An Owl Pellet Inquiry with Grade 1

With teachers Beth Messina 1996 and Rebecca Godinez, the students have been learning all about the two creatures. First looking into bats, they learned about the different types of the species, echolocation, sleeping habits, their diet, and created some fun bat hats. They dove deeper into the study of owls by focusing on key aspects of the owl's life, including its body structure, diet, habitat, lifecycle, and predators. The lesson ended with the students creating a Venn diagram as a visual representation of their similarities and differences. 

Now it was time for fun! The students gathered together to watch a video explaining owl digestion and what an owl pellet is. As the video concluded, Mrs. Messina surprised the class with the fact that they were dissecting their own pellets. In pairs of two, the students put on plastic gloves to unwrap the pellets and grabbed tweezers to investigate what was inside. With intrigue and excitement, they discovered all sorts of bones, skills, fur, and feathers.

“Everyone became enthralled by the fact that owls form pellets from undigested food making for a truly memorable learning experience,” remarked Mrs. Messina.