If you have a bit more time, the following units can be integrated into your class to highlight invasive species aspects of your science or language arts classes. We also recommend that you start with the Introductory Powerpoint on AIS, then select one of the options below.

Biology and Classroom Inquiry Option:

  • 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.

Follow that with:

  • 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 impact.

Math Option:

  • Loteria - 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.
  • Myocastor Multiplier - How big can a nutria population get? Students calculate and graph the growth rate of a population of nutria based on a set of realistic assumptions.
  • Master Myocastor Multiplier - This more-advanced version of Myocastor Multiplier asks students to take into account predation when calculating population growth rate.

Social Science and Classroom Inquiry:

  • Student-Conducted Survey - Students design and conduct a school survey on knowledge of invasive species and live plants and animals in the classroom.

Probability and Modeling:

  • Mitten Crab Roulette - Students roll dice to calculate the probability of an invasion of mitten crabs through the ballast water pathway.
  • 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).

Art and Communication:

  • Stone Soup Comic Art - Students 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.
  • Most Unwanted Media Design - Select an “Invader” species found in the Pacific Northwest. Research, design, publish and present a high-quality, informative, Not Wanted Poster/Product.