Summary Look at live chickens, then their eggs and feathers. Science content Biology: Features, Adaptations of Living Things (K, 1, 3, 7) Biology: Life Cycles (2) Activities in this lesson Chicken observation: adaptations and behaviour Egg structure study Feather study Egg into bottle Procedure Do the chicken observation to get students talking about them and discussing their features. Frame in terms of adaptations Discuss why we keep chickens - for their eggs. Discuss what chickens eat. Feed chickens (dig them worms if possible). Do egg structure study. Discuss why the eggs are not fertilized - as there is no rooster. Remind students that humans make eggs too. Optional: weigh a chicken Weigh a person holding a chicken, then weigh the person alone. Students figure out to do subtraction to find the weight of the chicken. Do the feather study. With extra time end with fun activities involving eggs: Egg in the bottle activity. Egg drop challenge. (Use any materials to wrap an egg so that it does not crack when dropped from a height.) Grades taught Gr 4
