Invasive Species Student Lab
Articles/Websites
Grades5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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 →
Provided by The Climate Initiative
What it is
- This interactive learning module provides several opportunities for students to learn about invasive plants and animals.
- Students can explore a variety of linked resources, go through guided information with images and videos, and view maps and graphs.
- A comprehensive teacher guide (Learning Lab) can be used with the student lab to create an entire unit for your class.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This learning lab has enough linked and included information to fill an entire unit on invasive species.
- The information is presented in a visually appealing manner, helping educators to quickly locate videos and lessons.
Prerequisites
- Teachers may wish to have an initial class discussion about the definitions of invasive species and native species.
- Teachers and/or students need Internet access and devices to use this resource on their own.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Connections can be made in social studies classes when students study geography, especially for the types of plants and animals found in different regions.
- This learning lab can be utilized for a cross-curriculuar unit on habitats and ecosystems.
- There is enough information for a class of students to work on individual or small-group research projects and then present their findings to the class.
- Biology classes can use portions of this learning lab to support lessons about keystone species, predator-prey interactions, population dynamics, climate change, and habitat loss.
From the scientist review
This resource from The Climate Initiative is an interactive web-based lab that gives students a broad understanding of invasive species. Five separate interactive panels educate students and there is an invasive species geography quiz. The linked iMapInvasives tool is a great way to help students think about the geographic distribution of invasive species and the time series figure from the San Francisco Estuary provides a good opportunity to familiarize students with figures and trend spotting. The resource is wide-ranging and exceptionally well-sourced. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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Hosted on theclimateinitiative.org
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