

Will your bird nest stay together with wind?

How deep does your nest need to be to keep the eggs safe?

What would happen to your nest if it were to rain?

Will water collect inside or drain away?

3. Take students outside to gather natural materials that they feel they may use to create their bird nest.
4. Have students brainstorm ways they could create a bird's nest using the materials they collected outside and the materials you have given them (paper plate, scissors, and string/yarn). Give them 10 minutes to think on their own and come up with a plan to create their bird nest, then have them talk with their groups to form a group plan.
5. Students should be given 30 minutes to make their bird nest with their group. Make sure students are thinking about the questions that were asked at the beginning of the lesson.
6. Once the time is up, students will have the opportunity to share their bird nests and the process they chose to use when creating them.
7. Students should then write a reflection at the end of the lesson. They should include, what went well and what did not. What would they change if they had the opportunity to do this project again? Etc.

Throughout the project, have opportunities to connect back to the literature. 

Students will be assessed through their plans for the creation of their bird nests. They will also be assessed on the reflections they write at the end of the lesson.