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ParkWise
> Teachers >
Treasures
> Footprints
into the Past and the Future
Activity
3:
Beringian Math
Students
calculate rates of migration for different species across the Bering
Land Bridge.
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Unit:
Footprints into
the Past and the Future
Guiding Question: What
is Beringia, or the Bering Land Bridge?
Critical Content: Students
will know about the Bering Land Bridge and migrations across
it.
Grades: 4
Duration: 1/2 class
period
Group size: students
work individually
Setting: classroom
Materials: paper,
pencils, map of Beringia (color
or B&W),
map of Seward
Peninsula.
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Objectives:
- Students will use the formula T=D/S to calculate the time it
may have taken for early travelers to move from Asia to North
America. T = time, D = distance, and S = speed.
- Students will understand what, where and when Beringia or the
land bridge was, and its significance to Bering Land Bridge National
Preserve.
Before You Begin: Review
The
Lost Continent of Beringia
We can get a clearer
picture of the how long it took the prehistoric animals and hunters
to travel across the land bridge when their distance traveled and
moving speed are taken into consideration. Remember, scientists
don't think the animals and hunters intended on crossing to another
continent. They believe that hunters followed the animals and preyed
on them.
The formula to calculate
the time it takes to travel a certain distance is T=D/S.
That is the time (T) it takes to travel a certain
distance (D) equals the distance traveled divided
by the speed (S) of travel. For this exercise we have
taken average speeds of migrating animals as well as a constant
distance. Use the migration times below to get a better idea of
the time it might take an animal or a human to travel the distance
between the continents.
The distance traveled
in all of our equations is 350 miles (this can be modified at the
discretion of the instructor).
The estimated
average animal migration speeds are as follows:
| Muskox |
2
miles per day |
| Caribou |
15
miles per day |
| Woolly
Mammoth |
7
miles per day |
| Saber-toothed
tiger |
12
miles per day |
| Arctic
tern |
200
miles per day |
| Bear |
20
miles per day |
| People |
8
miles per day |
Procedures:
- Reinforce to the students that it took many years to populate
North America.
- Show them the color map of Beringia. Restate the purpose of
the Preserve and distribute blackline maps to the class.
- Have your students label Beringia, Alaska and Siberia.
- Introduce the formula: T=D/S. Provide an example to do
with the class explaining how the formula works. Use numbers that
divide evenly to ease the concept of the equation. Use a student
walking time from their home to school to put it into another
perspective if necessary.
- Use the estimated migration times the provided to reinforce
the formula.
- When comfortable with the students' performance, provide the
remaining equations for independent practice.
Discussion
Questions:
- How do you think you could walk each day?
- How long do you think it would take plants to cross Beringia?
- Do you think small animals like mice and voles or insects crossed
Beringia?
- What kinds of plants and animals do you think might have been
able to cross between the continents even if there had been no
land bridge?
Extensions:
For students with more advanced mathematical skills, use the following:
- Give the students
the time and distance - and have them figure out the speed.
- Give the time and
speed and have them figure the distance.
- Research migrations
of other animals and find out how long - it takes or how many
miles the animal travels in a day. Some animals that migrate are
whales, seals, and migratory birds.
- The students may pick
one animal and a starting place for the animal in Siberia and
show how far that animal migrated into Alaska by using the blackline
maps.
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