Mississippi Science ZOO.9.12
The Standard
- ZOO.9
- Students will understand the structure and function of phylum Chordata, class Aves, and how they demonstrate the characteristics of living things.
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to design and construct an incubator for hatching abandoned eggs. *
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Phylum Chordata, Class Aves
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students design and build a prototype incubator for bird eggs. They set temperature and humidity targets for a chosen species, check airflow, and use readings to improve the design. They test with fake eggs, not collected wild eggs.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain what the heat source, water source, and vents do. They record readings over time, spot a problem, and change the design to get closer to their targets.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think all bird eggs need the same conditions. They may seal the container to hold heat and forget that developing eggs need airflow. One good temperature reading does not show that conditions will stay steady.
How to Assess It
- Show a sketch of a sealed incubator with a heater and damp sponge. Ask: “What would you change, and what readings would show that your change helped?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Build a plastic-bin prototype with a warm water bottle, damp sponge, vent holes, and fake eggs; log temperature and humidity every five minutes.
Ask students to write how they would keep eggs warm during a power outage without blocking airflow.
Give pairs three incubator logs to match with fault cards labeled failed heater, dry sponge, and open lid.
Show a poultry hatchery's chicken egg incubation chart; have students use its temperature, humidity, and turning schedule to revise their prototype plans.
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Related Standards
- ZOO.4.8
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to design and construct a system to utilize flatworms, roundworms, or annelids to meet a human need. *
- ZOO.9.8
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to utilize a bird’s flight adaptations in the development of a flying aircraft (e.g., glider, plane). *
- ZOO.10.7
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to develop a possible solution to an environmental issue that currently exists in an ecosystem. *
- ZOO.1.6
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to develop an artificial habitat to meet the requirements of a population that has been impacted by human activity...
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