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- Overview
- Lesson Preview
- Teaching Materials
- Bonus Content
- Background
- Learning Standards
- Feedback
- Credits
- Acknowledgments
- Version Notes
The Gist:
Students play an interactive gameshow alongside researchers to ID birds singing in video clips. They will learn how to use sound visualizations (spectrograms) and leave class excited to use the free Merlin app to ID birds in their neighborhood.
Target Subject:
Grades:
Estimated Time:
Target Subject:
ScienceGrades:
6-12Estimated Time:
1 x 45 min. class
Subject breakdown by standard alignments
Driving Question(s):
- What natural sounds surround us as we go about our daily lives?
- What can bird sounds teach us about human emotion and communication?
- How can spectrograms (sound visualizations) be used to help us identify birds in the environment?
Hook(s):
Students will love playing a gameshow! They will have numerous opportunities to share their own knowledge and observations with each other.
Keywords:
Animal communicationbird songspecies identificationornithologyacousticWhat bird is singing in this Taylor Swift song? đŠ #birdsounds
Teaser: Students will learn terms and techniques for identifying bird sounds in pop culture by playing along with bird researchers!
Heard That Bird? Scientists ID bird sounds in popular media
Full Video: Interweaves with an interactive presentation. Students play along with scientists to get more curious about natural sounds.
45 min
Available Grade Bands
Available Teaching Environments
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to...
Students will analyze spectrograms to visualize and differentiate sounds.
Students will mirror the process of real scientists to identify bird species.
Students will analyze bird sounds in popular culture to foster curiousity of birds in their daily lives.
Materials for Grades 6-12
Presentation (Lesson 1)
Need: WiFi, Computer, Projector, Sound
Student Worksheet (Lesson 1)
Print 1 Per Student
Teacher Worksheet (Lesson 1)
Print 1
Steps & Flow
5 min: Engage
5 min: Engage
1.Listening Hook
Listening Hook
1.Listening Hook
Listening Hook
Students will listen to two different bird sounds and think about what words or feelings come up.
10 min: Introduce the Game
10 min: Introduce the Game
2.Play Clip #1: Practice Round
Play Clip #1: Practice Round
2.Play Clip #1: Practice Round
Play Clip #1: Practice Round
During the initial practice round, students will learn the format of the gameshow and be introduced to sound spectrograms.
- Sound spectrogram: a visual representation of frequencies in a recording over time
25 min: Play the Game
25 min: Play the Game
3.Play Clips #2-5
Play Clips #2-5
3.Play Clips #2-5
Play Clips #2-5
During the game, students can keep track of their scores in the Heard that Bird worksheet and play alongside bird song researchers at Vanderbilt University!
5 min: End the Game
5 min: End the Game
4.Complete Exit Ticket
Complete Exit Ticket
4.Complete Exit Ticket
Complete Exit Ticket
Students will reflect on the game by completing the exit ticket questions on their worksheet.
Students can further test their bird song skills by exploring Cornell University's Bird Song Hero! (see "Going Further")
Going Further
Ideas and resources for deepening learning on this topic.
Cornell University's Bird Song Hero
This game will further test students' spectrogram skills in identifying bird songs!
Article: The link between birdsong and language
What can birds teach us about human connection? This article gives us a look into how bird scientists can help us make better sense of linguistics and human culture
Chrome Music Lab: LIVE Spectrogram!
Click on the microphone tab at this link and enable sound permissions on your browser if asked. Have students visualize their voices in real time! (Use the microphone tab in the app). You can also use Merlin to play bird sounds into your mic to visualize and have students try to mimic them. Opportunities to discuss comparative anatomy of sound producing organs.
Programming your own spectrogram in R
For students who are familar with programming in R, all the spectrograms for this unit were made in the package dynaSpec. Have students create their own by following the examples on the GitHub page.
Cornell University's Merlin ID App
Record birds live and ID them based on their songs
The Language of Birds: Video from Cornell's lab of Ornithology
Allow students to further explore bird communication in detail
Bird Communication k-12 Lesson Plans
Looking for more lesson plans on birds? Check out these materials
Cornell University's eBird Essentials
Get your students into nature and collecting data like real scientists with Cornell's eBird project
The Anatomy of Bird Song Presentation
Dive into the anatomy of bird song with these free slides
The Joys and Challenges of Birding While Black: Video by PBS
Bird watching is for everyone, but systemic racism in the US means that not everyone has the same experience birding. Learn more about the different experience of birders, and help your students consider ways to make birding more accessible to everyone!
Article: How LA's bird population is shaped by historic redlining and racist loan practices
Provide your students with a case study to explore how historical and social factors impact bird populations today. Redlined areas have less data samples of birds.Encourage your students to collect data and support a science in urban areas. We need more citizen scientists producing data in our communities!
Article: The Sounds that make us calmer
Explore the exciting connections between bird sounds, music, and human emotion
Connection to Research
In this lesson, students directly play alongside scientists who are working to better understand bird communication. They see how an undergrad, graduate student, and professor work together and deal with uncertainty. They also learn a few useful terms and approaches for understanding natural sounds.
Research Background
We donât need to learn how to cry or laugh, but some of our abilitiesâlike speaking a languageâwe need to learn over time. Like humans, some birds learn to sing and communicate by interacting with others in their community. Nicole Creanzaâs lab looks at how these learned singing behaviors came to be, and how they are evolving over time. Learning more about bird communication helps us to better understand our own human language.
Further Reading from Dr. Creanza and colleagues:
Accessible Scientific Article
Popular Press Articles
- âComplex birdsongs help biologists piece together the evolution of lifelong learningâ | The Conversation
- âSexual selection in action: Birds that attract multiple mates change their songs more quicklyâ | The Conversation
- âHow people talk now holds clues about human migration centuries agoâ | The Conversation
- âA simple song can say a lot: Geographic differences in the Chipping Sparrowâs song are discovered using citizen-science recordingsâ | Macaulay Library (Cornell)
- âHow Do You Measure Birdsong? Introducing Chipperâ | Methods Blog
This Galactic Polymath Learning Chart illustrates the areas of knowledge covered. This lesson targets Science, but it helps teach national learning standards in 4 subjects:
- Common Core Math; Common Core ELA; Next Generation Science (NGSS); and College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Social Studies Standards. In total, there are 7 standards across US grade band(s): 5-6, 7-8, 9-12.
Target Standard(s)
Dimension: Science & Engineering Practices
How does the lesson address this standard?
Students use spectrograms and mnemonics as models to identify bird species in video clips. In discussions they will construct arguments for which bird is found in each clip.
How does the lesson address this standard?
Students use spectrograms and mnemonics as models to identify bird species.
Connected Standard(s)
Dimension: Science & Engineering Practices
How does the lesson address this standard?
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How does the lesson address this standard?
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How does the lesson address this standard?
Students compare video clips to spectrogram representations of sounds to determine which species of bird is singing. This is an advanced analytical challenge.
Dimension: Peace and Prosperity
How does the lesson address this standard?
Students will gain curiosity to listen to birds and explore natural sounds in their daily lives. Being connected to nature has been shown to be important to positive mental health by numerous studies.
Please let us know how it went with your class!
We want to know what you (and/or your students) think!
Share your feedback in < 5 min with these forms:
Matt Wilkins, PhD: Hosted and directed video development and managed entire project
Ella Houlihan: Led lesson material development, produced videos
Stephanie Rapciak: Assisted lesson material development, produced videos
Nicole Creanza, PhD: Produced and participated in videos, provided feedback and fact-checking at all stages of development
Heard That Bird Contestants
- Ximena Leon | PhD Student, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
- Sarah Hourihan | Undergraduate Student, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
Clip #8 Bird Detectives
Researchers we consulted to try and unravel the mysterious Taylor Swift bird song clip
- Jay Love, PhDÂ |Â Research Associate, The University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
- Clint Francis, PhDÂ |Â Associate Professor, California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, CA
- Trevor Price, PhDÂ |Â Professor, University of Chicago Chicago, IL
- Fernando Mateos-Gonzalez, PhDÂ |Â Conservation Biologist, Alka Wildlife Liderovice, Czech Republic
- Lauryn Benedict, PhDÂ |Â Professor, University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
Heard That Bird Alpha Testers
Participants in a test run-through that helped us improve the video tremendously
- Laura Vander Meiden, PhDÂ |Â Freelance Data AnalystIthaca, NY
- Brandy Williams | PhD Student, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE
- Faiza Hafeez | PhD Student, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE
Major Release Beta
0.1.0 Lesson initialized
January 22, 2024
0.2.0 Unit alpha draft published
April 26, 2024
Major Release 1
1.0.0 First full build, ready for public release!
May 22, 2024