TYPICAL LESSON PLANS 113 



on the breast. Note where the bird is and what it is doing. 

 When you are sure that the children know the bird tell 

 them you want them to watch the flickers about their 

 homes to see how many things they can find out about these 

 birds. Have them note especially all the different places 

 where the birds are seen, and what they are doing. How 

 does the bird's flight differ from that of a robin ? What 

 marks aid in identifying it when flying ? (The white spot 

 in front of the tail and the golden yellow lining of the 

 wings.) At the end of a week, during which the interest 

 has been kept up by occasional reference to the bird, have 

 an indoor lesson. This should be a free expression of the 

 observations made by the children; good pictures of the 

 bird may aid in settling some points in which there is a 

 difference of opinion. Some points may well be left to be 

 settled by further outdoor observation. 



In the discussion of what the children have seen, new 

 problems will certainly arise. For example, how does the 

 flicker manage to walk up a tree trunk? The children 

 will readily see that the short, stiff tail feathers aid the bird 

 in climbing, and in resting on the sides of trees and posts. 

 By means of pictures the teacher may bring out the special 

 adaptations of the toes, two pointing forward and two 

 backward, that enable the bird to cling securely to vertical 

 surfaces. 



The question of the flicker's food will come up. No 

 doubt some of the children will report that they have seen 

 the birds feeding while on the ground. What were they 

 eating ? The answer to this may or may not be found by 

 observation. Some child may be fortunate enough to find 

 a flicker sitting on an ant-hill eating ants. But whether 



