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Owl Ambush
Human Machine Unit | Anchor Phenomenon
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Owl Ambush

Human Machine Unit | Anchor Phenomenon
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When you're hungry, you can just go to the refrigerator and grab a snack. But it's not so easy for other animals! They have to find or hunt for their food.

Check out two videos of owls hunting for food on the next slides.

Note: The next videos may be startling, but they are not graphic.

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Wow, the owl's prey didn't even see it coming! Owls are so fast!

Check out the next slow-motion video for a closer look at an owl catching its prey.

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Get a See-Think-Wonder chart to record your ideas.

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THINK-PAIR-SHARE:

What do you observe about how the owl catches its prey? What body parts do you notice it uses?

Record your answers in the SEE column of your chart. Talk to your partner about them and then share your ideas as a class. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.

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THINK-PAIR-SHARE:

How do the parts of the owl’s body work together to catch the prey? How is the owl’s body similar to ours?

Record your answers in the THINK column of your chart. Talk to your partner about them and then share your ideas as a class. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.

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THINK-PAIR-SHARE:

What do you wonder about how the owl catches its prey? What do you wonder about how the parts of your body work?

Record your answers in the WONDER column of your chart. Talk to your partner about them and then share your ideas as a class. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.

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In today's activity, you'll create a drawing to show how the owl’s body parts work together to catch the mouse. You’ll get a chance to compare your drawing with your classmate's.

It’s okay if you aren't sure of the right answer yet. After each Mystery, you'll have an opportunity to change or add to your drawing.

We'll walk you through it, step by step.

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Now it's time to do some investigations! During the next four Mysteries, you will learn about different body parts and how they sense and process information. You will use this information to support, add to, or change your owl system model. At the end of the unit, you will use your owl system model to explain how other animals sense and respond to their environment.

Have fun, and stay curious!

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You've completed the Unit Starter!

Be sure to keep each student's Owl System Model worksheet accessible. They will revise it after each Mystery.

Teach Mystery 1 next: Why do your biceps bulge?

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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Other
Common barn owl 4 months by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Eric Isselee
Little owl 50 days old Athene by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Eric Isselee
Owl ambush, takes hawk by Image used under license from Youtube.com: Camo Dave
Snowy Owl Head on Flying at Mouse by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: BlackBoxGuild
Snowy Owl catchin vole by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: PhotoRequests
Snowy Owl kills prey by Image used under license from Youtube.com: Kevin Jeffery
Ural Owl Strix Uralensis by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Rosa Jay
Young Eurasian Eagle Owl by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Eric Isselee
owl by Image used under license from Unsplash
Credits

Grade 4

Human Body, Vision, & The Brain

System Models

4-PS4-2, 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2

Activity Prep

Print Prep

Note: This lesson is part of this unit’s Anchor Layer. If you have the Anchor Layer turned on, we recommend teaching all lessons in the remainder of this unit in order.

The anchor phenomenon for this unit is an owl catching its prey. Students generate observations and questions about the phenomenon and create an initial model to explain how the owl's body systems work together to catch prey.

Preview activity
Number of students:
Human Machine Teacher Guide teacher-only resource 1 copy
Owl System Model worksheet 30 copies
See-Think-Wonder worksheet 30 copies
Prep Instructions

Before starting this lesson, review the unit Teacher Guide for an overview of the Human Machine Anchor Layer.

This anchor phenomenon for this unit is the process of owls catching prey. In the activity, they create an initial conceptual model to explain how the owl's body parts work together to hunt. Students will re-visit their model after each Mystery to add new information to it.

It is important to encourage students to recognize that even if they don't know the perfect answer yet, they are going to learn a lot throughout the unit and have an opportunity to change or add to their first model.

Step 1: Set up your classroom Set up your classroom by creating a class "See-Think-Wonder" chart (the student version is linked below). We recommend using chart paper, or a space on your board that won't be erased since you will revisit it throughout the unit.

Step 2: Print out worksheets Each student needs a:

Grade 4

Human Body, Vision, & The Brain

System Models

4-PS4-2, 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2

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