Keeping Them Curious: Owl Edition

I’m back with another installation of the “Keeping Them Curious” email series. This one is OWL about our favorite nocturnal birds! 🦉 I’ll give you owl facts, ideas, and resources to help you swoop and soar toward an awesome owl thematic unit!

My goal with this email series is to help you plan thematic units by giving you cool facts to share with your students, along with links to relevant resources from my site and across the web.

You can find the previous editions all in one spot over here so you can refer back as needed!

Now, onto the owls!

Keeping Them Curious is an email series for teachers who are passionate about actively engaging students in thematic learning. I’m posting the email content here for those who might like to have a place to revisit each theme. If you would like to receive this content by email, please let me know below!

Did You Know? Owl Facts for Your Class

I’ll start with some interesting owl facts you can use to impress your students during your owl theme!

🦉 Owls cannot move their eyes from side to side as we can because they have tube-shaped eyes rather than eyeballs. This is why they have such impressive necks that can turn almost all the way around! 

🦉 The feather tufts on the top of some owls’ heads are not ears, but owls do have pretty cool ears on the sides of their heads. Many owl species have asymmetrical ears, with one being higher than the other. This makes it easy for them to pinpoint from where a sound is coming, helping them hunt very effectively!

🦉 Those cute ear-like tufts of feathers on the tops of some owls’ heads are called plumicorns! (How’s that for a fun word?!)

🦉 Most owls are fairly solitary birds, but some, like the Long-eared Owl, roost in groups. A group of owls is called a parliament.

🦉 Nestled under their thick feathers, owls have surprisingly long legs. This collection of photos of owl legs is sure to bring a smile to your face!

Speaking of baby owls, this Owl Babies blog post has lots of teaching ideas and some cute FREE writing templates.

And as you plan your owl unit, save this new post with a collection of 30 owl videos to use with your class! This post is organized by subject to help you integrate your owl theme across the curriculum. You’ll find science videos packed with owl facts and footage, as well as videos that support math, literacy, and art!

Looking to save time? I also have some ready-to-go owl resources in my store. Find this new Owl Babies companion set of activities on TPT or in my website shop. This set includes comprehension activities to go along with Martin Waddell’s sweet picture book, Owl Babies.

This set of owl-themed literacy center puzzles is easy to prep and covers three skills. It is also available on TPT or in my website shop. The center will help you bring your owl theme into your literacy block with kid-friendly 3-part puzzles.

And this Bats & Owls Informational Unit is a great way to transition from spooky season into November! It is packed with an informational PowerPoint filled with owl facts and photos, along with lots of printable activities and teaching tools. Here it is on TPT and in my website shop.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the owl facts and resources in this edition of the “Keeping Them Curious” series! I’m looking forward to continuing this series with more exciting themes. What topics do you have coming up? As always, please feel free to comment below or send me an email—I’d love to hear from you!

Find more “Keeping Them Curious” posts here!