A Little Bit More
How often in our world do we misinterpret the behavior of animals around us? Many people have experienced what the poster discusses and are mystified, if not frightened, by this apparently aggressive activity. It certainly “appears” as though some birds are trying to get into the house, but a bit of careful observation and thought, along with some knowledge of bird behavior, can quickly clear up this mystery.
Often this “reflection behavior” is noticed at specific times of the day that correlates with the sun’s angle and a window’s ability to reflect images. Not only do house windows provided these images but so have rear-view mirrors on cars and trucks, shiny hubcaps, and even the shiny, painted surface of a car.
Probably, a bit of this aggressive activity is productive for the misguided male bird as it helps to keep him alert and active but too much time spent chasing the elusive “intruder” away may be detrimental to a pair’s ability to raise young. Some people have resorted to taping up their windows, parking their cars on the street or even spraying shaving cream on areas to keep their local male from beating himself to death at his own reflection.
Activities
Art – New View
Objectives: Use a time-honored technique to improve drawing skills
Materials: Mirror, pencil and paper plus reference material
Since we’re discussing reflections in this unit, let’s make use of reflections to help us accomplish a specific task. At one time or another, we’ve all been asked to draw a picture for a class project or club organization. Drawing is a skill that can be developed over time although it does seem as though there are some people who are better at it than others despite the same amount of time in practice.
I want to show you a little “trick” that can help an artist “see” his/her work more objectively.
- Assign a drawing project for your students that focuses on some rather limited object – in other words, not a broad landscape but maybe a portrait, for example. You can have them draw from life or from a photograph, whatever suits.
- Have each student do their drawing to the “best of their ability” or until they’re satisfied with the results.
- Once the drawing is completed, have your student hold their drawing up to a mirror and view a mirror image of their art work.
- As they look at the “flipped” mirror image, they’ll be seeing their drawing in a much more objective manner than they have been and will probably be able to quickly see areas where their proportions are not quite right. It’s amazing how just reversing an image can make a really big difference in how one views an object and artists have often used this technique to improve their final product.
One step further
Another mirror activity that will probably take your students by surprise is for them to look at a friend in a mirror.
- Pair up your students in the class
- Depending on the number of mirrors you have, have person #1 from each pair hold a mirror in such a way that they have a good view of their own face AND person #2 can also see their image
- Ask person #2 to take a good long look at person #1’s image in the mirror and determine whether it looks “right” or not.
- Now reverse the procedure and have person #2 hold the mirror in such a way that they have a good view of their own face AND person #1 can also see their image.
- Ask person #1 to take a good long look at person #2’s image in the mirror and say whether it looks “right” or not.
- There will probably be lots of giggles and even some exclamations when the students realize that looking at a friend in the mirror makes them look “different” – they don’t look the same!
Why would your friend look different? Two possible reasons:
1. The mirror image allows us to see our friend in a more objective way than we’re used to so they seem “different” in appearance just as looking at our drawing in a mirror helps us see more clearly.
2. Furthermore, the two sides of our faces are not the same and the mirror has reversed the sides (left to right and right to left) thus making the person look “different” than we see them in real life.
Key Concepts
Behavior and Regulation
Questions
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