Summary: This lesson plan focuses on how a pika is able to survive in both summer and winter habitats. Students will identify suitable habitat for pikas using prior knowledge of Colorado geography and discover that pikas are only found in alpine regions of Colorado. A pika’s sensitivity to temperature is explored by understanding how behavioral adaptations help a pika survive in both hot and cold environments.

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* This activity was created by Heather Batts with Project Dragonfly at Miami University.

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Learning Goals:

1. Develop an increased knowledge of a local species.

2. Identify where pikas live in Colorado.

3. Understand the habitat requirements of pikas in both summer and winter.

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Colorado Standards Addressed:

 

Fourth Grade

• Geography 1. Use several types of geographic tools to answer questions about the geography of Colorado

 

 

• Life Science 3. There is interaction and interdependence between and among living and non-living components of ecosystems