Is Climate Change Affecting Invasive Species in Maine?

• This multi-unit module contains five different lesson groups that cover invasive species, non-native species, native species, the role of climate change in increasing invasive species, and data analysis.
  
• The lessons include videos, articles, graphs, and a culminating presentation where students present what they have learned using a method of their choosing.

Positives

• This module is incredibly attuned to teaching the whole child and giving them voice and choice in their learning.
• This module incorporates brain breaks and movement breaks, prompts students to make sure their bodies and minds are ready for learning, and gives students choices throughout the whole learning experience!
• This module does a great job of breaking down the planning process step-by-step for the final presentation project.

Additional Prerequisites

• Some students, including English language learners, may need the terms species, habitat, environment, horticulture, biodiversity, ecosystem, infrastructure, exotic, aphid, infestation, deforestation, eradicate, and overwintering defined.
  
• The second link for Japanese Knotweed research and the first link for Butterfish research are broken links.
• The module does a great job of explaining climate change and its impacts in lesson group 3, however it may be beneficial to briefly cover the topics with students before they begin this section.
• Clicking on the "Research me" link for any of the coastal species will take you to the European Green Crab research slide, rather than the first navigation slide in the Coastal Species Research Resources slide deck, however, this slide can be found by scrolling to the top.
• There is no questions slide for Dead Mans Fingers, but there is a research slide in the Coastal Species Research Resources slide deck

Differentiation

• There is the option to watch a video or to read to gather the information. Students may choose to do one or the other, depending on their processing capabilities/preferences.
• There are slides for students to record their learning in as they move through the lesson, so it may be beneficial to teach students to put the learning module on one side of their screen and the slides on the other.
• Students can compare and contrast the different methods (chemical, biological, etc.) used to control the populations of different invasive species and evaluate the merits and drawbacks of each method.
• Put students in pairs or read as a class some of reading required to research the different invasive species to avoid frustration if the reading level is too difficult.
• Math classes can use lesson group 4 of this module to practice work with data and graphing with a more authentic purpose.
• While the lesson is about invasive, native, and non-native species in Maine, the article in lesson group one is written with Illinois in mind, but most of the information is relevant for locations throughout the United States.