Lesson: Very Busy Beavers

Use a video and diagram to discuss beaver lodges and dams.

●    Have students watch the video “Animals Can Build It!” Ask: Why do animals need homes? What benefits does a home provide? (protection from predators, sheltered places for babies to grow, place to store food, etc.)

●    Have students review the “Inside a Beaver Lodge" diagram on page 5. Explain that a beaver home is called a lodge and that beavers also build dams. Compare the functions of the lodge (to be a home for the beavers) and the dam (to slow down water flow and create a pond where beavers can build their lodge).

Preview the article and analyze the purpose of different text features.

●    Have students use the “Find Those Features” skills sheet to identify 2-3 features and analyze the purpose they serve.. Model your thinking and then have students work in pairs. (Sample responses can be found in the answer key.)

●    AT HOME TIP: Have students use phones to take photos of text features to submit with their answers.

Summarize key information and investigate how beaver dams filter water.

●    Ask: How do you think beavers affect the environment where they live? Encourage students to share observations from the text features and their own prior knowledge.

●    Read the article aloud, pausing at the end of each section to record and discuss key information about beavers and how they affect their environment. (AT HOME TIP:  Have students use our text-to-speech feature or record yourself reading the article for students.)

●    After reading, revisit the question: How do beavers impact their environment, including people and other animals? Remind students to use evidence to support their responses. (Answers may include that beaver dams help create wetlands that provide habitat for fish, frogs and birds, beavers cut down trees, and beavers can cause flooding on roads.)

●    Have students model how beaver dams filter water pollution by completing the hands-on investigation “Filter Test” on page 7.  Students can record their data in the “Filter Test Data Sheet” skills sheet. If possible, provide a variety of filters, including some with larger holes. (AT HOME TIP: Have students submit photos with their results.)

Analyze a map about beaver habitat.

●    To learn more about beaver habitat from a map, have students complete the skills sheet “Beaver Country.” Introduce the skills sheet by reviewing the map’s features, like the key and compass rose.

Check for understanding with different assessment options.

●    Share the article’s learning journeys with students, found at the bottom of the article page. Allow students to choose one learning journey to complete.

●    Have students complete the “No-Sweat Bubble Test” in small groups if possible. Encourage them to refer back to the article while they work on the bubble test. When they have finished, refer back to the text as you review the answers.