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Take Flight! A Bird Garden STEAM Design Challenge

Submission Deadline: Friday, December 4, 2020 (5:00 pm)

Do you want to make your school grounds more beautiful? Are you ready to create a new space

that provides beauty, a place to learn and a great location to attract wildlife? Think like a scientist

and design like a landscape architect by participating in this Longwood Gardens STEAM design

challenge. Design a garden space at your school to attract birds using your talents in art and

science. The top 10 teams chosen will be required to build a model of their design (with a

moving component) and create a 5-minute video about their garden design. Monetary prizes will

be awarded to the top three teams to assist in bringing their garden design to life on their school

grounds.

To Enter:

- Step 1: Form a group of up to five students, grades 6-12

- Step 2: Participate in the Cornell Citizen Science Project: Celebrate Urban Birds

- Step 3: Submit the application form, along with your team’s garden design description,

design layout, and citizen science data form

o Be sure to read all the requirements and the official rules section before

submitting your application.

▪ Applications are due December 4, 2020 by 5:00 pm.

o Teams that are chosen to participate in the final round will be notified by e-mail

by December 11, 2020. E-mails will be sent to the team’s teacher / advisor.

- Step 4: Top 10 teams selected for final round

o Build a model of their bird garden

o Submit a video about their model by April 16, 2021 by 5:00 pm.

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Celebrate Urban Birds:

Despite their name, Celebrate Urban Birds Citizen Science project is not restricted to dense city

environments. Their sixteen target bird species are found throughout North America. So, go

ahead and put on your lab coat and explore the world of birds on your school grounds before

digging in and creating your garden design. Investigate the types of birds that currently visit your

school grounds before starting your project. This will help you identify what birds you want to

attract or what birds might already visit your school grounds.

Pick a location you think would be an attractive garden space for birds. The space should be

about 50’ x 50’. You will use this bird watching area the same time of day for each observation.

You will spend 10 minutes observing birds in this spot three days within a month and report your

observations. It is important to record not only what you observed but also birds that you did not

see. Do not change spots even if there are no birds observed in your chosen area.

If you and your team are currently unable to visit your school grounds, each team member can

complete this portion of the challenge (at your own home or in a local green space such as a

park) and individually submit your data to Cornell and Longwood Gardens.

Use the kit provided by Cornell Lab for Ornithology to help you identify and record the birds

you may see. Download the free kit at:

https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CUBs-Kit-2016-Eng-1.pdf

When you are ready, report your findings to Cornell Lab for Ornithology:

https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/cub/instructions

You will also submit a copy of your results to Longwood Gardens by completing the form found

below.

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Garden Design Description:

In 300 words or less please describe your team’s garden design on the attached form. Be sure to

include the following information:

- Location of the new garden area – explain why this spot is ideal for a bird garden

- List of plants to include in your garden

- List of other items to include in your garden (ex. bird feeder, bird bath, fence, etc)

- Approximate cost to build your garden

- Care plan – How do you and your team plan to care for this garden space long term? Who

will help? What will those volunteers do?

- Citizen Science Plan – How do you and your team plan to continue contributing to

Celebrate Urban Birds using this garden space long term? Who will participate? How

might they participate?

o Check out - https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/community/events/ - to help you

gather some ideas

While creating your garden designs, you can draw inspiration from some of these sources. You

can also check your school or public library for books about birds and garden design.

o https://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/a_bird-friendly_garden

o https://www.audubon.org/news/how-make-your-yard-bird-friendly-0

o https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/dramatic/gardens-plans-that-attract-birds-and-

butterflies/

o https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/landscaping-and-hardscaping/arrange-a-yard-that-

will-invite-birds

o https://www.seedyourfuture.org/careers - Landscape Architect

Garden Design:

Create a drawing of what your garden will look like. Your drawing should be in color, include

the features described in your essay, should be drawn to scale (with scale measurements) and

include a key (key can be used to designate specific plants or other garden features, etc).

Drawings can be done by hand or can be computer generated.

While creating your garden design, visit the following source to help you learn how to draw like

a landscape architect:

- https://www.asla.org/activitybooks/

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Model and Presentation:

If your team’s application is chosen as one of the top 10, you will need to build a model of your

bird garden. Here are the requirements for all models.

- The model should be no taller than 3 feet and no wider than 2 feet.

- Must contain one moving part, which may be battery operated or manually operated.

- We recommend using recycled and/or natural materials.

- Teams must give a five-minute presentation about their garden design with each team

member contributing to the presentation.

- Videos will need to be submitted via a public YouTube channel so all judges can view

the entries.

- Videos should be submitted to Heather Drzal – hdrzal@longwoodgardens.org

- Videos must be submitted by April 16, 2021 at 5:00 pm.

For Teachers / Organization Leaders:

This contest is part of the Longwood Gardens Community Read. Each Spring Longwood and our

community partners— gardens, museums, and conservation organizations, as well as many

public libraries—explore books about plants, gardens and nature through a series of programs

and discussions throughout the region. 2021 is the eighth year of our Community Read. In 2021

we are featuring two books that feature writing about the germination of an inspirational seed as

it sprouts and eventually flowers into a career or hobby - The Home Place: Memoirs of a

Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham (adult book) and Ruby’s Birds by

Mya Thompson (for younger readers). In Ruby’s Birds, a little girl discovers her spark – birds -

in her own city neighborhood. They enliven her world and excite her about nature. Her own

journey begins. Birds are also a lifelong passion for Drew Lanham in his book The Home Place,

as he examines his history and path, its influences, and his struggles. Readers follow his journey

as a successful, wildlife ecologist who along the way uncovers lessons about legacy and his own

need to inject deeper sense of human caring into his life and work. Keep an eye on

www.longwoodgardens.org/community-read to learn more about each featured book, find

resources to support your own activities, and check out the schedule of community events.

Prize checks will be made out to the school / organization and mailed two to three weeks after

the winners are announced. Checks cannot be made out to or mailed to individuals. Longwood

Gardens is not responsible for lost checks.

By participating in this competition, students may meet some of the criteria for the following

NGSS standards:

MS-LS2-5 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

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HS-LS4-2 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from

four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic

variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for

limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and

reproduce in the environment.

HS-ETS1-2 Engineering Design

Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more

manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

We suggest completing the following lesson plan with students to help prepare them for garden

designing: - https://www.asla.org/uploadedFiles/CMS/Chapters/CD_ReadingGarden.pdf

- https://www.asla.org/uploadedFiles/CMS/Chapters/CD_Bioswale.pdf

Teachers / Organization Leaders should scan and e-mail application form, citizen science

data, garden description and design layout by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 4, 2020 to:

Heather Drzal, Director of School and Youth Programs

hdrzal@longwoodgardens.org

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Official Rules

To Enter:

To enter the Landscape Design Challenge, students in grades 6-12 will create their own bird

garden, provide a description of the garden and create a design layout for their garden on the

official application form. Students’ written description must be 300 words or less and address all

the outlined criteria listed above. Students’ design must showcase all the outlined criteria listed

above. Design layout may be hand drawn or computer generated. The students’ teacher or

organization leader must scan and email the completed application form along with description,

design layout and Citizen Science data to Heather Drzal at hdrzal@longwoodgardens.org by

December 4, 2020 at 5:00 pm. Incomplete applications will not be judged. Entries received after

the 5:00 pm deadline on December 4, 2020 will not be considered.

Eligibility:

This design challenge is open only to students currently enrolled in grades 6-12. Student

applications may only be submitted by the teacher or organizational leader (counselor, teacher,

or other leader in an out-of-school time program). A student may only be part of one team.

Teams may be comprised of up to five students. More than one team per school / teacher /

organization is eligible to apply.

Entry:

By submitting an application, each student and the submitting individual agree that Longwood

Gardens owns the application submitted (including all rights embodied in winning applications)

and that they may use, edit, publish, adapt, modify or dispose of any applications in online, print,

film, television or in any other media for advertising, promotional or other purposes without

additional compensation or notification to or permission of the students and/or submitting

individual. Student’s last names will not be published. All participants on the top ten teams will

be required to sign a photo release.

Challenge Winner Determination:

At the end of the application period, ten teams will be chosen to build their garden design model

and give a five-minute presentation via video. Winning applications will be notified by

December 11, 2020 at 5:00 pm. The top ten applications will be chosen using the attached

scoring rubric. Applications will be judged by a panel of Longwood Gardens and Seed Your

Future staff. Video presentations and models will be judged by a panel of Longwood Gardens

and American Society of Landscape Architects members/staff and will be judged using the

attached scoring rubrics. Models must contain one moving part, which may be battery operated

or manually operated. Videos must be received by 5:00 pm on April 16, 2021.

Prizes:

All eligible applications will receive a special gift from Longwood Gardens. Please note that

prize checks will be written to the school/organization and cannot be written to individuals.

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Checks will be mailed after the challenge winners are announced. Checks cannot be reissued.

The top three teams will be chosen using the attached scoring rubric during the video

presentations. Teams can win one of three prizes – 1st place $750, 2nd place $500, 3rd place $250.

Prize money must be used toward installing their garden design at their school / organization

grounds. Longwood Gardens will be following up with these schools to check on progress of

garden installation and care. Taxes on the prizes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the

recipient. Please note that checks will be written to the school/organization and cannot be written

to individuals.

longwoodgardens.org

Landscape Design Model / Presentation Scoring Rubric

Model of Landscape Design: Workmanship and Appearance Score ____ × 5 = ____ / 25

Model or drawing matches description and design provided in application, is highly creative for grade level. Superior 5

Model or drawing matches description and design provided in application, is creative for grade level. Excellent 4

Model or drawing matches description or design provided in application, is creative for grade level. Good 3

Model or drawing matches description or design provided in application, uncreative for grade level. Fair 2

Model or drawing does not match description and design provided in application, uncreative for grade level. Poor 1

Explanation of Landscape Design: Movement Score____ × 3 = ____ / 15

Student explains movement that does or would have occurred in model. Superior 5

Student does not explain movement that does or would have occurred in model or drawing. Poor 1

Presentation Delivery for Grade-level Presenters Score____ × 4 = ____ / 20

Have direct, consistent eye contact, are speaking in a good volume, have inflection, and show enthusiasm for their presentation.

Superior 5

Have consistent eye contact, are speaking in a good volume, some inflection, and show enthusiasm for their presentation. Excellent 4

Have minimal eye contact, are speaking in a good volume, little or no inflection, and show interest in their presentation. Good 3

Have minimal eye contact, are speaking in a low volume, little or no inflection, and show little interest in their presentation. Fair 2

Have no eye contact, are speaking in a low volume, monotone, and show no interest in their presentation. Poor 1

Presentation Content Score____ × 4 = ____ / 20

Gives in-depth description of their design for grade level. Superior 5

Gives fairly in-depth description of their design for grade level. Excellent 4

Gives fairly brief description of their design for grade level. Good 3

Gives a brief description of their design for grade level. Fair 2

Does not explain their design for grade level. Poor 1

Team Members Contribution Score____ × 2 = ____ / 10

All team members contribute to the presentation. Superior 5

Not all team members contribute to the presentation. Poor 1

Presentation Time and Submission Score____ × 2 = ____ / 10

Presentation is within the 5 minute time frame and received by May 22, 5 pm. Superior 5

Presentation is more than 5 minutes in length and/or received after May 22, 5 pm. Poor 1

TOTAL ____ / 100

longwoodgardens.org

Landscape Design Application Scoring Rubric

Description of Landscape Design Score____ × 3 = ____ / 15

Explains design’s features extremely well for student’s grade level and contains no grammar and/or spelling mistakes. 5

Explains design’s features well for student’s grade level and contains no grammar and/or spelling mistakes. 4

Explains design’s features well for student’s grade level but contains 1–2 grammar and/or spelling mistakes. 3

Explains design’s features fairly well for student’s grade level but contains 2 or more grammar and/or spelling mistakes. 2

Explains design’s features poorly for student’s grade level and contains multiple grammar and/or spelling mistakes. 1

Creativity of Landscape Description Score____ × 5 = ____ / 25

Provides a superior level of creativity for student’s grade level. 5

Provides an above average level of creativity for student’s grade level. 4

Provides an average level of creativity for student’s grade level. 3

Provides a below average level of creativity for student’s grade level. 2

Provides a poor level of creativity for student’s grade level. 1

Landscape Design Description Requirements Score____ × 2 = ____ / 10

All required information is provided. 5

Half of required information is provided. 3

Less than half of required information is provided. 1

Landscape Design Drawing Requirements Score____ × 3 = ____ / 15

Design represents the plant exceptionally well and includes all components mentioned in description. Scale is included. 5

Design represents the plant very well and includes all components mentioned in description. Scale is included. 4

Design represents the plant well and includes the majority of components mentioned in description. Scale is included. 3

Design represents the plant fairly well but is lacking on some components mentioned in description. Scale is not included. 2

Design represents the plant poorly and does not include features mentioned in description. Scale is not included. 1

Creativity of Landscape Design Score ____ × 5 = ____ / 25

Design provides a superior level of creativity for student’s grade level. 5

Design provides an above average level of creativity for student’s grade level. 4

Design provides an average level of creativity for student’s grade level. 3

Design provides a below average level of creativity for student’s grade level. 2

Design provides a poor level of creativity for student’s grade level. 1

Listing of Materials Score ____ × 2 = ____ / 10

Included 5

Not Included 0

TOTAL ____ / 100

longwoodgardens.org

Landscape Design Challenge Application

Teacher / Organization Leader Name

School or Organization Name

School or Organization Address

Teacher / Organization Leader Email Address

Name of Students in Group (Max 5 students / Group) and Grade Level of Students:

Student Name Grade Level

Student Name Grade Level

Student Name Grade Level

Student Name Grade Level

Student Name Grade Level

Team Name

List of Materials that could be used to build your garden design:

longwoodgardens.org

Celebrating Urban Birds Data Submission for Longwood Gardens

Remember to also submit your data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/cub/instructions

Location of 50’ x 50’ Space: _____________________________________________

Date (MM/DD/YY)

Start time # of observers

Food provided by humans? Yes or No

Record species of birds seen and # of s pecies seen

Example 08/25/20

10:52 am 3 No Crow (2), Robin (1), Mallard (2), Mourning Dove (5)

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Garden Design Description

In 300 words or less, describe your garden design below.

longwoodgardens.org

Garden Design

Draw or insert your computer generated garden below or submit on an additional page.