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Welcome to the Learning Lab!
Leia Lowery
TCI Executive Director
leia@theclimateinitiative.org
Let’s all make a difference for a more sustainable future, together.
Learning Lab Contributors
Hiromi Mizu
AmeriCorps
Member
Jacqueline Holmes
Kennebunk High School�Alternative Education Teacher
Hello Fellow Educators!
We are so happy you are here. We hope that this is the beginning of your journey to educate, empower, and activate your students to become engaged civic leaders in their communities. Our goal is to educate youth about a specific climate change topic, let them see how it affects their local community, and empower them to become agents of change.
A few short years ago, a beautiful partnership between educators, a university, an education non-profit, and a land trust formed and discovered an effective way to approach environmental education. Decades of research show us that sharing climate science is NOT enough! So we developed an approach that allowed high school students to delve into complex environmental issues on a local level while still inviting all points of view to the table. Students conducted experiments, contributed to scientific data, studied local issues, interviewed community leaders, and made connections between the global crisis of climate change and their own backyard.
Guess what happened? These students were engaged. So engaged that they went on to start powerful conversations within the community. These empowered voices created a movement that led to real change community-wide, starting our town down the path to develop a climate resiliency plan.
We know that integrating climate topics isn’t always the easiest, and we know that as teachers, your plates are full, so that’s why the TCI Learning Lab was created. Let our classroom curriculum and resources help inform yours. We're here to support you as you learn the TCI method, review our lesson plans, and start to integrate these activities and modules into your school year.
Reach out to us if you need guidance; we are happy to help. We also know that we don't know it all! If you have a fantastic idea you would like to share, we welcome your ideas! We are all here for the same reason- to educate, empower, and activate our students.
Imagine what could happen if together, we generated powerful youth voices to lead the charge and create real change in all our towns, cities, and countrysides.
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The TCI Method
The TCI method educates high school students about climate change by connecting them to their local landscapes and empowering action. The goal of the TCI method is to build hope in and inspire this generation to create a grassroots movement in their community, creating a culture of change.
TCI MISSION: To empower youth voices for climate action
TCI learning modules are listed in sections (shown below) to build knowledge, skills, voice, and confidence to take action. These sections allow for flexibility to meet the needs of your students and the time you have available. You can allot one class a week for the lab, or choose to go more in-depth and extend the lessons to fill the whole week. It is meant to be versatile and adaptable. While we encourage you to use the resources provided in a way that is meaningful for you, we also believe strongly in the community connections and hands-on components of Weeks 4-6. They are vitally important to empowering youth voices for climate action.
Throughout the module, you will see these two icons. Teacher Plans will bring you to a lesson plan to coincide with the week. The student lab will link to the Student Learning Lab, where there are interactive activities that you can create guided learning experiences to accompany a lesson in this guide.
Educate - (Lessons 1-3)
�Increasing an understanding of climate change and how to interpret scientific data will build confidence in students. Students are challenged during weeks 1-3 to look at complex environmental issues through three lenses- the economic, sociocultural, and ecological- to understand all points of view. Using case studies helps students better understand that every solution has unintended consequences that must be considered to create sustainable solutions.
Empower - (Lessons 4-5)
�Connecting climate change to their local landscape is a powerful way to build agency in students. By studying the effects of climate change on the places they care about, and connecting with members of their community, students recognize that they can make a difference in their world.
Activate - (Lesson 6)
�Hands-on action projects in students’ communities will elevate their voices and start necessary conversations with community members. Given the tools to communicate effectively, a strong base knowledge, and the inspiration to make a difference on a local level, students can be powerful agents of change.
The TCI Learning Lab links to the Next Generation Science standards and Crosscutting concepts and The UN Sustainability Goals listed at the beginning of the science you need to know section for each module.
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TCI INVASIVE SPECIES MODULE
OVERVIEW
Lesson 1
HEADS UP! Look around the Bitmoji Classroom to evaluate which resources you may want to use in class or assign during the first week. Feel free to use the slide decks to introduce some of the material and student activities as well.
Lesson 2
HEADS UP! When presenting sample case studies in your class, make sure that the reading levels are appropriate for all students in your class. Take a look at the teacher instructions to evaluate what additional supports your students may need to complete the formative assessment.
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
HEADS UP! Week 5 will take some forethought and planning. Think about which community stakeholders you want your students to talk to- reach out ahead of time for their availability. You can use Zoom or Google Meets for busy people who may not have time to come in.
Lesson 6
HEADS UP! The Action Project may take longer than a week to roll out and for the students to complete. Be patient with it! The work the students will engage in will be so valuable to them and to the community.
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Table of Contents
Educator Resource - Indigenous Perspectives | 8
Educator Resource- Int. Eds. | 9
The Science | 10-11
Lesson 1 | 12
Lesson 2 | 13
Lesson 3 | 14
Lesson 4 | 15
Lesson 5 | 16
Lesson 6 | 17
Information Gathering and Invasive Species Matrix | 21-23
Additional Info | 45-47
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Educator Resource
Indigenous Perspectives
Overview
Climate Change is a global Issue. At TCI, we recognize the critical role that first nation, native and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge systems must play in developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice. Their perspectives are too often left out of conversations and education around climate and environmental issues. This page shares resources to support integration of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into your teaching and learning. You’ll also find content specific resources tailored to the Invasive Species Learning Lab.
The case to Recognise Indigenous knowledge as Science | Albert Wiggan
Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science: Dr. Gregory Cajete Talk
Integrating Western Science into Indigenous Knowledge Processes
Braids of Truth Part II: Climate Change
Documenting Traditional Knowledge: A Toolkit
What Indigenous Communities Are Teaching The Rest of Us About Climate Change
Regional Supplemental Resources For Learning Labs
Considerations When Learning About and Teaching Wabanaki Studies
Indigenous Led Organizations
Indigenous Environmental Network
KUA | A movement for land, people, culture & justice
Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research
Geographic Indigenous Features
Content Specific Resources
Indigenous Climate Hub: Indigenous Perspectives on Understanding Invasive Species
Sustainability Science: Anishnaabe Aki: an Indigenous perspective on the global threat of invasive species
Cultural Integration of Invasive Species
Indigenous Leadership in Invasive Species Management
Friends of the Mississippi River: "Is it good or bad?" Rethinking language around invasive species
Global Invasive Species Database
Videos
What an Indigenous worldview offers complicated issues in Invasive Species Management
Culturally Responsive Classrooms
Culturally responsive teaching centers the unique and diverse experiences and identities of learners, supporting educators in building learning partnerships. It has been shown to increase student engagement and ownership of learning. [1] Culturally responsive teachers and leaders practice reflective teaching in order to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their own impact on others. [2] Cultural responsiveness applies reflective teaching to an educator’s ability to recognize students’ cultural displays of learning and meaning making. This makes it easier to recognize the inherent differences between students, and to respond positively and constructively using cultural knowledge to connect what the students already know to new concepts and content. Use CRT to support academic and social-emotional growth for all students and build relationships with learners.
Helps us continue to improve our resources: take this short survey!
Teacher Resources
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Educator Resource
International Educators
Overview
Climate Change is a global Issue. If you are an educator using this resources outside of the United States, this page is for you! TCI Learning Labs can be used to educate, empower, and activate youth from anywhere in the world. TCI is designed to be easily integrated into a wide variety of learning settings & curricular frameworks. To help with this, we’ve created a database of case studies and content specific resources by global region, and compiled a collection of resources to help you integrate this Learning Lab into any classroom or learning space.
Connect
Become a Global Classroom Partner: Connect with educators and university students around the world
Global Math Project: A week-long global event for students and teachers, Global Math Week invites students to find joy in mathematics.
Climate Cardinals Chapter Program: empowering youth leaders & build climate-ready, resilient communities through localized climate education, includes non-English-speaking regions.
Join The Clean Network professionally diverse community committed to improving climate and energy literacy locally, regionally, nationally, and globally, to enable responsible decisions and actions.
Join the TCI Educator community: explore stories of change in your region or add your own!
Standard Alignment
TCI Learning Labs are aligned with the Common Core State Standards [CCSS] and Next Generation Science Standards [NGSS]. Review this guide on adapting curriculum to global standards to support curricular alignment with a variety of standards. Learn more about how the NGSS & CCSS align.
Helps us continue to improve our resources: take this short survey!
Global Climate Action Resources:
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What are invasive species: An invasive species is any living organism, including bacteria and fungi, that is not originally from the area it is discovered in. However, this is also true for non-native species, the difference being that invasive species cause harm to local habitats and the ecosystem, while non-native species do not.
There are plenty of examples of non-native species that you see every day, likely on your dinner plate! Examples of these dinner invasives are things like tomatoes, bananas, or a flower in your front yard or at the park, like petunias, lilies, and tulips. These do not cause problems, but invasive species do.
Invasive Species
The Science
NGSS: HS-ESS2-2, HS-ESS2-4, HS-LS2-7, HS-LS2-6, HS-PS1-6, HS-LS2-2 , All SEP;s and CCC’s
Tunicate (multiple)
Purple Loosestrife
Japanese Knotweed
Watch this Ted ED video on Invasive Species
**(Can be used as a student resource)
More About Invasives:
Invasive species harm local habitats and ecosystems. Often lacking predators of any kind, they become opportunistic and can spread quickly. Because the invasive is new on the block, the native wildlife has not evolved a defense against the invader, making it vulnerable to being crowded out, eaten, or subject to diseases that the invasive may carry with it. Invasive species do not have any natural checks in their new ecosystem to keep their populations low, causing their numbers to grow exponentially at the expense of native species.
Invasive species cause harm to other organisms and the ecology of an area, but often cause problems in the economy of a town or state, and can be dangerous or bothersome to human health. You may know some of these invaders, like Green Crabs in the northeast, Japanese Knotweed, Phragmites, Emerald Ash Borer, or the dreaded Murder Wasp! There are many more examples of invasive species in the U.S.
TCI supports the UN Sustainability Goals
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All 21st Century Skills & NGSS/Cross Cutting Concepts Covered:
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Invasive Species
The Science
Consequences of Invasive Species
There are many impacts of invasive species. Since they upset the balance of the natural habitat and can spread quickly and aggressively, they put many of the native species at risk. This change in the natural balance can disrupt agricultural practices, life cycles, food webs, and livelihoods that depend on specific species. For example, the green crab has virtually decimated the mussel and oyster population in the Gulf of Maine. The more we travel and the more we globalize our economies, the more invasive species can hitchhike to another place. One 2017 study in the journal Nature Communications found that over 1/3 of all introductions in the past 200 years have occurred since 1970; that rate is not showing any signs of slowing down. Changing weather patterns due to climate change is wreaking havoc on the natural balance of ecosystems and leaving our native species hanging in the balance.
Quick Facts�
THE SCIENCE
Invasive species usually arrive with the help of humans, often unintentionally. With global travel more effortless and accessible than ever, species can stow away in shipping containers, crates, and wooden pallets. Ballast water and boat propellers are a common mode of transportation for aquatic invaders. Some invasive species are created or even intentionally released. For example, a burgeoning problem in Florida is people deciding their Burmese Pythons have gotten too large to take care of, leading them to release the snakes into the Everglades. These reptiles have had a devastating effect on the ecology and native species there.
With higher than average temperatures becoming more common, it allows some species to expand their range. More variation in weather patterns due to climate change enables some invasive plants and animals to move into new areas and thrive where they may not have been able to before. New seasonal variations allow invasive and destructive pests to take advantage of landscapes rendered vulnerable by these changes.
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Invasive Species
Lesson 1 Educate
Invasive Species from the Three Lenses
Impacts of Invasives:
Student Resources, �Activities & Assignments
Get to know Invasive Species in our bitmoji classroom
Use the link above to access the live Bitmoji. The link below will give your students directions to complete this interactive activity.
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Key Learnings
Invasive Species
Lesson 2 Educate
Alternative Energy
Week 1 Educate
Case Studies
The purpose of a case study is to walk the reader through a presented problem, provide background information, a description of the solution, and how it was derived. It is an in-depth analysis of a real-life situation or incident meant to provide content and theory to a real-life situation. Environmental case studies involve issues or conflicts that require resolution and provide an in-depth, holistic explanation of a problem, decision, or opportunity. It allows the researcher to tell the whole story while focusing on evidenced-based communication.
Teaching Tools
Elements:
Case studies contain the following sections:
Analysis: The presentation of a case study establishes a framework for analysis.
Here is a systematic approach for analysis:
Initial Steps - Before writing anything:
Create the content of the case study from
these steps.
Teacher Slide Presentation (optional)
The case for case studies: Example Citations
Examples of case studies One and Two
Example Case Studies on Sustainability
Student Example Case Study One, Two, Three, Four, and Five
International Perspectives & Resources
Teaching Links
Case studies are exploratory and explanatory, giving the learner the ability to reveal the many facets of a unique problem. They are descriptive in nature, allowing researchers to formulate hypotheses about cause and effect relationships. They are also more inductive, helping learners to reason via examples, analogies, models, and basic principles.
Case studies allow learners to make connections across content areas, while firmly employing critical thinking and knowledge acquisition skills. Viewing issues from multiple perspectives and viewpoints allows the learner to balance and thoughtfully consider information. Case studies promote active learning, which improves learner outcomes.
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Teaching students how to read and interpret data feeds independent thinking and analysis. It gives them the tools to form their own opinions and to understand news and data sources from around the world and across disciplines. Many students are afraid of numbers because they don't realize that it is just another way of telling a story. Teach them to read these stories, and you have taught them to be critical, independent thinkers.
Here are some resources from NGSS about teaching with data
3 Ways To Incorporate Data In Your NGSS Classroom
Invasive Species
Lesson 3 Educate
Alternative Energy
Week 1 Educate
Prep for Next Week
Teacher Slide Presentation (optional)
Learn more about data nuggets and explore lesson plans with more data sets to challenge your students with Data Nuggets
Teacher Resources
Let’s Look at the Data
What is on the X and Y axes?: What are they measuring and what is the relationship between the two? Is there a clear trend or pattern? Measuring the number of invasive species through the years.
What unit is the data set using?: This graph is measuring the number of species across years.
What other information can you get from this graph?: Rate of change? If the slope is high, students can see it is changing rapidly vs slowly. How would a high rate of change be indicated?
It looks as though there has been a sharp increase in the number of invasive species in the San Francisco Estuary. It shows the majority of growth being from 1950-1990.
What is the story the data is trying to tell?: Over a 140 year period, the number of invasive species has increased dramatically. Invasive species did not start to appear in earnest until 1870.
Next week, students will be going out into their local landscape to identify invasive species that are in their community. Have them start researching the invasives that are in your area, looking at pictures, and determining what damage they can cause. Students will need a computer or a phone that can take pictures next week. If a student needs this, find out now and see how to adapt for them (or find one to borrow).
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Teaching Links
Teacher Slide Presentation (coming soon)
**This is a great activity for remote teaching
Invasive Species
Lesson 4 Empower
Bring it Home
Prep for Next Week
This part of the lesson is where your students will start to understand how invasive species might be affecting areas around them. In order to bring the urgency home and give them a sense of agency, the Bring it Home section is an opportunity for students to see their local landscape through a new lens.
Next week- Communications Week: If you haven't already, you should start determining and contacting your stakeholders to see if they can come in to talk to students. Next week you will be guiding students to identify stakeholders and to reach out to talk to members of the community, but it is a good idea if you already have some in mind for those students who may need help identifying stakeholders. Give them a heads up that you may want to contact them. While we encourage the students to hear many different viewpoints, we also want them to feel confident to ask questions. Choose your stakeholders thoughtfully, but try to engage people with different perspectives.
TIP: When teaching remotely, Google Hangouts and Zoom work well. This format can also be beneficial for busy stakeholders who may not have time to come to the classroom, but would be open to talking to the class digitally.
This week we will be sending students out into the field to discover what invasive species they can find in their backyard- a river bank, tide pool, local park, a plant nursery, or even a hardware store that sells plants.
Educators can get an ArcGIS account through ArcGIS Learn.
Students will use their phones or computers to locate invasive species, take pictures, and then register them on a survey123 app within ArcGIS. You can create one of your own (all students need is the link and they can use the survey).
Once they are back in the classroom, you can look at the data that the students uploaded and the map it creates to see what kind of invasives they found and where they were in the community.
Click below for a lesson using ArcGIS Learn that students can experience
Field Experience
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Invasive Species
Lesson 5 Empower
Alternative Energy
Week 1 Educate
Communicating About Invasive Species
A key to understanding change over time within a community is to seek out local ecological knowledge. These conversations can open the door to grasp information in a new way, both for the student by connecting them to their local landscape, and the community member, by bringing the effects of climate change to their attention in a new way. Often when we seek to communicate about climate change, we are trying to impart our scientific knowledge to someone else, turning people off by making it seem as though we believe we know more than them. We can find common ground and start hard conversations by validating their truth and listening to their story. The most valuable part of any communication is listening. These conversations help students validate the data and information they are learning by bringing the topic home to their backyard. This unit is paramount because by bringing climate change issues to their location, students will gain agency and confidence to feel like they can make a difference. Studying topics happening worldwide can give the feeling that climate change is intangible and hopeless. By bringing it home, students can see that even small steps in their hometown can start moving the needle toward climate resilience and mitigation.
Teaching Tools
Students will design an interview protocol for gathering local ecological knowledge from members of their community, conduct the interviews, and determine how to best share their findings.
Possible Stakeholders::
Online Research:
Identify invasive species in your community. Do they cause damage? Do some digging online by searching keywords such as:
Teaching Links�
Teacher Slide Presentation (optional)
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Teaching Links
Teacher Slide Presentation (optional)
Community art projects that show the damage of invasives visually
Engage your community in collecting data:
Tell the story of Invasive Species through climate fiction, film, poetry, or personal narrative:
Design An Action Project
What can you do?
A community forum
A Podcast
A Sculpture
A Poem
Visual Aid/ Art Project
Community Action
Social Media Campaign
Invasive Species
Lesson 6 Activate
Alternative Energy
Key Learnings
Community-based learning is a way to get students engaged in their local community and to empower them to become agents of change. By giving students knowledge of a subject, experiences in their own landscape, and then empowering them to engage with the local community in conversations, they see that they can be civically active and community change-makers. Building lifelong pro-environmental behaviors in students will start necessary conversations and actions in your community. Reflect on the action projects- can any of these be carried out yearly to continue your community's active engagement?
Bring it Out!
What Is An Action Project?
“Bring it Out” aims to engage students in a community action project. This project brings students’ enthusiasm and knowledge out into the community. Community action projects are valuable tools to make students feel energized, assured that they can make a difference, and confident that their voices are an integral part of this movement.
The first step to building community resilience is creating awareness of the problem. Your class goal is to design a communications campaign to build community understanding of the impacts of invasive species. To inform the design of your communications campaign, reflect on your community interviews, your class discussions, and your reflections. Use data and maps to inform your projects. Upon completion, log your action project on our live climate action map! Have fun, and start honest conversations throughout your community!
An action project should involve disseminating the information that students have learned. It should bring the information to the local level, tell a story, and inspire conversations. These action projects should be created and inspired by the students to give them ownership and empower them to find solutions. The most critical piece: IT IS STUDENT LED and COMMUNITY-BASED!
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TEACHER
RESOURCES
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Teacher’s Guide
Bitmoji Classroom
Overview: Use the Bitmoji Classroom for student self-exploration of the topic. You can assign the entire Bitmoji Classroom to your students, requiring them to look at each link and answer the questions on the Student Bitmoji worksheet included in the module. Or, you can make the assignment a choice board. In a choice board, the students partner up, choose and answer the questions for a set of links, and report their findings back to the class.
Objectives:
Materials:
As a class assignment:
As a choice board:
In the following pages, you will find the teachers synopsis of each link in the Bitmoji Classroom to better help you guide students.
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Invasive Species Bitmoji Classroom
Annotations for Teachers
Invasive.Org: This link takes you to Invasive.org from the University of Georgia, where they specialize in invasive and exotic species of North America. The website contains news and site updates, publications, and resources, as well as links to Pest Tracker, USDA Forest Service, a global invasive species database, and much more!
Why You Should Never Release Your Pet Goldfish Into The Wild Or Flush Them Down The Toilet: This 3:31 long youtube video explains the dangers of flushing sick and dying goldfish down the toilet, as well as releasing them into the wild. Sweet as they are, pet goldfish are highly invasive and pose a real danger to U.S. lakes and rivers.
Nutria Hunted to Save Wetlands (3:54):
This youtube video was produced by Discovery News On Maryland's Eastern Shore. Wildlife biologists look for new ways to control nutria, 20-pound rodents from South America that are destroying crucial wetland habitat in the Chesapeake Bay. Jorge Ribas reports from the marsh.
L-Unit - "The Invaders" (Invasive Species Science Rap) (2:59): This youtube video is from Mr.LundScience. “Invasive Species are not messing around. We passed them the mic and let them give us some Hip Hop from their perspective. From zebra mussels to spotted knapweed, sea lampreys to Asian carp, they are doing everything they can to make sure they are here to stay and prove that you can't.”
Ballad of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS Music Video):
This is a song about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species in Wisconsin by the Minnesota Sea Grant. It provides an example of a PSA that students could create about invasive species in their area.
Invasive Species (1:59): The story of Frank and Oliver from
the Entomological Society of America. This video was the winner of the INSTRUCTION category of the 2012 ESA YouTube Your Entomology Contest. The video, by Ellen Schofield and David Andow of the University of Minnesota, uses animation to explain the harm of invasive species for outreach programs.
WANTED $10,000
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Teacher’s Guide
Information Gathering and Invasive Species Matrix
OVERVIEW: Many students don’t know much about invasive species; in fact, they likely see invasives every day and have no idea. This activity gives students background information about invasives through self-exploration (or in groups) and allows them to see the impacts and consequences of some of these invaders. There will be plenty of ah-ha moments during this activity.
Objectives:
Materials:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
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Gathering Background Information on Invasive Species
PART 1: INDIVIDUAL STUDENT WORK
This link: invasive species will take you to the National Geographic encyclopedia article.
Read the background information and answer the following questions:
Watch the video on cane toads, located on the last panel in the photo gallery of the article. Answer the following questions.
PART 2: GROUP EXPLORATION
In small groups, do a quick internet search on invasive species. Divide up the categories among your group members and answer the questions listed in the left-hand column. Fill out the Invasives Research Matrix as a group.
PART 3: REPORT OUT
As a class, share your examples and answers to the questions below:
Which examples are the scariest? Why? What was most surprising to you? What is your biggest take away? Why?
What further questions do you have about invasive species? What more do you want to learn?
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Invasive Species Matrix
| Terrestrial Animal | Terrestrial Plant | Freshwater Animal | Freshwater Plant | Marine Animal | Marine Plant |
Picture Of Invasive Species And Common Name | | | | | | |
Geographic Location | | | | | | |
Method of Introduction | | | | | | |
Ecological Impact | | | | | | |
Economic Impact | | | | | | |
Social/Cultural Impact | | | | | | |
Control Methods Being Used. Successful? | | | | | | |
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Case Study
Formative Assessment
Teacher Instructions I Student Instructions
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Rubrics:
Every teacher uses different rubrics for evaluation. We are including this article on Rubrics to get you started.
Formative Assessment
Case Study
Teacher Instructions
Overview:
Students will independently write a case study about some aspect of Invasive Species. Through this process, students will make connections across content areas and firmly employ critical thinking and knowledge acquisition skills.
Objectives:
Timeline: One week of in class time and one week of homework. Students should complete this assignment after they have received instruction on what a case study is and have explored case study models (see Slide Deck- Case Studies.).
Grading:
Students can receive grades for their proposal assignment and the completion of the graphic organizer. They can also be graded on their final Case Study. The checklist included below is one way to grade their final Case Study. If students are working towards proficiency on the above standards, they can also be graded with a rubric that addresses the standards.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.1-12.7. | Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. |
CCC 2- Cause and Effect | Students understand that empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and to make claims about specific causes and effects. They suggest cause and effect relationships to explain and predict behaviors in complex natural and designed systems. |
English and Science Standards:
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Formative Assessment
Case Study
Possible Supports & Scaffolds:�
**These instructions refer to a Google Classroom. If you do not use Google Classroom, no worries! Consider taking out the references to Google Classroom and replacing them with where your students can find the assignments, and where they should turn their work in as they go.**
Tasks
Step 1: Introduce the case study assignment to students during class. Include any supports that you feel are necessary for your group of students.
Step 2: Students complete their case study proposal. Put the questions below into an assignment on Google Classroom. This can be completed in class or as a homework assignment.
Step 3: Give students feedback on their proposals; return any proposals that need further consideration and approve those that are in a good spot. For those who are ready, encourage them to start the researching process. Remind them that their case studies should have four main parts: The Introduction, The Background, The Results, and The Evaluation. They should use the graphic organizer below. It can also be added as an additional assignment and put into Google Classroom. This can be done as homework or during class time.
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Case Study- Formative Assessment
Student Instructions
Overview: You will independently write a case study about some aspect of Invasive Species. Through this process, you will use critical thinking and knowledge acquisition skills that you have learned in English and Science!
Objectives:
Due Date: The final case study will due in class on __________.
Grading:
You will be graded based on the following checklist. Through this assignment, you will also have the opportunity to meet the English and Science Standards listed at the end of this document.
Tasks:
Step 1: HOMEWORK DUE ON:
Complete your case study proposal. Please use complete sentences. The questions below are in the PROPOSAL assignment on Google Classroom.
Step 2: IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT:
Once your topic has been approved, start researching. Remember, your case study should have four main parts: The Introduction, The Background, The Results, and The Evaluation. Use the graphic organizer below (also in the ORGANIZE assignment in Google Classroom) to organize your sources and begin the writing process.
Graphic Organizer (Next Page)- ORGANIZE in Google Classroom
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Graphic Organizer
For Students
Introduction- What is the problem?
Define the problem:
Describe the problem through the three lenses:
Ecological:
Economical:
Sociocultural:
Sources:
Background Information- Why is this a problem?
Data
Qualitative (links to interviews, quotes, images):
Quantitative (graphs, charts, statistics):
Who is involved?
People:
Organizations:
Sources:
Results- Describe the solutions or lack thereof.
Describe a solution that was implemented:
Description:
Goal:
How was it derived?:
Describe the implementation process:
Resources (cost):
Technology:
People:
Process:
Sources:
Evaluation- Did the solution work?
Describe the effects of the solution (if the solution has been implemented long enough to have caused something to happen):
Changes:
Has it accomplished the goal? If not, why not?:
Describe how the process of implementing the solution is going (if the solution hasn’t been implemented long enough to cause something to happen):
What is working? How do you know?:
What isn’t working? What could be changed?:
Sources:
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Case Study- Formative Assessment
Student Instructions
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.1-12.7. | Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. |
CCC 2- Cause and Effect | Students understand that empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and to make claims about specific causes and effects. They suggest cause and effect relationships to explain and predict behaviors in complex natural and designed systems. |
English and Science Standards:
Tasks Continued:
Step 3: TO BE COMPLETED AT HOME
DUE DATE:
You are ready to start putting the pieces together! Be sure to go through the checklist as you do your final write up to make sure you are incorporating all of the required pieces.
REMEMBER: You need to examine this topic from ecological, economic, and social (historical, cultural, political) perspectives. It is imperative that these three perspectives are included to provide a full and accurate context to your topic. Submit your final case study to Google Classroom.
NOTES:
OVERVIEW: This activity allows teachers to teach about data sets. Data is all around us, and it is important to teach students how to read and interpret data to better understand the world in which we live and to create strategies to make it better. This lesson will go over strategies for looking at data using a sample data set; feel free to use the slide show that walks students through a data example. Watch a video about collecting invasive species data, and discuss the importance of collecting data. Then, introduce the Data Activities Assignment to help them better learn how to interpret and read various types of data sets.
Objectives:
Materials:
Data:
** Find interpretations to the data sets assigned to the students on the following pages for your information and convenience
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Teacher’s Guide
Teaching about Data
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Data Interpretation For Teachers
INTRODUCTION: Invasive species are any species (plant, animal, seed, or even spores) not native to where they’ve landed. Generally, an invasive species spreads quickly and aggressively. This can have a big impact on the ecosystem it’s been introduced to.[2] The natural range of a given species is often dictated by its optimal environment. Factors including geographic location, precipitation, and temperature patterns, provide the framework for a region’s climatic conditions and influence species distribution.[3] Environmental changes caused by climate change can thus significantly affect biodiversity. In the following graphs, explore the topic of invasive species in connection to climate change.
INVASIVE SPECIES
Note to the Teacher: In Figure 2, we can see that the occurrence of the invasive, Impatiens glandulifera, has been exponentially increasing over time since the 1900s. Then, in Figure 3, we can see that the temperature (which is most often attributable to anthropogenic sources as you learned in class before) has also been exponentially increasing since about 1850-1900. Prompt your students to think about whether what is shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 can be linked.
Note to the Teacher: Environmental changes caused by climate change can significantly affect biodiversity. In Figure 1, we see how the number of invasive species has increased in the San Francisco Estuary. It is thought that this can be attributed to conditions caused by climate change. The kind of fast growth shown in this graph is called exponential growth.
OVERVIEW: Invasive species are an issue in almost every country, city, or town, but they go relatively unnoticed by most people because they don’t know what they are. Now that your students have learned all about them, let’s see what your students will find when they investigate invasive species in their community. This is a great lesson to do virtually, and will encourage students to get outside, even when they have to report back to class digitally!
Objectives:
Method:
Students will access Survey123 through a browser on their computer or smartphone.
Teachers can make their own survey:
The survey should be completed at each new site. In other words, every data point (photo) needs a separate survey submission.
Survey123 collects data in real time. As students are out in the field, data points will automatically populate. Teachers can actually keep track of data logging if this is an activity during class time. When everyone gathers back together, students will be able to see all the data points and pictures associated with them. Analyze what was found by filtering data and drawing conclusions.
This last step is very important! You’re now able to look at your community in a different way. You may have noticed something you liked or something you want to change. From this new found data, what are we going to do? It’s now time to act!
Part 1: Pre-investigation Questions:
Help students with a quick Internet search on the invasive species that are found in your region. You can find that information here for the US. Then search for the answers to the following questions:
TIP: Create a document (online or physical) that has pictures of invasive species they might find to help them out in the field.
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Teacher’s Guide
Bring it Home Project - Lesson 4
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Teachers Guide page 2
Bring it Home Project - Week 4
Part 2: Out on the town:
Send students out with a phone (or computer) to seek and find invasive species (most chromebooks have picture taking capabilities).
TIP: Be mindful of student access to equipment. If your school does not have computers assigned to students, or you have students without phones, disabled phones that are still capable of picture taking and can access wifi will work.
Part 3: Discussion: As a class, look at the map of your area and start a discussion:
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Community Interviews - Teacher’s Guide
Overview: Students will design an interview protocol for gathering local ecological knowledge from members of their community, conduct the interviews, and determine how to best share their findings.
The goal is to gather information on how the landscape has changed over time, focusing on plants, insects, increases in disease vectors (such as tick and mosquito-borne illnesses), and the effects of invasive species on the community and economy. Connecting students with adults in the community to start conversations between them is an integral step in building agency in students and empowering their voices in the community.
Objectives:
Materials:
Part 1: Learning to Communicate
The important takeaways from this: LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN! Allow people to talk, and you will hear different perspectives and find commonalities you may not have known were there. Remember not to take over someone else's story, instead, show interest and listen!
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Community Interviews - Teachers Guide
Part 2: Identifying Stakeholders
Part 3: Question Ideation
Other considerations
Climate change can be controversial. Just mentioning the words brings about different emotions for each individual. Explore the following resources to get a sense of how the nation and your community think and feel about climate change.
Fishbowl Conversation
Fishbowl conversations are a great way to elicit multiple points of view about a topic and allow students to interview stakeholders in a controlled and open way.
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Action Project Summative Assessment
Teacher Instructions I Student Instructions
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Summative Assessment
Action Project
Teacher Instructions
Overview:
Students will work independently or in groups to take the information they have learned about invasive species and biodiversity over the last six weeks and do something about it. They will create action plans to share some of their learning with the community.
Objectives:
Timeline: To be completed over the course of 3 weeks: 3 in class work days, 1-2 weeks to work at home, and 1 day of in class presentations. Students will have a deep understanding of invasive species before completing this project.
Grading:
Students can be graded on the standards listed below. Additionally, the assignments in Steps 1, 3, and 5 can be graded separately.
Rubrics are recommended so that students understand what is expected of them. A sample of a Rubric that you can use is HERE.
Rubrics:
Every teacher uses different rubrics for evaluation. We are including this article on Rubrics to get you started.
HS-LS2-7. | Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity. |
NGSS SEP (#8) | Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. |
CCSS.ELA.SL.0-10.4 | Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. |
English and Science Standards:
English and Science Standards:
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Summative Assessment
Action Project
Possible Supports/Scaffolds:�
Optional– you can use any combination of these supports, or none of them, depending on where your students are and what you want to assess!
**These instructions refer to a Google Classroom. If you do not use Google Classroom, no worries! Consider taking out the references to Google Classroom and replacing them with where your students can find the assignments, and where they should turn their work in as they go.**
Tasks
Step 1: Students reflect on the 6 week unit. They answer the following questions in writing in an assignment in Google Classroom. This could be completed as homework the day before the action project is introduced.
Step 2: Review the Student Instructions and Expectations with the students. Include any supports you feel are necessary for your group of students.
Step 3: Students choose to work independently, or with one or two people to complete this project with.
Step 4: Students brainstorm with their groupmates or independently. They can use the graphic organizer to aid in the brainstorming process if you choose. The graphic organizer can be an in class assignment or as homework.
Step 5: Provide feedback on the student brainstorming. Once they have received feedback, they can start drafting their plan during class time. Their plans should include the following information:
Materials needed - Development Timeline - Outcomes you are looking for - How the outcomes will be measured
Step 6: Once there are groups who have drafted plans, take a day for peer review and feedback. Pair up groups and have them present their drafts. Encourage them to give each other feedback using the questions below, which can also be put in the Google Classroom to count as an assignment. The peer review process should be completed during class time.
Step 7: Students then finalize and implement their plans outside of class.
Step 8: Set up a day for students to present their plans to the class. Their presentations should include the following:
The plan itself - Goals - What feedback you included and how it was incorporated - How you measured the outcomes - Outcomes - What you learned through this action plan project.
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Action Project Summative Assessment-
Student Instructions
Objectives:
Due Date: The final presentation will be in class on __________.
Grading:
You will be graded on the above standards using the rubric below. Additionally, the assignments in Steps 1, 3, and 5 that are located in Google Classroom will be graded separately.
You will not be directly graded for the draft of your plan, but please take this part seriously, as the farther along your draft is, the more fruitful the peer review process will be!
Tasks:
Step 1: HOMEWORK DUE ON:
Reflect on the unit that you have engaged with over the last 6 weeks. Answer the following questions in writing (these questions are in the REFLECTION assignment on Google Classroom).
Step 2: IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT:
Choose one or two people to complete this project with, or If you would like to work independently, that is okay too!
Step 3: IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT:
Start to brainstorm with your groupmates or independently. Use the graphic organizer (NEXT PAGE) to aid in the brainstorming process (the graphic organizer is in the BRAINSTORM assignment on Google Classroom).
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Graphic Organizer
For Students
What is your goal?
Think back to your reflection assignment. What is the most important thing you want your community to know and what do you want to do about it? Share your answers with each other and then develop a common goal for your action project. Be specific.
What is your message? What would you like to achieve? What learning outcomes would you like the community to have?
Who is your target audience?
Think about who invasive species affect.
Why does it matter to them?
How will you achieve your goal?
What will you use? A Model?
Will you engage community members in an activity?
Will you create a piece of media?
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Action Project - Summative Assessment
Student Instructions
Tasks Continued:
Step 4: IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT
Start to draft your plan! In your draft, include the following information:
Step 5: IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT
Pair up with another group in class. Present the draft of your idea and listen to the draft of their idea. Give each other feedback using the questions below (these questions are also in the FEEDBACK assignment in google classroom):
Step 6: HOMEWORK DUE ON:
Finalize and implement your plan.
Step 7: TO BE DONE IN CLASS ON:
Present your plan and the outcomes of your plan to the class. Your presentation should include the following:
HS-LS2-7. | Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity. |
NGSS SEP (#8) | Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. |
CCSS.ELA.SL.0-10.4 | Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. |
English and Science Standards:
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Rubric
Standard | 4 (Exceeds) | 3 (Meets) | 2 (Partially meets) | 1 (Does not meet) |
Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.* | Student’s action project design can be evaluated and measured to show that it is reducing the impact of human activities on the environment, and has a plan to put into action in the community. | Student’s action project design helps reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. | Student’s action project design is incomplete, or unclear in how it will reduce the impacts of human activities on the environment. | Student’s action project design does not address how to reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. |
NGSS SEP (#8): Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. | Student’s action project comprehensively and professionally communicates information that has been obtained and evaluated. | Students obtain, evaluate, and communicate information effectively through their action project. | Students obtain and evaluate information, but the information is not communicated well in their action project. | Students do not obtain, evaluate, or communicate information through their action project. |
English Standard: ELA-Literacy.SL.9- 10.4 | Student’s presentation on their plan is seamless and professional. They meet all of the criteria required for a 3 and exceed expectations for a high school level presentation. | Student presents the plan
In a way that is
| Student’s plan presentation meets 3 or 4 of the 6 criteria for a 3. | Student’s plan presentation meets less than 3 of the 6 criteria for a 3. |
Comments:
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Teacher’s Guide
Action Project
Overview: After learning and diving into how climate change is affecting your community, it is time to engage the community in real action!
Objectives:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Have a great idea or project? Let us know! We want to feature student action projects that are having an effect on their communities. Remember, one small project bringing to light a big future problem leads to solutions! Good Luck!
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Invasive Species - Making a Local Connection
Teacher Resource
Now that students have the basic background knowledge on invasive species, it's time for them to make a local connection.
What are some invasive species in your area? Some students may know of some invasive species off hand. Who can they ask? How can they find out?
Have students work independently or collaboratively to research invasive species in your area.
Are there any identifiable invasives on or around your school campus? In their yards, local woods, or waterways? Have students identify and take pictures of invasive species in these areas to share with the class. Idea: create a map of your area and post pictures on the map. Then, go to local hardware stores, nurseries, and landscape architects that sell invasive plants. See if you can explain your story and why it is important to stop selling invasives and concentrate on native plants.
Resources
Local Cooperative Extensions have lots of information on invasives in your area. Check out your state government website and the websites of state agencies that deal with the environment and management of natural resources. Your local and regional newspapers, as well as your local NPR station, should also have articles on invasives.
Data collection in the field
Here’s a citizen science project that has students collecting data to answer research questions about Japanese Knotweed and Phragmites, and how climate change is affecting each of these invasive plant species. This project was created by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in conjunction with Cornell University and field tested in Maine. It’s worth noting that this model can be adapted for specific invasive species in your area.
Project Phragmites Reproduction: http://bit.ly/projectphrag
Project Knotweed: http://bit.ly/projectknotweed
BRAINSTORMING & RESEARCH QUESTIONS To Pose To Students:
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