Work in a group to design, build & code your own fishway the Climate Action Kit! Think about what features your model should have to help fish travel a dam and prevent invasive species. How could your model help an Ecologist study ecosystem health?

Digital graphic illustration of a scientist working with a number of vials and a miroscope. There are diagrams of a frog and DNA. On the side there is a large lab fridge with a glass door showing various generic jars, plants, vials and beakers.
What does an Ecologist do? Check out their Career Profile!

As you go through the steps below, you may wish to use our Design Journal Template to keep track of your work.

Journal Template

Follow these steps:

An icon of a magnifying glass, a paper with notes, and a brain.

Step 1

Research some examples of fishways

Icons of a light bulb, a thought bubble, and a pencil.

Step 2

Plan what features your fishway will have and decide what building blocks, sensors and smart components you will need for building

icons of 3 building blocks (cube, corner connector, and short frame)

Step 3

Build your prototype, then connect it to Microsoft MakeCode to add code

Icons of code blocks.

Step 4

Test and debug until the device works

SUCCESS CRITERIA

I can build a fishway with the Climate Action Kit that can:

  • allow fish to reach the top of a dam
  • prevent invasive fish from entering the dam
  • keep electronic components dry
  • stand sturdily in a container of water
  • uses craft materials for water to move down the fishway

and uses at least:

  • the dial for data logging and motor control
  • the water pump to simulate moving water
  • the positional servo motor to track fish populations
  • one variable to store data

Don’t feel limited by this. You can get creative and add more features if you would like!

Let’s Build!