Invasive Species Learning Lab Lessons
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Provided by: The Climate Initiative|Published on: May 24, 2024
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this 6-lesson unit, students will explore invasive species and their impacts on the local environment.
- Students will learn to differentiate between invasive and non-native species, read about the impact of invasive species on people, the economy, and nature, explore examples of invasive species in case studies, write their own case study about local invasive species, analyze data to understand the increase of invasive species, participate in fieldwork to explore invasive species in their town, interview community members, and design a community action project to raise awareness in their communities.
- This is a companion resource for the student lab.
Subjects: Biology
Authors: The Climate Initiative
Region: Maine
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The provided graphic organizers break otherwise daunting writing projects into manageable parts.
- Students will love getting to do fieldwork to connect their learning to real-world examples.
Prerequisites
- Some of the content is still in the Student Lab but not advised in the student guide for exploring the lab. If you are not using the student guide, make sure your students avoid this content.
- Students should know how to cite evidence from a text.
- The links for the Example Citations for Lesson 2 and the first two example case studies are broken.
- Teachers will need an ArcGIS account.
Differentiation and Implementation
- Teachers can use the case study research as a way to talk about source credibility and how to select credible sources.
- Using the video in Lesson 3 as a guide, students can measure the biodiversity in areas near them and track the expansion of invasive species.
- Some students may not be able to produce a case study independently and would benefit from working with a partner or small group.
- Students can expand their fieldwork by participating in one of the Maine Classroom Citizen Science Projects.
This resource provides insights for teachers to teach students about invasive species. Students will learn about these species through a variety of activities. They will also be introduced to GIS, a common tool used by professionals in many areas of academia and industry. The resources provided are accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
TCI (The Climate Initiative)
The Climate Initiative is a nonpartisan, science-based climate change organization based in Kennebunkport, Maine whose mission is to empower youth voices for climate action. Through national education and empowerment initiatives, youth are learning about climate solutions and becoming agents of change in their communities and beyond. Learn more about TCI by connecting with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
