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Mini Unit Study:

© 2016 Deanna Holm, all rights

reserved. May not be copied, sold or

distributed for commercial purposes.

You may only print and use for your

personal family or class.

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Description

Hummingbirds are amazing and beautiful. With so many unique characteristics, your child

will be amused at all the strange abilities of these birds. This mini unit study incorporates all

learning styles. This ten-page document includes a fun & colorful article for kids about

hummingbirds. This article is filled with detailed photos and fun facts about this species

which will keep them engaged as they improve their reading skills. Your student will create

a fun interactive facts page with pullout tabs and hummingbird replicas. This project will

reinforce what they learned and improve their comprehension and writing skills in a tactile

way. Your student will enjoy a measuring activity that uses real photos of a nest,

hummingbird hawk moth, and a bee hummingbird which are scaled to the actual size.

They will enjoy a fun, yet easy hands-on science project making hummingbird replicas of

an egg, skull, and feather. If you were to buy replicas they would cost almost $100, this

project allows students to see just how small and amazing these birds are and will only cost

you $5 for some clay. Lastly, they will enjoy a simple art project coloring a hummingbird

picture while watch video links. Your child will have a beautiful project they can be proud

of and share with others. This set includes complete teacher instructions with samples.

This project is one of many fun hands-on projects found in my Rainforests of the World Unit

Study Curriculum. You can find more information about this unit study at my website,

www.discoverunitstudies.com.

Age Level

This mini unit study is perfect for grades 2nd - 6th.

Using This Unit Study

It can be used as supplement to spice up your lesson plans for homeschool, co-op, or in a

classroom. Combine multiple unit studies, one after another, to create a tailored

curriculum based on your child’s interests.

Materials Needed: Elmers glue, hot glue gun (optional), pencil, scissors, Model Magic by

Crayola- white, brown marker, coloring pencils or markers, exacto knife, ruler, cardstock,

and computer/ internet access for video links.

Additional Learning Ideas

Here is a list of some other fun projects you can do with this unit study: plant hummingbird

flowers in a garden or learn botany by planting seeds, make hummingbird food, go

hummingbird watching, try to photograph a humming bird and frame it for your home or

school, give an oral report about what they learned, put on a fun play or puppet show,

draw or sketch a hummingbird, or visit a local Audubon center for a field trip. You could

also keep a hummingbird journal by drawing or writing about what kinds of hummingbirds

you see, where you see them, what they are doing, food they are eating, what month,

day or hours you see them, or any other details.

Books You May Want To Read

Its s Hummingbirds Life by Irene Kelly

Hummingbird Stickers by Jan Sovak (Dover Little Activity Book)

Im A Mommy Hummingbird by Diane Davani

There’s a Hummingbird in My Backyard by Gary Bogue

Little Green by Kieth Baker

http://www.discoverunitstudies.com/


Directions 1. The Amazing Hummingbird

Trim off the edge on the dashed line.

With an adults help, use an exacto knife and cutting

mat to cut the 3 black dashed slits, making sure you cut

them the exact size of the line, a smidge bigger is ok but

not smaller. Your tabs will be inserted in these later on, if

your slits are too small your tabs will not fit.

On the back of this page use a thin line of Elmer’s glue right on the

edge of the page and glue onto cardstock. DO NOT GET ANY

GLUE ON THE INSIDE, ONLY ON THE VERY EDGE. Set aside to dry.

2. The Incredible Hummingbird Read the Article.

MATERIAL NEEDED

liquid Elmer’s glue (not glue stick)

hot glue gun to (to glue on the replicas)

pencil & scissors

Model Magic by Crayola- white

brown marker

coloring pencils

exacto knife and cutting mat or cardboard

ruler- one per student

Cardstock (one piece per student)

Computer and Internet access for video link

Mini Unit Study:


3. Hummingbird Tabs

Measure the nest, hawk-moth, and bee hummingbird

and write down the measurement on each tab, these

photos are close to the actual size.

Next write out some facts you learned on each tab.

Cut out each tab, making sure you save the square

with the feather in it.

Insert the tabs into the slots on the page titled “The

Amazing Hummingbird”. Place the nest into the slot on the left, the

moth into the middle and the bird into the slot on the right.

4. Ruby-Throated Replicas, at the bottom of page 73

Using the white Model Magic by Crayola, make the egg

replica matching it to the size below. Glue onto the

square that says “egg”.

Make the skull using the white clay, match it to the size

below. Use a pencil to make an indentation on one side

of the skull for the eye socket. Use a brown marker to

color just the beak. Glue onto the square that says “skull”.

Cut out the tiny feather from the tabs page. Glue onto the square

that says “feather”

5. Hummingbird Coloring Picture

Color the picture then glue onto the back side of your

Hummingbird tabs and replicas page.

**** they can color the picture while watching the video below****

WATCH VIDEO LINKS

skull 1 1/8 inch

egg ¼ to ½ inch

This is an amazing video, length is 53:11, just watch as much of it as you can. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/hummingbirds-magic-in-the-air-video-full-episode/5475/ Animal Homes by PBS has a great episode on Netflix about bird nests the first bird it covers is a hummingbird.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/hummingbirds-magic-in-the-air-video-full-episode/5475/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/hummingbirds-magic-in-the-air-video-full-episode/5475/


Sample


for students to see.


The Incredible Hummingbird!

Hummingbirds can’t walk or

jump because their legs are

too short!

Hummingbirds are named after the

humming sound their wings make as

they zip around from flower to flower.

This tiny bird uses its long tongue to lap

up nectar. This species has a greater

advantage to finding food because it

can hover over plants to eat. Other

birds must perch on a branch making it

harder to reach certain kinds of food.

Hummingbirds are important to our

ecosystem because they help pollinate

plants. An ecosystem is the cycle of life

working together; this is when plants,

animals, organisms, water, and soil

support each other for continual

survival. Without hummingbirds many

plants and animals would become

extinct. This is because their special

purpose is to pollinate flowers. Some

plants grow two different kinds of

flowers. These are male and female. In

order to reproduce, the pollen from the

male flower must be transferred to the

center of the female flower. When this

occurs a fruit develops. This happens as

the hummingbird visits many flowers

eating the sweet nectar.

They begin their migration to Mexico

and Central America in July. In order to

make this long nonstop flight, up to 500

miles, hummers will store up a layer of

fat that is equal to half their weight.

Is That A Hummingbird?

Watch out for a hummingbird look-alike, the Hummingbird Hawk-

Moth. It’s just a little smaller than the Bee Hummingbird and it

feeds on the same flowers using a proboscis, hoovering and

humming too. But don’t be fooled, it’s a phony!


Hummingbird Flowers They love bright colored flowers! In

the spring plant their favorite flowers

such as cardinals, bee balm,

columbine, zinnia, lupine, salvia,

bleeding hearts, trumpet creeper

and petunia.

Bird Feeder Mix 1 cup warm water with ¼ cup

sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved

then pour into a hummingbird

feeder. Be sure to hang it at least 5

feet off the ground to protect them

from those kitty cats!

To Replenish

their energy,

they must eat

every 10

minutes!

World’s Strongest

Bird!

They can fly upside down,

forward and backward, and

hover like a helicopter.

They can take 250 breaths per

minute.

They can lick 10-15 times a

second.

They can fly 30-60 miles per

hour.

The Ruby-Throated flies 500

miles nonstop across the Gulf

of Mexico during migration.

How long would that take

them at 30 miles per hour?

They are fearless and

aggressive when protecting

their nest; and don’t even

think about messing with their

flowers, they are territorial.

Their large pectoral muscles

make up 30% of their weight

to help those wings move with

speed.

Their wings beat a whopping

50-200 times per second.

A Long Tongue makes it easy

to lick up that

sweet nectar!


Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

lay 1-2 eggs in a nest that measures slightly

over 2 inches. The eggs are the size of a

jellybean, only ¼ to ½ inch long. When

building their nest, they will use spider web

silk to attach their nest to a branch.

Gestation period is 16-18 days. Baby birds

hatch out at about 1 inch in length. They

cannot fly and remain in the nest until they

are fully grown. The smallest feathers in

world cover their bodies. One feather

could fit on the tip of your finger, now that

is small. Have you ever seen a Ruby-

Throated Hummingbird?

Wing Structure They have a wing

structure different

from all other birds in

the world. Their

shoulder is a ball joint

which allows them to

rotate it 180 degrees

giving them the ability

to hover and even fly

upside down. Their

wing bones are very

porous and hollow

and are shaped

differently than

another bird species.

To fly they move their

wings in an oval

pattern and in a

figure 8 to hover.

Predators Cats of course, snakes and hawks, and a few you may not think of like praying mantis, spiders, wasps and even frogs!

Eyelash Vipers have scales above their eyes that look like eyelashes. These vipers have been known to hide near flowers and snatch a hummer for dinner, yikes!


Kinds of Hummingbirds

Broad Billed

Hummingbird

Violet Sabrewing

Hummingbird

Sword-Billed

Hummingbird

Berylline

Hummingbird

Blue-Throated

Hummingbird

Black-Throated

Mango

Hummingbird

There are more than 320 different kinds

of hummingbirds. Their average life span

is from 3-5 years. All species of

hummingbirds live in North and South

America. They come in a wide range of

sizes too. From the miniature Bee

Hummingbird measuring in at just 2

inches and as big as the Giant

Hummingbird from South America at 8

inches long. The Ruby-Throated is a

common species in North America, it

measures 3 ½ inches in length and its

skull measuring a miniscule 1 1/8 of an

inch from head to the tip of the beak.


Ruby-Throated Replicas EGG FEATHER

THE AMAZING HUMMINGBIRD!

SKULLL


_________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hummingbird Tabs

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD NEST

Measurement _________________________

BEE HUMMINGBIRD

Measurement ____________________________

HUMMINGBIRD HAWK-MOTH

Measurement ____________________________

Hummingbird Facts

Hummingbird Facts

Hummingbird Facts

Hummingbird Feather Replica

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