acp approved Adirondack Curriculum Project - www.adkcurriculumproject.org
NYS Content Area Standard

MST
Title: The Invasive Species Travel Guide
Grade Level: 10th Grade Living Environment

Author: Dennis Skalla
Saugerties Central School


Email: dennisskalla@yahoo.com
 Adirondack Curriculum Content Area
_X_ Natural History
___ Human History
___ Culture & the Arts
___ Government & Civics
___ Economy
___ Health, Recreation & Life Skills

Investigative Question or Issue: How do invasive plant or animal species get into the Adirondacks? What happens when they do so?

 Challenge:  
Context for Challenge:  As a set up to this challenge, the teacher may want to provide students with a specific example of an invasive plant or animal species that is doing harm to the natural environment of the Adirondack region. This example should include information regarding the origin of the invasive species, its mode of introduction into the Adirondacks, and the impact it has had since arriving.

Following this introduction, the teacher might either provide students with a list of plants and animals that are invasive to the Adirondacks OR help students develop their internet research skills by challenging them to form teams of three and compile a comprehesive list of invasive species that will be shared by the whole class. This student generated list should ultimately match the one created by the teacher.

Once the master list of invasive plant and animal species is compiled, the task teams should take turns choosing a species of interest to them until each group has at least three (3) species to investigate further.

Challenge: In your teams of three, create an engaging and informative Annotated Map that depicts the journey of your three invasive species from their places of origin to the Adirondack region. You will be presenting your Annotated Map to the rest of the class and then it will be displayed in the hallway of our school on Parents Night. It should be no larger than the size of two sheets of poster paper.

As you create your Annotated Map, please consider the following:
  • Your product is a "map". It should include visual representations showing where on earth the invasive species came from originally and its route of travel to specific locations in the Adirondacks. Your map should also include a Key/Legend explaining the symbols used, a compass rose indicating direction, a title that accurately summarizes what the map is about, and some measure of scale.
  • Your map is annotated. You should write text on the map to communicate important information to an observer.  This information should include:  details about the origins and journey of the invasive species, descriptions of how it got into the Adirondacks, & descriptions of what harmful impact the species has had on the native Adirondack environment.
  • Your map is engaging and informative. You should make the map interesting to look at by including pictures/drawings that show what the species looks like and visual effects that make it easy to understand the path of its journey and the harm it is having on Adirondacks.To be informative, all the data you communicate must be accurate and relevant. Somewhere on the map you should indicate the names of all the authors and cite the references you used for information.
Please prepare a one page Invasive Species - Summary of our Research for each one of the species you investigate. These summaries (one for each of your species) will be handed out to class members so they have the basic information they need to understand what you have discovered.

Each member of your team should be prepared to answer any question regarding the content of your map and the species you've investigated.

Quality Standards:

Annotated Map
  • The annotated map depicts the journey of three different plant or animal species that are invasive and harmful to the natural environment of the Adirondacks
  • The map contains visual respresentations showing where on earth the invasive species came from originally and their route of travel to specific locations in the Adirondacks.
  • The map includes a Key/Legend explaining the symbols used, a compass rose indicating direction, a title that accurately summarizes what the map is about, and some measure of scale.
  • The annotations on the map include text describing details about the origins and journey of the invasive species, information of how it got into the Adirondacks, & data indicating what harmful impact the species has had on the native Adirondack environment
  • The annotated map is engaging. It includes pictures/drawings that show what the species looks like and visual effects that make it easy to understand the path of its journey and it extent of it negative imact.
  • The annotated map is informative. All the data communicated is accurate and relevant. The names of all the authors and citations of references appear somewhere on the map
Presentation of Map
  • As part of the presentation of the map to the class, the authors provide class members with a one page Invasive Species - Summary of our Research for each of the species featured on the map. This summary includes all the basic information class members need to know about the species.
  • Each author is able to adequately answer any question regarding the content of their map or the species they have investigated
Adapted for the Adirondack Curriculum Project from the work of Education By Design TM and Leading EDGE, LLC ©ACP 2002

   Product Quality
Checklist
Date: ________                                                                     Class Period: ________
Product Author(s):

 
 The Invasive Species Travel Guide
Evaluator Name(s)
 
 Observed Standard/Criteria
Possible
Points
Rating

Annotated Map

 
The annotated map depicts the journey of three different plant or animal species that are invasive and harmful to the natural environment of the Adirondacks
 15 
  
 
The map contains visual respresentations showing where on earth the invasive species came from originally and their route of travel to specific locations in the Adirondacks  
15  

The map includes a Key/Legend explaining the symbols used, a compass rose indicating direction, a title that accurately summarizes what the map is about, and some measure of scale
 10
 
The annotations on the map include text describing details about the origins and journey of the invasive species, information of how it got into the Adirondacks, & data indicating what harmful impact the species has had on the native Adirondack environment 
15
  
 
The annotated map is engaging. It includes pictures/drawings that show what the species looks like and visual effects that make it easy to understand the path of its journey and it extent of it negative imact
10
  
 
The annotated map is informative. All the data communicated is accurate and relevant. The names of all the authors and citations of references appear somewhere on the map
 15
  

Presentation of Map
    

The authors provide class members with a one page Invasive Species - Summary of our Research for each of the species featured on the map. This summary includes all the basic information class members need to know about the species
 10

Each author is able to adequately answer any question regarding the content of their map or the species they have investigated   
10




 
TOTALS
  100  

bri Product of the 2008 ACP Biodiversity Workshop, funded by a grant from the New York Biodiversity Research Institute.

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