“A Teacher’s Guide to Nēnē” is a PDF resource from DLNR’s Division of Forestry & Wildlife crafted for Grades 4–5. It explores the state bird, the Nēnē (Branta sandvicensis), its behaviors, evolutionary history, and conservation story. The guide integrates Hawaiian ecological contexts and includes coloring pages, scientific inquiry prompts, and lessons that align with Hawaiʻi state science standards.
Students and educators can:
Conduct behavior observations and data collection based on prompts in Section III.
Compare Nēnē with the Canada Goose for structure–function relationships (Section II).
Explore Hawaiian extinct megafauna via timelines and data analysis (Section IV).
Model population change using the “Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket” exercise (Section V).
Engage in a Nēnē Food Plant Coloring Book activity to integrate vocabulary, science, and art (Section VI).
Scientific inquiry: framing questions, collecting, organizing, and analyzing data.
Patterns in nature: evolutionary relationships, extinction, and adaptation in Hawaiian ecosystems .
Ecosystem interdependence: food webs, habitat needs, and effects of predators .
Population biology: survival, reproduction, and dynamics in small or threatened populations.
STEAM integration: combining science, art, measurement, and model-making.
Cultural and habitat awareness: emphasizing the Nēnē as Hawaiʻi’s endemic bird and symbolic state species.
