Eggs + Babies = lots of work for Mom and Dad Robin. Discover astonishing things as you explore the start of the robin's life cycle in this slideshow/eBook.

• Would you rather be a mom robin or a dad robin and why?
• What would it be like to be a baby robin?
• How would describe newborn robins?
• What do newborn robins need?

3. Preview vocabulary using Word Cards. Have students work with a partner to read aloud each word. Have them predict how the words may be related to the essential question: What is life like for baby robins and their parents?

As a class, read through the pages of the slideshow together. Stop occasionally to spotlight key words and ideas or ask questions. Encourage students to share their own questions sparked by the information and images.

Optional printed eBook of slideshow can be copied and assembled for partner or at-home reading.

1. Reread the selection together. Have students identify sentences that give facts specific to the essential questions. Page-by-page, challenge them to summarize main ideas and key details.

2. Write fact captions. Print out images from the Photo Gallery. Have students cut out the photos and adhere them to an index card. Have them write captions that describe facts they learned from the slideshow or booklet.

3. Read with fluency and expression. Pair students. Provide a copy of the text-only page. Invite them to read aloud the text together in a variety of ways. This text page can also be used as an oral reading assessment.

4. Ask Reflective Questions. Encourage readers to think beyond the text with questions like these:

• Why does mother robin delay sitting on the eggs until all are laid? (She wants them to develop and hatch at the same time. It is the most efficient way.)
• Why do you think baby robins grow so fast? They are the size of their parents in just two weeks! (The summers are short breeding seasons, and the parents have 2 to 4 nests of babies to raise. Babies need to move out to make way for more.)
  
  

1. Observe and Wonder! Go outside for an Observe-and-Wonder Walk with notebooks and pencils. Imagine that you are an adult robin beginning to gather materials for nest-building. Write a list of materials you find around the schoolyard.

2. Track Robin Migration With Journey North
As robins spread throughout their breeding range, predict when and where they will travel. When will they reach your hometown?

• Track the Robins' Spring Migration