Building Like a Beaver

A series of lessons (4-6 days) adaptable for 5th-10th grade.

Unit created by Sarah Burstein-Sinnott for the Smith River Alliance and BFT Youth Stewardship Project

Statement of Inquiry: “Beavers are wetland engineers who physically modify the environment more than any other non-human organism in the Northern Hemisphere.” (Beaver in California: Creating a Culture of Stewardship” Occidental Arts and Ecology Center WATER Institute)

Essential Questions:

• What is the role of beaver on Klamath Mountains watersheds?
• How do beaver structures affect the ecosystem?
• How can the engineering and design process help us solve problems?

Objectives: I can…

• Explain beaver ecology (knowing/understanding)
• Use and reflect on the engineering and design process (processing/evaluating)
• Connect to current research (reflect on impacts of science)

Overview: Students will gather information on beaver ecology and apply this to a hands-on activity. Using the engineering and design cycle students will design, test, and redesign beaver-inspired structures and evaluate their process by reflecting in journals. Students will demonstrate their understanding through writing a letter as the culminating piece of the unit.