KidWings

Teacher Materials

Teaching children about owl pellets can turn into a long lasting memory for many students. However, with so much material out there, and such limited time in the classroom, it can be difficult deciding exactly what to teach, what activities to use, and what resources to photocopy for student use. Here is an attempt to organize different activities, worksheets, handouts, and additional resources that will help teachers as they prepare to dissect pellets in the classroom.

Handouts / Worksheets

Owl Pellet Instructional Video	This video will give helpful hints for dissecting a real owl pellet. Please respect copyright by not reposting this video anywhere else.
Bone Chart	This handout has drawings of the most common rodent bones found in an owl pellet. It also has a drawing of a complete rodent skeleton if students want to try putting their bones back together again.
Dichotomous Skull Key	This is a simplified dichotomous key that helps students determine the type of animal skull found in a pellet based size, number of teeth, and other easily observed characteristics.
Virtual Owl Pellet Worksheet (Microsoft Word Document)	Us this worksheet with students who will be dissecting their owl pellet on-line. (Note: it can also be used for a true hands-on dissection). It helps the students think more about what they are doing by counting the number of specific bones, drawing what they see, and coming up with some conclusions based on their observations.
Owl Informational / Coloring Sheets	Each owl that is represented on the KidWings website with a virtual pellet dissection has an informational / coloring worksheet. Pass these out to students so they can learn basic information about the owl who made the pellet they are dissecting.

Additional Resources Books
Peterson Field Guides: Mammals by William H. Burt	This book provides excellent drawings of mammals that may be part of the owl's diet. In the back there is also a section that has many photographs of mammal skulls. Apart from graphics, it also has detailed information for each mammal and range maps.
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen	An excellent book for primary grades, this Caldecott winner tells the story of a father and daughter who go searching for a Great Horned Owl on a winter night.