ARTISTS BACKGROUND:

Cathy Kaemmerlen, professional actress, dancer, and storyteller, teams up with Betty Ann Wylie, well known area storyteller, to make a dynamic, double-the-fun duo.  Both tour extensively their various solo programs, as well as their duo shows, throughout Georgia.  Both are undergraduate English majors, who use their programs to promote reading and dramatic play.  Children from all over the state have said:  “You make education fun.”

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

In science:  classifying, adaptations and habits of birds, needs of living things in relation to their environment, characteristics of different birds. In language arts:  comparing and contrasting, fantasy and realism, noting details, making judgments, story structure, fact and opinion.

PROGRAM SUMMARY:

This program presents an opportunity to discover stories, legends, superstitions, facts, information, jokes and riddles with a bird theme.  Following the success of GOING BUGGY, GOING BIRDING is a sequel, doing for birds what BUGGY did for insects, for grades K-5.  It is a fast moving 35-40 minute show that includes information about what makes a bird a bird; how to call birds and identify some bird songs; how birds descended from dinosaurs; why birds preen; and what we can do to keep birds off the endangered species list.

VOCABULARY WORDS:

superstitions:  an irrational belief
mythological:  a story whose origin is forgotten that explains a natural phenomenon
aviary:  a place for keeping birds confined
paleontologist:  a scientist who studies bones
primary, secondary, tertiary feathers:  series of feathers on a bird that perform different functions
endangered:  species in danger of extinction
extinct: species that is wiped out and no longer exists
John Audubon:  naturalist famous for his drawings and studies of birds
ornithology:  the study of birds
ornithologist:  one who studies birds

OVERVIEW OF ART FORM:

Telling stories is an oral tradition, dating back to when mankind first developed a language or form of communication.  Storytelling is a universal way of passing down information to be saved and remembered for generations to come.  It is an interactive art form in which the storytellers’ passion for the story, material, and information, is passed on to the audience, who sorts through, interprets, stores, and synthesizes what is heard.

PRE AND POST ACTIVITIES:

Discuss bird facts from books such as SHARING THE WONDERS OF BIRDS WITH KIDS by Laura Erickson. 
Make a list of interesting bird facts.
Find out more information on unusual birds such as carrier pidgeons, falcons, cowbirds, peacocks, cormorants.
Find out about birds who are endangered, such as the whooping crane and what is being done to encourage development of this species.
Learn some bird calls.  Learn to identify some different types of birds.  Start a bird watching club and keep a notebook. 
Go on some bird walks.
If your classroom has a window, put up a feeder and fill it full of black sunflower seeds. Then enjoy the results.
Find more bird stories, poems, jokes, riddles, songs, and make a collection.

Warm Up Questions for meeting the Georgia Performance Standards for "Listening/Speaking/Viewing":
Describe the perfect audience.
What are some of our class rules for being good listeners?
How do we show someone we appreciate their visit to our school or classroom?
How does being part of an audience help make you a good citizen?
What are some examples of bad audience behavior or attitudes?
How does a negative audience member effect your enjoyment of a show or performance?
How would this make the performer feel?
How do we want the performer to feel when they leave our school or classroom?

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Wolkstein/Galdone.  THE COOL RIDE IN THE SKY.
Spaulding, Dean. PROTECTING OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS
McMillan, Bruce.  NIGHTS OF THE PUFFLINGS.
Yolen, Jane.  WINGS.
Erickson, Laura. SHARING THE WONDER OF BIRDS WITH KIDS.
Fleischman, Paul.  I AM PHOENIX:  POEMS FOR TWO VOICES.
Burnie, David.  BIRDS AND HOW THEY LIVE.
Carral, Michael.  THE WORLD OF BIRDS:  A LAYMAN’S GUIDE TO ORNITHOLOGY.
BIRD WATCHERS DIGEST MAGAZINE
Fleming, Denise.  WHERE ONCE THERE WAS A WOOD.
Selsam, Millicent.  A FIRST LOOK AT BIRDS.
Florian, Douglas.  BEAST FEAST.
THE GOLDEN GUIDE:  A GUIDE TO BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA.
Peterson, Roger Tory:  A FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS EAST OF THE ROCKIES.
Terres, John K.  THE AUDUBON SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA BIRDS.
Wells, Rosemary.THE LANGUAGE OF DOVES.
Anderson, Hans Christian.  THE EMPEROR AND THE NIGHTINGALE.
KNOW YOUR BIRD SOUNDS, VOl. 1:  Yard, garden, and city birds (audiotape)
TALKING TO FIREFLIES BOOK OF NATURE ACTIVITIES