Unit: We Care for the Land – Activity 8: Spread Awareness, Not Invasives

Students research an invasive species, its impacts and the main ways in which it can be introduced and spread. Then they raise awareness in the school and greater community by communicating their learning through posters or videos.

This is the eighth activity in the Grade 4-6 Learning Resource, We Care for the Land and Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species. Please see the Overview for this resource for more information, including the lesson sequence.

This resource was created through the financial support of the Provincial Intermediate and Middle Years Teachers’ Association (myPITA).

Learning Objectives

By participating in this activity students will

• conduct research and synthesize information about the impacts of an invasive species and how people can help prevent its spread.
• learn about some best practices to prevent the spread of invasive species.
• use effective written, visual/artistic, or oral communication to raise awareness about their topic.
• understand that people can make a positive difference to the environment.

Inquiry Questions

• What are some invasive species in my area and what are their impacts?
• What can I do to help protect my community and special places from invasive species?

BC Curriculum Links

Science Big Ideas

• All living things sense and respond to their environment (Grade 4)
• Multicellular organisms have organ systems that enable them to survive and interact within their environment (Grade 5)
• Multicellular organisms rely on internal systems to survive, reproduce, and interact with their environment (Grade 6)

Science Curricular Competencies

• Identify some simple environmental implications of their and others’ actions (Grade 4); Identify some of the social, ethical, and environmental implications of the findings from their own and others’ investigations (Grades 5-6)
• Demonstrate curiosity about the natural world (Grade 4)
• Communicate ideas, explanations, and processes in a variety of ways (Grades 5-6)

Social Studies Curricular Competencies

• Develop a plan of action to address a selected problem or issue (Grades 4-6)
• Differentiate between intended and unintended consequences of events, decisions, or developments and speculate about alternative outcomes (Grades 4-6)
• Make ethical judgements about events, decisions, or actions that consider the conditions of a particular time and place (Grades 4-6)

Materials

• For posters: poster board, markers
• For videos: devices (tablets, computers)

Documents to Download

• Invasive Species List for Student Research
• Invasive Species Research Organizer

Background Information

Invasive species have profound impacts upon native species and ecosystems. Invasive animals can eat native animals, spread disease, or outcompete them for food, water, nest sites, or other critical components of their habitat. Invasive plants can displace native plants, alter habitats and disrupt essential ecosystem functions. Invasive plants can have many impacts on the land, including reducing soil productivity, impacting water quality and quantity, degrading range and wildlife habitat, altering natural fire regimes, and increasing erosion and flood intensity. Invasive species threaten BC’s biodiversity. Many rare and endangered species are at risk of extinction due to invasive species impacts.

Invasive species are primarily spread by people and our movements and activities around the world, and even outdoor activities in our own backyards. By knowing how invasive species are introduced and spread (the pathways by which they get here), people can make a big difference in preventing their spread by following some simple best practices.  

Some of the main pathways by which invasive species are introduced and best practices to prevent their spread are listed below. You can learn more by visiting Play Your Part (ISCBC).

• Gardening/Horticulture. Invasive plants are often sold in nurseries and online, are contained in seed mixes, and are traded or transported across regions. Garden waste containing invasive plant parts is sometimes disposed of improperly (such as composted or dumped into natural areas), further spreading invasive plants. We can prevent the spread by having invasive-free gardens and being PlantWise.
• Outdoor Recreation (e.g. hiking, biking, ATVs, hunting, horseback riding, dog walking). Invasive plants often have seeds or parts that help them to disperse by sticking to clothing, fur, and gear when we’re enjoying outdoor activities. Parked vehicles make great sites for insects to lay their eggs, or even a spot for an invasive wall lizard to take shelter. We can prevent the spread by making sure that we don’t accidentally transport any plants or animals on our outdoor adventures. A quick check and clean of boots and other clothing and gear, checking vehicle wheel wells, and removing soil can ensure that we arrive and leave an outdoor site clean by practicing PlayCleanGo
• Aquatic Recreation (e.g. fishing and boating- including powerboats, sailboats, canoes, kayaks and other watercraft). Small aquatic invasive species, including plant fragments and seeds, clinging mussels, or microscopic planktonic larvae of crabs and other invertebrates, can hitch a ride in or on our fishing gear and watercraft, attached to boats, hiding out in the mud, or in pools of water. These invasive species can then be transported to other bodies of water where they spread and take over if we don’t Clean Drain Dry our watercraft and gear.
• Firewood. BC’s forests are threatened by invasive insects that can damage large numbers of trees. New infestations of harmful insects and diseases are often first found in campgrounds and parks. Species that infest wood or eat leaves, like spongy moth and spotted lanternfly, may be hidden in downed wood which could be transported long distances in firewood, devastating additional forested areas. We can protect forests by not transporting firewood. Buy Local Burn Local.
• Released pets. Some people believe that when they don’t want their pets any longer, the best thing to do for the animal is to release it into the wild. However, this is cruel, dangerous to the environment, and illegal. There are many examples of invasive species in BC that are causing great harm to native species and habitats that were once pets, such as Goldfish, European rabbits, and common wall lizards. Aquarium contents – animals, water, and plants- should not be dumped into outdoor bodies of water to protect waterways and prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Don’t Let it Loose.

Preparation

Print copies of the Documents to Download (Materials section).

• One copy of the Invasive Species to Research List for students to sign up.
• One copy per student or group of the Invasive Species Research Organizer.

Procedure

Introduction

1. If a review on invasive species is needed, show this brief video, Invaders! Invasive Species in BC (Government of Canada; 1:42).
2. Brainstorm ways that we can give back to the land by helping to prevent the spread of invasive species. Create a “Wonder Wall” with ideas and questions that the class can contribute to throughout this lesson.
   • Most people think about removing invasives once they’re established. But we can make a big difference by preventing invasive species from arriving in the first place, such as by not releasing pets in the wild and making sure we don’t plant invasive plants in our garden. Discuss as a class or in small groups other ways that we can prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species.  Consider using the Think, Puzzle, Explore thinking routine (Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education) to spark curiosity around the topic.
   • Share some best practices that help to prevent the spread of invasive species. You can share the Play Your Part ISCBC webpage with students (as described in the Background section) and/or some Best Practices Videos listed in the Additional Resources section.
3. Explain that we will be doing a project to spread awareness about ways to prevent the introduction and spread of different invasive species. Each student or small group will select an invasive animal or plant to research and will then choose a way to communicate their findings (by video, poster, or slide show) with others.

Research

1. Select an invasive species from the Invasive Species List for Student Research.
2. Research. Use the Invasive Species Teaching Cards and ISCBC Identify Species websites to research the invasives. Other sources of information could be on your Regional Invasive Species Organization’s website (find yours by clicking on the map here) or books for youth (See the Additional Resources section).
3. Data Collection. Take notes on the following attributes of their species, using the Invasive Species Research Organizer.
   • Species name (common and scientific)
   • Where it is native to and how and when it arrived (to BC or Canada)
   • Some identifying features (make a drawing and point out certain traits)
   • How it spreads
   • Its impacts on the environment and community; impacts on First Nations traditions
   • What actions people can take to prevent it from being introduced or spreading

Communicate

1. Have students create Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to spread the word about the invasive species that they researched. Select (or give them choices) on how to present their research, such as written, drawn on posters, orally in front of the class, as a video or audio recording, as a slide show, etc.
2. Find creative ways to share student work with each other, with the school and the greater community! Share your student’s PSAs with education@bcinvasives.ca and we can celebrate them and spread the word through our eNews or social media channels!

Reflections and Assessment

• What did you learn/what surprised you most about this activity? What are some of the most harmful invasive species that you learned about based on your research or that of your classmates? What are their impacts? Use the Connect, Extend, Challenge thinking routine (Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education) to build upon what was learned and incorporate new ideas.
• Name some ways that people can prevent invasive species from being introduced.
• What new actions will you take to prevent the spread of invasive species?

Accessibility and Adaptations

• In addition to, or instead of, doing research on invasive species from websites and books, look for videos, such as from this ISCBC “How To” YouTube Playlist
• Have students select the way in which they are best suited to communicate their results, whether primarily by visual arts, language arts, or oral means.

Extensions

• Take it outside!  Put your learning into practice and PlayCleanGo when you are going on your outdoor excursions. Grab a buddy and do a check of each other’s shoes, clothing, and gear is free of mud, seeds, and other plant parts before and after excursions. Use boot brushes, old toothbrushes, or other tools (sticks can work too!) to clean mud out of shoe and boot treads. You can also try this fun PlayCleanGo activity and wear a woolly sock over a shoe to see how seeds disperse. Don’t Pick Up Hitchhikers lesson plan.
• Explore how invasive species can easily and effectively spread by visiting a series of Challenge Stations where you experiment with different materials and tools to see if you can avoid spreading invasive species. Vectors of Spread lesson plan.

Connections to First Peoples’ Perspectives

“We have a lot of issues with burdock— burs getting on sheep and cattle, dropping off everywhere, getting into the hayfields. Canada and bull thistle too—we harvest blueberries, wild cranberries, Saskatoons, soap berries, and these plants take over areas, making it really hard to pick.”  – Fernie May Garbitt Saulteau First Nations, Chetwynd, BC

Invasive plants impact Indigenous communities in many ways, such as by taking over the habitat of native species that are important as food or medicine plants and by blocking access to harvesting areas or traditional sites. Read more about Invasive Species that Affect Indigenous Communities and watch a short video clip (0.16), Indigenous Youth Workinging to Protect the Environment.

Additional Resources

Best Practices Videos (ISCBC)

• Play Your Part: Best Practices to Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species (ISCBC)
• Play Clean Go and Buy Local Burn Local
• How to Hike Responsibly (PlayCleanGo)
• Clean Drain Dry– YouTube Playlist  
• Don’t Let it Loose, Be a responsible pet owner: How to choose a pet and Don’t let it loose– Aquarium- animated

Invasive Species- Youth Resources

• Aliens Among Us: Invasive Animals and Plants in British Columbia. Alex Von Tol, 2015. Royal BC Museum, Victoria, BC.
• Identify BC Invasive Species, (ISCBC) Searchable webpage on invasive plants and animals in BC.
• Invasive Species on our Landscapes (Play Clean Go)- Activity Book in English and French.
• Invasive Species in our Waters (Clean Drain Dry) – Activity Book in English and French.
• Invasive Plant ID Cards (ISCBC) Field ID cards for some common invasive plants in Northern, Interior, and/or Coastal BC and tips on if or how students may remove them.
• Invasive Species Teaching Cards (ISCBC) Downloadable full-sized (8.5×11”) photographs of invasive species in BC with fun facts on reverse.
• Invasive species “How To” YouTube Playlist (ISCBC)
• Nature Out of Balance: How Invasive Species are Changing the Planet. Merrie-Ellen Wilcox, 2021. Orca Book Publishers, Victoria, BC.
• They’re Here! How Invasive Species are Spoiling our Ecosystems. Roland Smith, 2023. Henry Holt and Company, New York.

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