The intelligence of crows

Students in Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 have been studying the Aboriginal Dreaming Story of “How the birds got their colours”. This week, they are investigating birds. Our playground is currently well-populated with large crows (or ravens?) and the students have been enjoying (or being blamed for) their hilarious antics: tossing scraps out of the bins, stealing shiny rocks from a memorial garden, and frog-marching pigeons out of the playground.

I found some fascinating Youtube videos that demonstrate the intelligence of crows, as they complete an exercise involving a three-step plan, and then an eight-step plan.


Crow intelligence – multi-step tool action test


Are crows the ultimate problem solvers? – Inside the animal mind – BBC


Smart crow uses cars to crack nuts in Akita, Japan near Senshu Park

Remember Aesop’s fable of “The crow and the pitcher”?

Causal understanding of water displacement by a crow

Investigating Australian birds

Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 students have been reading the Aboriginal Dreaming story of Pheasant and Kingfisher, in a big book version by Catherine Berndt & Raymond Meeks.

We used a Google Images search to locate online photographs of Australian pheasants and Australian kingfishers. The additional descriptor of “long tail” helped us find images of kingfishers “with firesticks stuck in their bottom”.

We discussed why images of peacocks (not Australian!) and lyrebirds turned up in the pheasant image seach, and why kookaburras turned up in the kingfisher search. We then used Youtube to locate examples of a pheasant saying its name, “Bookbook”, as in the story, and a kingfisher saying “Bered-bered”.


Common pheasant making quick repeated sounds while taking a walk


Pheasant – common pheasant bird call


Pied Kingfisher catching fish in split second – BBC wildlife

The next week, we moved our investigations into factual information on Australian birds:


Aussie beauties – a tribute to Australian birds

How the birds got their colours

Stage 1 and Early Stage 1 students are learning about Aboriginal Dreaming stories.


How the birds got their colours by Pamela Lofts and Mary Albert

A student, from somewhere in the world, adapted this story as an animation, setting it in the Philippines:

How birds got their color by Naufal Shukri

How smart are crows?


Crow intelligence – multi-step tool action test


Joe the talking crow


Smart crow uses cars to crack nuts in Akita, Japan, near Senshu Park

Last time we visited this part of the cycle, students enjoyed this Youtube clip.

Australia’s wild parrots and cockatoos

Parrot wind sock

Our Stage 1 and Early Stage 1 students are investigating Australian birds this week in their library sessions. Youtube features a two-part PBS special. Americans are only used to seeing Australia’s parrots and cockatoos as caged pets. Here they are in their natural environments: Parrots in the land of Oz.

Part 1

Part 2

Three more slideshows: endangered animals

Another batch of completed persuasive slideshows from Stage 3: Guided Inquiry Endangered animals (Stage 3 science & technology).


by Amy, James & Ashley


by Luke, Mitch, Hayden, Corey & Tristan


by Aimee & Long

Enjoy! Share! And please feel free to comment.

As mentioned previously, just a few points to consider with Photo Peach: Use it as judiciously as you would a series of Youtube clips. Don’t permit students to do open browsing; Photo Peach is a Web 2.0 facility that is open to anyone, and the slideshows are “unrated”. Also, if you notice that new comments have been added to a slideshow you’ve made, please preview the slideshow again before using it with students so you can monitor (and moderate/remove) unwanted comments. (Or close off comments altogether.) Consider a subscription to Photo Peach, which enables you to add your own or Creative Commons music, a wider range of transitions, and the capacity to download slideshows to your hard drive, web space or a CD.

National Simultaneous Storytime 2011

National Simultaneous Storytime 2011

What a fun day, as about 400 Penrith PS students (including the pre-schoolers in our “Play and Chat” group) joined thousands of Australian children and teachers across Australia, in schools and in public libraries, in a simultaneous reading of Rod Clement’s picture book, “Feathers for Phoebe“. Some of us watched a Youtube video clip (below), others read the book on an IWB (above, in our new school library), or using the book with buddy classes.

Here is the ALIA podcast of “Feathers For Phoebe” via Youtube:

National Simultaneous Storytime 2011
Mr McLean reads “Feathers For Phoebe” for Stage 2.

National Simultaneous Storytime 2011

View our Photo Peach slideshow of the event!

UPDATE:

Here is a close-captioned, Auslan version of the ALIA Youtube podcast:

And our PhotoPeach digital story:


Clifford & Phoebe at Penrith PS

Finding feathers for Phoebe

This year, ALIA’s annual National Simultaneous Storytime event is Feathers for Phoebe by Rod Clement. Phoebe is a small grey bird who gets herself decorated in colourful feathers, and develops a new song and new moves, in order to attempt to get noticed. We plan to do this as a whole school event, probably split across four groups.

Phoebe

I was thrilled to notice some black-painted wooden bird templates in a local “Sam’s Warehouse” bargain store (at $4.00 each), which I’ve since painted with grey enamel. I hope to have one decorated in feathers in time for the big event on 25th May at 11.00am.

Phoebe feathers

Yesterday, I found a great little mask, decorated with peacock-feathers and sequins, which should prove useful as part of Phoebe’s new look. Numerous bargain stores sell packets of assorted feathers for craft work – and then I found these cute little styrofoam birds, already decorated with sequins, gold tinsel and coloured feathers, at just $3.00 each:

Phoebe birds