Overview
Key Considerations
Lessons
Time Estimate
16+ class periods
Audience
5-8
Learning Space
Outdoor ·
Classroom
Standards Alignment
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): CCC 1
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): CCC 7
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): SEP 4
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): SEP 3
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): SEP 1
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): MS-LS2-1
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): MS-LS2-4
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): MS-LS2-2
Protocols must be followed for data contribution. Professional hemlock woolly adelgid surveys require ten trees to be checked. Do your best to reach as close to this number as possible with your class. Review the detailed protocols and required equipment on the Project Hemlock Woolly Adelgid webpage.
Location and Timing:
Find a location with hemlock trees to conduct fieldwork. Have students survey the area around the school or search for hemlocks yourself. Use the Eastern hemlock and balsam fir (commonly confused with eastern hemlock) identification resources on the Project Hemlock Woolly Adelgid webpage to help you.
When possible, complete the investigation between September and February when there is a low risk of spreading hemlock woolly adelgid. Hemlock woolly adelgid can be difficult to detect from late-July through mid-October because of a lack of new wool.
Additional curriculum resources:
This resource is designed to enhance students' data literacy. For an introductory experience to this project, see Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Ecosystem Investigator. If you have students looking to do an independent study, see the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Independent Study.
Part 1: Build Background
Lesson 1: Introduce Project Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Estimated time: one class period (45 minutes)
Students explore the project page, collecting background information, setting a purpose for their work, and defining the investigation questions:
- Where is hemlock woolly adelgid now and where will it spread next?
- Are warmer winters affecting its spread?
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Project Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Lesson 2: Model an ecosystem
Estimated time: one class period (45 minutes)
Students build understanding of the importance of hemlock trees while they construct a model of interdependent relationships in forest ecosystems described in an article.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Article: Eastern Hemlock: Irreplaceable Habitat
Lesson 3: Conduct background research
Estimated time: two class periods (90 minutes)
Students work in teams to gather background information that will provide context for their investigation and inform predictions. See the student pages for links to background information.
Lesson 4: Explore climate data
Estimated time - two class periods (90 minutes)
Students will explore data on average daily winter minimum air temperatures from 1980-2018, looking closely to develop an understanding of changing temperatures in the Gulf of Maine bioregion. Students will draw on their observations of the data to draw conclusions about the warmest and coldest parts of the region and then form predictions about future temperatures.
In the first part of this lesson, they will work with data on physical cards, and then they will dive into a larger online database.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Climate Cards | Climate Dataset | CODAP Challenge Cards
Part 2: Collect and Contribute Data
Lesson 1: Identify project species
Estimated class time: one class period (45 minutes)
Students will prepare for fieldwork by reviewing identification information and creating their own guides that they can rely on in the field.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Identification Resources and Protocol
Lesson 2: Practice fieldwork skills
Estimated time: two class periods (90 minutes)
Students will prepare for fieldwork by practicing fieldwork skills at interactive stations and then taking a short fieldwork skills certification.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Fieldwork Skills Stations | Fieldwork Certification
Lesson 3: Fieldwork run through
Estimated time: one class period (45 minutes)
Make sure that students understand their protocol and then practice in the classroom before heading out in the field. If you are confident in your students’ ability to follow the protocol out in the field, skip this lesson and move on to the next.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | Identification Resources and Protocol
Lesson 4: Collect and submit data
Estimated time: two class periods (90 minutes)
Students collect data in the field and then enter the data on the Ecosystem Investigation Network. Teachers will need to set up a trip in advance. See the linked tutorials for help with this process.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | How to Set Up a Trip | How to Access Student Passphrases
Part 3: Analyze Data and Synthesize Findings
Lesson 1: Analyze the class data
Estimated time: two class periods (90 minutes)
Students will analyze the data they collected in the field by comparing their data to data from another fieldwork team’s data and then expanding out to look at the class data as a whole.
Lesson 2: Explore the larger dataset
Estimated time: two class periods (90 minutes)
In this lesson, students are introduced to the larger citizen science dataset. Students will compare distributions of the number of infested branches at their own field site to locations across the region. They will compile their observations to look for patterns in where the hemlock woolly adelgid infestations are worst. They will look back at their work from Part 1, Lesson 4: Explore climate data to explore whether there is a relationship between climate and hemlock woolly adelgid infestation. This lesson will set students up to formulate claims in response to the investigation questions.
Teacher Guide | Student Pages | HWA dataset | Climate Dataset | CODAP Challenge Cards
Lesson 3: Interpret the results
Estimated time: two class periods (90 minutes)
Students will pull together what they know and their analysis of the data to develop scientific conclusions, accounting for uncertainty and forming ideas for possible next steps.
Part 4: Communicate Findings
Lesson 1: Share with the community
Estimated time: varies depending on project
Decide how you want to communicate the results of your investigation. Plan, organize, draft, revise, share, and celebrate accordingly.