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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

Teaching Resources

  • Teacher guide (PDF)
  • Teacher PowerPoint (PPTX)
  • Student handout (PDF)
  • Assessment letter (PDF)
  • Biologist interview/presentation (PDF)
  • Creating Cultural Stewardship: Beaver in California (PDF)

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. 

Beaver photos by Charnna Gilmore.

Written by:
Michael Kauffmann
Published on:
November 29, 2021
Thoughts:
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Categories: High School, Middle SchoolTags: Beaver, Water

Categories

  • Community Sciene
  • High School
  • Middle School

Tags

Beaver climate change conifers drought Geology Plants Water

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