Teachers & Schools
About the Aussie Bird Count
The Aussie Bird Count aims to engage school communities in the natural world while getting to know the birds in their local schoolyard through participation in a simple, fun, all-ages activity that can be done anywhere.
By taking part in the Aussie Bird Count the students will become citizen scientists. Citizen science creates opportunities for students to connect with the natural world, gain scientific skills, and learn about topics such as life cycles, habitats, adaptations, and interrelationships. This can be a gateway to many exciting discoveries and creates a partnership between the students and professional scientists to help answer questions scientists couldn’t answer on their own.
About the lesson plans
We offer 2 lots of lesson plans: one is a less formal learning package aimed at younger children, while the other is a formal resource intended for teachers of students in Years 5 and 6 working towards Stage 3 outcomes in the Australian Curriculum. However, they may be adapted for younger students as well.
The formal resource comprises two lessons. They are an inquiry-based curriculum resource that encourages students to engage in the scientific process through monitoring birds. The teaching and learning is based on the students’ role as citizen scientists investigating the bird community and habitat of their school grounds. They collect, analyse and interpret their data.
Additional materials
In addition to the lesson plans, we are offering the following as FREE downloads for you and your class to enjoy:
- A4 Backyard Birds Posters (Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, King Island, NSW, Tasmania, Tea Tree Gulley, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and Victoria only)
- A3 Poster
- Colouring Pages
How to get your school involved
To get involved all you need to do is register your school using the form below. Once registered, you will receive an email with links to download the lesson plans and a form to request the additional materials.
