Busy Beaver Engineering: How Animals Change the Landscape
In this one-time class, students will explore a hands-on engineering challenge to understand how beavers create dams and change the landscape.
Ella Bowling
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(68)
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hoursAssessment
Students are assessed based on their evaluation of their design effectiveness. There is not a right or wrong way to create the design, but rather how well students evaluate the effectiveness is what we look at in this lesson.Class Experience
US Grade 1 - 4
Students will explore how beaver dams shape the land through interacting with the teacher in a live video lesson led by PowerPoints and video clips as well as by interacting with each other through discussion questions. They will then individually work to engineer a model of a beaver dam to see how effective they can be at slowing the flow of water. These are very easy to find materials (sticks, rocks, and clay) and students love the hands-on experience they get from this lesson. The beginning of the class starts with a fun, engagement activity called Zoom-In, where we will analyze a set of pictures of the world's largest beaver dam ever found that is actually located in Canada, students will be guided through this using discussion and questioning. This will set the stage for their learning. After this, they will develop their plan and design for engineering their own beaver dam. These will be shared with the class by showing their technical drawings on the screens. After that, they will work with the supplies and engineer their own version of a beaver dam to see how well it works to slow the flow of water. They can build live on the screen so that others can see their work. Once they have finished their design, they will test it using a protocol of the same amount and method so that everyone uses the same test procedures and will have a comparable outcome. After the initial design, students will have a chance to make any changes they want and then re-test their design. The concluding activity is a reflection of how well their designs worked and what they could do to improve them in the future.
Learning Goals
Students will compare solutions to plan and test designs for a beaver dam to slow the flow of a stream. They will analyze the effectiveness of their design and then make changes to improve their designs.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
This lesson includes HANDS-ON learning and might get messy! It's best to have some paper towels or towels nearby since we are using water.
Supply List
The teacher will provide all instruction on the computer via PowerPoint and shared slides. Student notebook (Print this in advance of the class or make your own with a blank sheet of paper) Sticks (Find these in your yard or at the park; if you can't find sticks use craft sticks from the store) Rocks (Small stones and rocks found in the park or in your yard work great; small stones in the craft section also work) Clay (I prefer to use the air-dry clay or a something like modeling clay; playdough gets too mushy!) Small paint tray or tray that can be tilted at an angle (Normally less than $2 at local stores like Wal-mart; Something similar to this; https://www.walmart.com/ip/Premier-16-1-pt-Paint-Tray-Plastic/127241080 or https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=098262821778) (Poke holes in the bottom of the paint tray where the water will run down and place this into the basin to catch the water) Basin to catch the water Access to water Measuring cup Timer
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined February, 2020
4.7
68reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am an award winning science teacher that brings years of experience getting kids passionate and excited about STEM through hands-on, minds-on lessons and activities. I am also an avid outdoors-woman that loves exploring nature and learning about the world around us! I have led students in outdoor learning in a variety of settings, everywhere from our school yard and outdoor classroom to a week long learning excursion in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! This lesson will be no different than if you were in my classroom, with a hands-on, learner-led approach, students thrive and develop a richer understanding of the science they are exploring.Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$15
per classMeets once
45 min
Completed by 156 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 6-10
3-12 learners per class
