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Project Goal

Teaching science standards to a variety of grade levels through the lens of chicken egg incubation and growth. Students will be able to watch the process from incubation to adult.  

 

How Project Benefits Students

From life cycles through inherited traits, students will be able to experience first-hand many of the K-5 science standards that are taught as stand-alone ideas in each grade level. It is one of the only projects that involve EVERY class in our school!

Students will initially observe the eggs prior to and during incubation, while studying what is happening inside each egg as the chicks grow. The hatching is video-taped and students get to see the egg-tooth break through the surface (pictured) and watch as the chicks break out. Students discuss life cycles and make predictions about size, skin color, feather color, number of toes and other aspects of chickens. Students learn about the importance of environment on growth by tracking temperatures in the brooder and ensuring socialization among broods.

As they grow, different classes work to hand-feed and care for the chickens, as they become part of our school community/family, learning about caring for animals and being a part of a community.
Different family's "Chicken Tenders" are picked to take the chicks home every weekend and care for them.

Once chickens begin to mature, the intermediate grade levels will study pictures of the hens and roosters and will identify inherited traits. This also allows student to hypothesize what the grown chicken will look like, and to (eventually) determine the breed of chicken.
An added bonus is that the school has fresh eggs for our after-school cooking class! 

 

Expected Outcome(s)

This project will help students see the connections between the science standards they study each year, while understanding the interdependence of our shared community. Students will witness first-hand life cycles and inherited traits, and it is a project that they never forget! 

 

Detailed Cost Summary

It's important to get eggs from a variety of breeds so that we can study inherited traits (I ask that farmers send me pictures of the hens and roosters so we can identify the traits). The eggs are shipped from all over the country to ensure a good variety. The hygrometer and coop will be used ongoingly.  

 

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