Beaver Dams and Wildfire, a Stop-Motion Demonstration
Articles/Websites
Grades3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by The Kid Should See This
What it is
- This brief stop-motion video illustrates how beaver dams have the ability to change their surrounding environment, particularly in ways that can slow the spread of wildfires.
- Through this video, article, and related links, students will learn about the hydrologic functions of beaver dams and how they might play a role in building climate resilience in their ecosystem.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video is playful and engaging, providing students with a visual demonstration of how beaver dams can be beneficial to their ecosystem.
- This resource provides links to more than 10 additional sites that provide further learning.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have basic background knowledge of beavers and why they build dams.
Differentiation
- A graphic organizer (such as an "already Know-Want to know-what did I Learn" chart) may help students activate background knowledge and compare their prior knowledge about beavers to new learning.
- Since the video is short, teachers might choose to show it more than once to give students an opportunity to process their understanding of the concept.
- Have students create their own 3-D models in pairs (using pencils, rulers, erasers, or whatever is on hand) to match the video and then have them explain it to you or to another group.
- Art classes could discuss how stop-motion animation helps illustrate concepts and students could also demonstrate their own new learning through drawings or other art forms.
From the scientist review
This resource is a 45-second stop-motion animation demonstrating the ways in which beavers and beaver dams can change stream ecosystems and make them more resilient to disturbances such as wildfires. This is a cute and effective stop-motion animation. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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