Beavers in London
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News October 2023: Five beavers have been released in London (see weblink).
Our capital is getting a rewilding makeover, and the beavers have arrived at their new home in Paradise Fields, Ealing. Ecologists hope that a beaver population will help reduce flood risks, as well as increase biodiversity in the area but some people are firmly against the idea. In this activity, students are asked to use evidence collected from a previous beaver rewilding project to help persuade people that beavers will have a positive effect on the environment. Students can peer or self-assess their work using the rubric.
Curriculum link
- Interdependence (Blueprint year 7)
- Weigh evidence to support a claim
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Beavers in London
Guide
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Running Notes
Slide 2: Display the news story and click on the link to show the video clip. Show them a comment from someone against the rewilding of beavers and the question the students will be answering – ‘will beavers have a positive impact on the environment in London or not?’
Slide 3: Set the tasks. Clicking on the slide images will allow you to zoom in. Give pairs/small groups a copy of SS1. Some groups may also have SS2. The evidence on this sheet is more challenging to interpret. Ask students to look through the evidence and decide if it supports beaver rewilding in London, or not. Go through the evidence with the class.
Ask students to use this evidence to write an argument persuading people that rewilding beavers in London is a good idea. They should present their answers as claim, evidence, reasoning.
Weblinks
CONNECT
This activity is adapted from the Connect project, funded by the European Commission.
This is a short version of a longer activity called Rewilding, which offers more scientific knowledge and skills learning opportunities, activities to carry out at home with family members and scientist interaction.
Download other Connect activities here: https://shop.masteryscience.com/collections/connect