Overview
Key Considerations
Lessons
Learning Outcomes
Project goals:
- Students are connected to and develop understanding of the natural spaces around them
- Students engage in authentic scientific inquiry
- Students understand threats posed by invasive plants and have the skills and resources needed to address these threats
- Scientists from the Maine Natural Areas Program receive important data on the distribution and abundance of highly invasive plant species
This project is a collaboration between GMRI’s Vital Signs program and Maine Natural Areas Program. It is generously supported by a grant from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF). MOHF is a program through which proceeds from the sale of a dedicated instant lottery ticket (currently Wild Winners) are used to support outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation. For more information visit MOHF.
Time Estimate
11 to 15 class periods
Audience
5-8
Learning Space
Outdoor ·
Classroom
Standards Alignment
Data can be collected from any habitat in Maine or New Hampshire, any time in the year, as many invasive plants are identifiable even in winter. The only recommended equipment is a device for taking photos, a notebook, and pencil. If you or your students do not have access to cameras, they can submit a sketch instead.
Students in Maine will enter data using the online platform, iMapInvasives. You can create a free account at https://www.imapinvasives.org/. Once you have your account, request to join the GMRI project. You can find instructions for joining the project here. Students in New Hampshire will contribute to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System or EDDMapS. Sign up for a free account here.
Both platforms require that all account holders are 13 years of age or older. We recommend creating a class account that students can use to enter their data.
Additional curriculum resources: This resource is designed to support students' ecological understanding. For curriculum focused on data literacy, see the Knotweed Data Investigation. For students working independently, see the Invasive Plants Independent Study.
Lesson 1: Your research questions
In this brief introduction to the project, students explore the Invasive Plants Project Page. They begin to gather information on the purpose of the project. All information on the project page will be reinforced in other parts of the investigation.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Class Slides | Invasive Plants Project Page
Lesson 2: Local ecosystems
Students read about different species in local ecosystems. They arrange species cards to identify relationships between species and use the cards to identify potential impacts of invasive plants.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Class Slides | Species cards
Lesson 3: Native and invasive plant competition
In this active game, students explore how native and invasive species compete for resources in an ecosystem.
Lesson 4: Choose invasive plants to monitor
Students explore resources on the nine invasive plants identified as the highest concern and choose which ones to monitor in their area.
Lesson 5: Identify invasive plants
Students learn to identify the invasive plants they will monitor and then practice their identification skills at interactive stations. If time permits, they can reinforce their identification skills with the online quiz game, Kahoot! Finally, students read through their field protocol.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Class Slides | Invasive Plants Protocol
Lesson 6: Collect data
Students go out into the field and collect data on invasive plants at their field site
Teacher Guide| Student Pages | Class Slides | Invasive Plants Protocol
Lesson 7: Contribute data
Students submit the data to either the iMapInvasives or EDDMaps platform.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Class Slides | iMapInvasives
Lesson 8: Synthesize findings
Students use what they learned from the investigation to make predictions about the future of local ecosystems.
Teacher Guide| Student Pages | Class Slides | Summative assessment rubric