SOAR bald eagle – Wildlife CSI

Eagle Research – Authentic Data

Help the science standards come alive with real Iowa data!

The Wildlife CSI 5E will help your middle school students think like a scientist and use clues to help you formulate a conclusion on why a bald eagle was admitted to SOAR!

Visit the About page on this website for background information about SOAR and Kay Neumann, Executive Director of SOAR!

What you’ll need to get started:

• For the teacher / educator:
  • Download the SOAR Bald Eagle – Wildlife CSI 5E, read through for questions you have, then
  • Email us for links to a Google Sheet with information about all the bald eagles you can investigate, plus all the bald eagle admit and outcome sheets (don’t want to spoil the answers, do we?). Please let us know where you teach (school / school district)!
• For teachers and students – click each link and download both documents to your computer. Teachers could also download these documents and email to their students.
  • Dallas-Adel bald eagle admit (photos and a fill-able PDF “Patient Exam Form”)
  • Wildlife CSI Student Resources (PDF)

Then preview this video that helps walk you through most of the 5E lesson!

• Watch the video below that helps walk you (or you and your students) through reviewing a bald eagle admit to SOAR. We’ll help you think about why bald eagles are admitted to SOAR – what happened, show you some resources that talk about symptoms and possible causes, and then you can apply that learning and use tools and clues to determine probable injuries and / or illness of the bald eagle case you are reviewing.

 

If students wonder what it’s like to rescue a bald eagle, share the video below of SOAR volunteer Alex rescuing an adult bald eagle in March 2018.

 

Once students have decided on what was wrong with this eagle (and have identified their evidence and reasoning), then share out the Dallas-Adel bald eagle’s outcome with your students (You would have received this in the email reply from above)! Maybe the outcome leaves you with as many questions as answers?! Isn’t that part of learning?

There are more bald eagle admits you can review…

Download:

• Bald Eagle Admit info sheets from this folder.
• or send us an email for links to a Google Sheet with information about all the bald eagles you can investigate, plus all the bald eagle admit and outcome sheets

Then:

• Email or share other bald eagle admits for your students to assess and identify a probable issue, illness, or injury.
• Have each student share their evidence and reasoning with classmates.
• Lead a discussion with your students about solutions or changes in behavior to prevent some of the issues bald eagles face!
• Ask each student for a new nugget of information they learned.

This 5E is part of a larger middle school storyline. If you have suggestions or insights for improving this lesson, please email Linette!

Do not attempt rescue of any raptor without first contacting a federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your state or the local conservation officer.