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ParkWise
> Teachers >
Nature > Fly
Away! > Unit Outline
Activity
10:
The Race South
Students
use real radiotracking data to calculate rates and distances of
golden eagle migration.
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Unit:
Fly Away
Guiding Question:
How do researchers
study migration patterns? What can we learn from radiotracking
golden eagles?
Critical Content: The
range of flight rates for golden eagles and how they compare
along the way and between eagles. The difference between rates
of migration (average rate over days including rest) and air
speed (actual speed when flying)
Grades:
6-9 (adaptation for grades 3-5)
Duration: 45-60
minutes
Group size:
2-4 students (not more than 10 groups)
Setting: classroom
Materials: Migration
Data set coordinate text files and blank map for plotting,
paper
and pencils,
calculators
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Before
you begin: You
may want to review Migration
of Birds (USFWS Circular 16) Flight Speed and Rate of Migration,
and discuss the information with the class.
Procedures:
- Assign one eagle to each group.
- Students calculate the incremental rates of migration (km/day)
(see extension) between each tracking location
- Students race south by calculating the cumulative distance
migrated southward and roundtrip or for one entire year.
- Prizes can be given for the:
- highest average speed for the trip south,
- highest average speed for the return trip north,
- maximum speed between any two successive tracking locations,
- longest migration
- southern most point (lowest latitude), and
- eastern most point (smallest negative longitude).
Discussion Questions:
- How far do golden eagles travel when they migrate?
- How far do they travel per day?
- How quickly do they travel?
- Where do they go? How far south and west do they go?
Extension: Students can convert
from km/day and km/hr to miles/day and miles/hr [kilometers X 0.62
= miles].
Adaptation: For lower grades,
call out the dates and have the students plot the points. See who
gets to their southern most point first.
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