City Heights Hawk Hunt

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to observe and describe red-tailed hawks in City Heights neighborhood habitats and how those habitats meet the birds' needs for resting, flying, and hunting.

Students will be able to identify and sort neighborhood features such as trees, skies, rooftops, poles, and open ground by how they help a red-tailed hawk perch, fly, rest, or hunt.

Students will be able to ask investigable questions about where red-tailed hawks can find food, safety, and places to rest in the neighborhood.

Students will be able to record observations with drawings, labels, picture checklists, and simple maps during hawk watches and neighborhood walks.

Students will be able to compare different spaces in and around City Heights and explain which spaces help hawks more or less and why.

Students will be able to use evidence from photos, sketches, class maps, and direct observations to justify a claim about how red-tailed hawks meet their needs.

Students will be able to collaborate to build and present a 3D neighborhood habitat model showing where a red-tailed hawk can perch, fly, hunt, and stay safe.

Products

individual

Red-Tailed Hawk Investigation Journal

Students create a personal investigation record with labeled drawings, picture notes, a simple map, and a short oral or teacher-scribed explanation of what they found. The journal shows each student's own evidence and thinking about how hawks use neighborhood spaces.

team

City Heights Hawk Habitat Model and Explanation

Small groups build a 3D model of a City Heights habitat and present their shared findings about where a red-tailed hawk can perch, fly, hunt, and stay safe. The presentation must use group evidence, include different spaces from the neighborhood, and name at least one question or surprise from the investigation.

Rubric

Mastery-Based Rubric Standards-first rubric

Category	Standard	Beginning (1)	Developing (2)	Proficient (3)	Exceeding (4)
Content knowledge	Students will be able to observe and describe red-tailed hawks in City Heights neighborhood habitats and how those habitats meet the birds' needs for resting, flying, and hunting. - observe and describe	I can look closely at red-tailed hawk pictures, displays, and real/replica parts (like feathers or nests) and tell what I notice I can point to a place in City Heights and name one way it helps a hawk (rest, fly, or hunt).	I can observe red-tailed hawks and their habitats (trees, the sky, and open spaces) and describe what I see using simple words and pictures I can explain how one habitat helps a hawk meet a need—resting on a tree, flying in the sky, or hunting in an open area.	I can compare different neighborhood places (like trees, poles/buildings, and open fields) and describe how each place helps a red-tailed hawk survive I can use my drawings, photos, and field notes to tell why some places are better for resting, flying, or hunting.	I can observe and describe how red-tailed hawks use multiple parts of the City Heights neighborhood—trees, the sky, and open spaces—and match each part to the hawk’s needs I can clearly share my evidence from the museum, walks, and my field journal in English and/or Spanish using complete picture-and-words sentences.
Skill	Students will be able to identify and sort neighborhood features such as trees, skies, rooftops, poles, and open ground by how they help a red-tailed hawk perch, fly, rest, or hunt. - identify and sort	I can name and point to neighborhood features like trees, skies, rooftops, poles, and open ground and match each one to a hawk job (perch, fly, rest, or hunt) using a picture or model.	I can sort neighborhood features into simple groups (for example: “places to perch” or “places to hunt”) and explain with pictures or words how each feature helps a red-tailed hawk.	I can use my observations from walks and museum learning to sort features more precisely and tell why a feature helps a hawk perch, rest, fly, or hunt (with an “because” statement).	I can independently choose the best feature from a neighborhood map or drawing and justify my sorting by linking multiple habitat needs (perching, flying, resting, hunting) to specific trees, skies, rooftops, poles, and open ground.
Skill	Students will be able to ask investigable questions about where red-tailed hawks can find food, safety, and places to rest in the neighborhood. - ask	I can ask a simple question about where red-tailed hawks might find food, safety, or places to rest in my neighborhood (tree, open area, or sky).	I can ask a question that connects to what I observed (like a perched area, nest display, or open space) and tells what I want to learn next about hawks.	I can ask an investigable question with clear words about a specific neighborhood place (example: “Where do hawks rest near City Heights?”) and I can explain why I’m asking using an observation or picture.	I can ask a focused investigable question and refine it after learning (museum visit, photos, or a walk), using evidence from my observations to show what I think hawks need for food, safety, and rest.
Skill	Students will be able to record observations with drawings, labels, picture checklists, and simple maps during hawk watches and neighborhood walks. - record	I can draw what I notice during hawk watches and neighborhood walks and add at least 1 picture label for a hawk need (like a tree, sky, or open space).	I can record my observations using drawings, picture checklists, and simple labels in English and/or Spanish, showing at least 2 different places where I saw or thought a hawk could be.	I can make a simple map (or map-style drawing) of my neighborhood walk and include 2–3 labeled locations with pictures to show how those places connect to hawk needs like resting, flying, or hunting.	I can record detailed, organized observations across multiple hawk watches by combining a drawing, picture checklist, and simple map with accurate picture labels, and I can show my thinking about where a hawk could use trees, skies, and open spaces.
Content knowledge	Students will be able to compare different spaces in and around City Heights and explain which spaces help hawks more or less and why. - compare and explain	I can name at least two different spaces in and around City Heights (like trees, open fields, or sky/air spaces) and point to one space that helps a hawk.	I can describe how two spaces in City Heights help a hawk, using pictures, labels, or drawings, and I can say which space helps more with a simple reason (like “more places to find food” or “a safe place to rest”).	I can compare two or more spaces in City Heights and explain which spaces help hawks more or less, using evidence from my observations and museum learning (like noticing perching spots, hunting areas, or places that feel safe).	I can compare several spaces around City Heights and explain clearly why a hawk would choose one space over another, using details from multiple sources (walk observations, photos, field notes/modeling) and giving a complete reason in my own words (in English and/or Spanish).
Skill	Students will be able to use evidence from photos, sketches, class maps, and direct observations to justify a claim about how red-tailed hawks meet their needs. - justify	I can point to a picture, sketch, or photo from our observations and say one way it shows what a red-tailed hawk needs (like a tree for resting or open space for hunting).	I can choose evidence from my photos, sketches, field journal drawings, or the class map and tell a claim in a complete sentence (I think hawks use ___ because I saw ___).	I can match at least two pieces of evidence (for example, a tree drawing and an open-space photo) to explain how red-tailed hawks meet their needs in City Heights, using simple words and a label.	I can justify my claim using evidence from direct observation plus multiple visuals (photos/sketches/maps) and explain how each habitat space helps a red-tailed hawk survive, clearly during a gallery or model presentation.
Disposition	Students will be able to collaborate to build and present a 3D neighborhood habitat model showing where a red-tailed hawk can perch, fly, hunt, and stay safe. - collaborate to build and present	I can work with my group to build parts of our 3D City Heights habitat model by following shared directions and taking a turn with materials (like trees, poles, and open spaces).	I can collaborate with my group to place and label parts of the model (perch, fly path, and open hunting area) using picture notes and simple English/Spanish words we used in class.	I can cooperate with my group to create a complete 3D model and explain how each place helps a red-tailed hawk perch, travel, hunt, and stay safe using what we observed in our walks and museum visit.	I can lead my group’s collaboration by coordinating turns, organizing the model space, and presenting clearly with my group as we show where a red-tailed hawk can perch, fly, hunt, and stay safe in City Heights using model evidence.