Marlaina+Headley


 * Invasive Species Project __ Introduction: __**
 * In four major trips, taking place on three separate days, my 6th grade students will take part in a global movement to understand various complexities of invasive species. These trips exist as part of a unit about invasive species that will explore food chains, food webs, competition for resources, and the human impact on the environment.
 * [|2010 Invasive Species Web.ppt] : The original web that I am building off of to include community resources.
 * The __two big questions__ of the entire unit are: 1) What makes an introduced species invasive and 2) Are human an invasive species according to the population density and impact of human civilization on other species of our global ecosystem. This project is designed to facilitate the answering of the first question and begin thoughts about the second.
 * **__The key idea is that__** A species becomes invasive when it enters a new habitat and competes with the indigenous species
 * [[file:GRad School Presentation.pptx]]

> M2.1b quantify patterns and trends > guiding the search for explanations of everyday observations. > S1.1a formulate questions about natural phenomena > S2.1b conduct an experiment designed by others > other models to show relationships
 * __ Standards: __**
 * L.E.7.1a A population consists of all individuals of a species that are found together at a given place and time. Populations living in one place form a community. The community and the physical factors with which it interacts compose an ecosystem.
 * M2.1a interpolate and extrapolate from data
 * S1.1 Formulate questions independently with the aid of references appropriate for
 * S2.1a demonstrate appropriate safety techniques
 * S3.1a organize results, using appropriate graphs, diagrams, data tables, and


 * __ Rationale: __**

Day 1: A trip to a Central Park Zoo Program in the North Woods**: **
 * __ Where are they going? __**
 * Students will be introduced to the ideas of an ecosystem, a population, communities, and species prior to leaving school. The first trip is designed to explain how all of the vocabulary words are connected, both positively and negatively. For instance, when are the populations within an ecosystem successful and when are they threatened?
 * Description: A 95-acre forest designed in the image of the Adirondack forest with crystal streams, tumbling cascades, and the remnants of fortific ations from the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Each session begins with a brief history of Central Park and the Conservancy and a lesson in forest ecology and invasive species. After a tool safety demonstration, students spend the remainder of the time doing some hands-on ecological restoration by removing invasive species of plants. Students should dress to get dirty and wear only boots or sneakers (no open-toed shoes or slip-ons). Gloves and tools are provided but each student is encouraged to bring a bottle of water. For more information or to register a group, please call 212-360-1439  or email youth@centralparknyc.org.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Day 2: Day trip to Central Park to run basic transect lines in "the field" <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Day 3: Morning trip to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Day 3: Afternoon <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">trip to Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, Connecticut. Students count the population using transect lines.
 * Students will analyze population density by running transect lines on a known population. This activity will be heavily scaffolded so that the students will be successful in the final mission with not only setting up the lines but doing the calculations. In class, we will begin running transect lines on inanimate objects, like pencils on a desk. The second official class trip for the project will be back to central park, where students will break up into small groups to count Honeysuckle flower patches.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">$7.75/student. Every 7 students get one free adult. Additional adults $9.25/person.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">9:30am Program: Invasive Species : An ecosystem is composed of all populations tha <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 23px;">t are living in a certain space and the physical factors with which they interact. The introduction of non-native plants or animals can have a negative impact on an ecosystem. Students will take part in fun hands-on activities while exploring the environmental impacts of invasive species that can now be found in Long Island Sound. Students will also learn what they can do to prevent further spreading of exotic species. $110 for 1 45-min program. One program holds 28 students. Program has live animals: zebra mussels and __**japanese shore crabs**__ to learn about and touch.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10:15am: Explore the aquarium.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">11am: Lunch
 * Now that students are able to run transect lines and explain with significant detail what an invasive species can do to a population, they will finally have the chance to do the work of real scientists.
 * Once lunch is over (12pm), students, now exposed to the appearance of Japanese shore crabs, the crabs’ rock-laden lifestyle, and the method by which we determine population density, will run transect lines on the beach and determine the population of the crabs on different areas of the beach.

Students will be collecting data in groups. When they return to school, students will be responsible for interpreting that data, making calculations, suggesting solutions to the problem in their particular area of the beach (assuming they found a significant number of crabs), conducting research about the area and its native populations, and presenting all of this information on a PowerPoint or poster board presentation at the school’s Invasive Species Fair. The Central Park officials that gave them the original training on invasive species will judges this small fair and the winner will receive four free tickets to the Central Park Zoo.
 * __ Final Project __**<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**__:__**


 * __ Added resources to accompany trips __**
 * "They're Here: A Coast-to-Coast Investigation of Invasive Species" by Craven and Hogan