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What's Happening to the Pikas?
Duration: 50 minutes
Grade Levels: K-3
In this unplugged computational thinking activity, learners will work in teams
to investigate how human actions have impacted pikas.
They will look for patterns to explore how climate change is threatening the pika’s survival.
Grade Levels: K-3
Duration: 50 minutes
Concepts/Skills: Computational thinking, pattern recognition, climate change
Objectives:
- Learn about the American pika.
- Use pattern recognition to sort cards containing information about the pika and its environment.
- Share the patterns they found and develop theories as a class on why the pika population is dwindling.
Climate Standards Connections
| Next Generation Science Standards | ||
| Grade | Performance Expectation | Description |
| K | K-ESS3-3 | Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment. |
| Climate Change Connections | human impact | |
| Clarification Statement & Assessment Boundary | Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles. | |
The Tech Academies
This activity was developed in partnership with educators from The Tech Academies Fellowship program. Tech Academy Fellows learn to be leaders of STEM education while designing and testing resources to be shared with other educators.