This presentation is designed to assist the educator in preparing students for a visit to the Ralph W. Schreiber Hall of Birds which is located in the Natural History Museum.

In addition to general concepts in avian biology this presentation includes pre- and post-visit activities for use in the classroom. Please view the exhibition floor plan for an orientation. Different sections of the gallery are identified and cross referenced with materials in this presentation.

If a visit to the museum is not possible, the materials in this presentation can be readily adapted for use in any K-12 classroom or home environment.

Ornithology has figured prominently in the history of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Four of the Museum's directors, including the first, were ornithologists. The Museum's collections of recent bird specimens and avian fossils are internationally significant, and the Ralph W. Schreiber Hall of Birds is a world class exhibition hall.

The Hall of Birds incorporates a variety of interactive techniques for real "hands-on" learning for students. There are three walk-through habitat groups with animated animals, twenty-seven interactive exhibit stations on bird biology, a reference room with mounted specimens, and thirty-two drawers of artifacts for student use. The hall offers students of all grade levels a thorough, multi-faceted approach to the study of ornithology.