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Provided by: Gulf of Maine Research Institute |Published on: December 12, 2024
Lesson Plans
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Synopsis
In this 7-lesson unit, Maine students will learn about the cultural importance of ash trees to the Wabanaki people, research the impact of the Emerald Ash Borer on the trees, and participate in a citizen science project to collect data and protect ash trees.
Students will hear from a Mi'kmaq basketmaker to understand the cultural importance of ash trees, role play as organisms that depend on ash trees, put together a timeline of the history of Wabanaki people caring for ash trees, watch a beautiful video of a 12th-generation Passamaquoddy black ash basketmaker, explore the citizen science project using the GMRI website, practice fieldwork skills, and collect and share data for the citizen science project.
This citizen science project works for classes in many locations throughout Maine, as they simply need to be near a few ash trees.
The facilitator guide is very easy to navigate by utilizing the tabs on the left.
Prerequisites
Students should understand invasive species and the interdependence of species in ecosystems.
Teachers should review the facilitator guide and make preparations for activities, account set-up, and fieldwork.
Differentiation & Implementation
To help students understand the cultural importance of this project, teachers can invite local basketmakers to talk about their work.
To make language arts connections by allowing students time during fieldwork to use the field site as inspiration for journaling or poetry.
For lesson 4, students can interview older community members to discuss how their field site or local environment has changed over the years.
Students can research how climate change and human activities influence the prevalence of invasive species like the emerald ash borer. This student lab can help facilitate exploration.
Scientist Notes
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