The Aquatic Invasions Menace to the West Curriculum has been carefully aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and to the Common Core Standards. Download a table that lists the standards by lesson plan:

Math and Logic:

  • How long can a zebra mussel survive out of water? A math model - Students use an online quarantine estimator to determine how long zebra mussels can survive out of water. By varying the settings, such as location in country and month of the year, students can observe how the time needed to dry a boat is related to the time of year and the local climate (humidity and temperature).
  • Myocastor Multiplier - How big can a nutria population get? In this activity, students calculate and graph the growth rate of a population of nutria based on a set of realistic assumptions.
  • Mitten Crab Roulette - Students roll dice to calculate the probability of an invasion of mitten crabs through the ballast water pathway.
  • Hazardous Paths to the Columbia Gorge - Students sharpen their analytical, logical and problem-solving skills by thinking critically about how human activities spread invasive species and how to control them.

Engineering:

  • Control that Alien Mobile - Students use engineering and art skills to create a balanced mobile that shows the impacts and controls of invasive species.

Biology/Ecology:

  • Design the Ultimate Invader - In Design the Ultimate Invader, students use their imagination to design the ultimate invasive species. This activity is a perfect way to launch a unit on invaders, and can serve as an assessment tool to help us find out what our learners know about invasive species and invasion biology.
  • BioBlitz - Students conduct a “bioblitz” by quickly rotating through stations and answering the BioBlitz questions. Then students are assigned one invader to research more thoroughly.
  • Food Web Game - Discover how a food web works by making a live model, using the people in your class. Then explore how an invasive species disrupts that balance.
  • On the Trail of a Snail - Students pretend to be “invasion investigators” and investigate the appearance of a mysterious new snail in their local creek. Students research the identity and ecology of this new mysterious snail, and design experiments to understand its effect on the environment.
  • PLOP! The Invasion Begins - Students play a fun board game to learn about impacts and prevention of the invasive bullfrog.
  • Loteria Game - In this fun activity, students guess answers to clues about invasive species on a bingo-like gameboard, which serves as a great introduction for students and teachers alike.
  • Most Unwanted - Select an “invader” species found in the Pacific Northwest. Research, design, publish and present a high-quality, informative, Not Wanted poster/product.
  • Stone Soup© Comic Art - Students will develop and apply reading, language arts and science processes to analyze comics, and demonstrate writing skills in creating their own comic about a local invasive species.
  • Hazardous Paths to the Columbia Gorge - Students sharpen their analytical, logical and problem-solving skills by thinking critically about how human activities spread invasive species and how to control them.

Physics:

  • Physics of Phlying Phish - This lesson uses the image of a jumping Asian carp and the physics of ballistics to calculate the speed at which a jumping carp will hit the water (or you! OUCH!).

Classroom Inquiry:

  • On the Trail of a Snail - Students pretend to be “invasion investigators” and investigate the appearance of a mysterious new snail in their local creek. Students research the identity and ecology of this new, mysterious snail, and then design experiments to understand its effect on the environment.
  • How to manage Killer Plants - Students conduct experiments to discover the best way to control the seaweed Caulerpa or Brazilian elodea. Students will understand design and execution of experiments and be able to explain their results.
  • Student-Conducted Survey - Students design and conduct a school survey on knowledge of invasive species and live plants and animals in their school and classroom.

Language Arts:

  • Stone Soup© Comic Art - Students will develop and apply reading, language arts and science processes to analyze comics, and demonstrate writing skills in creating their own comic about a local invasive species.

Art and Media Design:

  • Control that Alien Mobile - Students use engineering and art skills to create a balanced mobile that shows the impacts and controls of invasive species.
  • Design the Ultimate Invader - In Design the Ultimate Invader, students use their imagination to design the ultimate invasive species. This activity is a perfect way to launch a unit on invaders, and can serve as an assessment tool to help find out what students know about invasive species and invasion biology.
  • Most Unwanted - Select an “Invader” species found in the Pacific Northwest. Research, design, publish and present a high-quality, informative, Not Wanted poster/product.
  • Stone Soup© Comic Art - Students will develop and apply reading, language arts and science processes to analyze comics, and demonstrate writing skills in creating their own comic about a local invasive species.