The Science of Bird Migration and Light Pollution in Connecticut Lesson Plan Launch!

Join us for this special webinar celebrating the launch of Lights Out Connecticut’s new educational tool, a 5-day lesson plan for Connecticut middle-school science classrooms to promote learning on light pollution and its impacts on migratory birds. In the lesson plan, students learn about how and why birds migrate through Connecticut, discover how human development can negatively impact migratory birds during migration, and help come up with solutions. Written by Catherine Ferreri, a Connecticut middle-school educator, the learning module equips science students with age-appropriate information and critical thinking skills to answer questions like—why do birds migrate, what species of birds migrate near me, what kinds of foods do they eat during migration, and why are migratory birds an important part of ecosystems? The launch is specially timed for the start of fall bird migration in Connecticut on August 15. Our hope is that this educational resource, which meets Next Generation Science Standards, will foster greater appreciation and care for migratory birds and the night sky by young people and local communities in Connecticut. This project was funded by the Hartford Audubon Society and individual donations to Lights Out Connecticut.
Format: Interview with Catherine Ferreri, lesson plan author and science teacher at Coleytown Middle School in Westport, CT; and Meredith Barges, lesson plan co-developer and co-chair of Lights Out Connecticut.