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Pika Models + Climate Change
https://www.baesi.org/pika-models-climate-change-lesson-plan/

Bay Area E-Stem Institute

Students explore the life of pikas, tiny mammals that live in alpine areas, and how they are being impacted by climate change. After a brief introduction which includes a reading, a short video, and a story that includes a mathematical model, students engage in a kinesthetic simulation to gain first-hand experience of life as a pika and how the animals can be impacted by shrinking habitat. Students then create line graphs with data from the simulation and analyze them.

This learning activity takes two 50min class periods

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»


Grade Level

Regional Focus

Online Readiness

Topics

Climate Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Energy Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Energy Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • There are extensive background materials for teacher preparation and/or students to read and discuss, questions to facilitate discussion, and numerous adaptations/extensions are listed at the end of the lesson, including ways to explore additional data from online computer simulations and how classrooms can incorporate current and projected climatic data into their models.
  • Teachers must have a very good understanding of the simulation to prevent lapses in classroom management.
  • The second half of the lesson (model creation) is very open-ended and will need lots of teacher support to be successful.
  • The preferred term is now "community scientists" rather than "citizen scientists".

About the Content

  • Students explore the life of pikas, tiny mammals that live in alpine areas, and how they are being impacted by climate change.
  • The connection to climate change is clear because the lesson is based on the reduction of Pikas' habitats due to climate change and the ramifications for Pikas.
  • Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.

About the Pedagogy

  • There are two 5E model lessons, and both follow a similar outline: one is targeted to grades 3–8, and another version of the lesson targeted to grades 9-12.
  • The organization and quality of the materials are excellent.
  • The guidance for teachers is very detailed and includes step-by-step directions and worksheets for students.
  • There is a kinesthetic exploration and follow-up work where students create a model.
Entered the Collection: March 2023 Last Reviewed: August 2022

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