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Provided by: US Forest Service |Published on: June 3, 2025
Articles/Websites
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Synopsis
This USDA website explains what seedbeds are and their importance in the process of restoring the native prairie seedbeds at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington, Illinois.
The website connects this restoration project to the root of the cause, climate change, by detailing specific invasive species and changes in climate that caused the decreased number of native species.
Detailed seed guides to the native plant species at Midewin are linked on the website for students to explore and learn more about the plants that are native to this area of Illinois.
The question-and-answer format of the website allows students to focus on the questions they have and find the answers in an easy-to-read text.
Prerequisites
An understanding of climate change is essential to understand the connection between flooding, droughts, and invasive species to the loss of native plant species.
The terms native species, invasive species, companion planting, prescribed fires, plot thresher, and perennials may be helpful to emphasize or pre-teach for maximum effect.
Differentiation & Implementation
A field trip can be planned to Midewin to see the seed beds as well as a restored prairie as a culminating activity.
Students can practice reading informational text and taking notes with the support of a graphic organizer.
Each student can be assigned a native plant from the website's seed guide to research and make a poster presentation or pamphlet. Then, a gallery walk can be utilized for students to learn about the wide variety of native plants at Midewin.
This video can be used to look at the broader topic of climate change in the Midwest and the Great Plains to see more examples of invasive species, droughts, and flooding in the region.
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