This interactive tool provides images, descriptions, calls to action, and links to additional information about invasive species in Oregon.
Students can view the "alert" species at the top and then browse through the categories of invasive species below to learn what to look out for.
They will learn about animals with varying classes and degrees of establishment within Oregon, as well as the impacts each animal has on the human health, ecology, and economy of Oregon.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This information hub is full of excellent pictures and useful information.
The information in this hub is organized and detailed.
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers should explore the hub before class to help students navigate it.
Students should have a basic understanding of ecosystems and native vs. non-native species.
Differentiation
This resource could supplement a lesson on the different ways an ecosystem can be altered and why changes in an ecosystem are noteworthy.
This resource could augment a class discussion on how the economy is affected by environmental changes and ecosystem disruption.
This resource could enhance a lesson on biodiversity, why it matters, and how invasive species affect it.
This resource could support a classroom discussion on how countries can prevent the spread of invasive species within their borders, especially as climate change is causing the geographic shift of many species.
Scientist Notes
This information hub from the Oregon Invasive Species Council provides a ton of information about the invasive species in Oregon. A continuously updated table is provided that displays the current alerts for invasive species, along with previous alerts. Also provided is the action that should be taken to avoid the further population increase of invasive species and links are provided that further detail the alerts surrounding the invasive species. There are multiple clickable tiles that provide insight into all of the species of concern in Oregon. Additionally, a table is provided that can be exported in CSV format of all the published data. This website would be a great addition to a classroom discussion about invasive species. The amount of data available through this information hub would be a great addition to a data management/analysis class.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS2-6 Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.5.9-12 Evaluate citizens' and institutions' effectiveness in addressing social and political problems at the local, state, tribal, national, and/or international level.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
