Pika Models + Climate Change

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.

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Notes from our reviewers

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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".
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.
There are two 5E model lessons, and both follow a similar outline: one is targeted to grades 3â8, 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.