Weeds and Weevils Lesson Plan for 7 th grade
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Developed by INSTAAR (Timothy Seastedt, Emily Krall, David Knochel) in collaboration with BVSD teachers Kim Greene and Dan Tomlin at Manhattan Middle School Weeds and Weevils Lesson Plan for 7 th grade
description
Weeds and Weevils Lesson Plan for 7 th grade. Developed by INSTAAR (Timothy Seastedt , Emily Krall, David Knochel ) in collaboration with BVSD teachers Kim Greene and Dan Tomlin at Manhattan Middle School. Fitting in with larger goals. Life cycles of plants Dalmatian Toadflax - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Weeds and Weevils Lesson Plan for 7 th grade
Developed by INSTAAR (Timothy Seastedt, Emily Krall, David Knochel) in collaboration with BVSD teachers Kim
Greene and Dan Tomlin at Manhattan Middle School
Weeds and Weevils Lesson Plan
for 7th grade
Life cycles of plants
Dalmatian ToadflaxSpotted Knapweed
Life cycles of insects
Mencinus janthinusLarinus minutus
Interaction between the life cycles of plants and insects
Fitting in with larger goals
Substituting for STC Organisms---From Macro to Micro Lesson 6 The Cabbage White---From Egg to ButterflyAdvantages:
Uses local examplesEliminates hard to
manage development of caterpillar
Eliminates coordination of Fast Plant growth with the caterpillar
Replaces with easy to store and use plant/insect dissection
Additional advantages…Highlights current
CU science research Introduces the
environmental threat of non-native invasive species
Discusses the strategies of land management, including biological controls
Lesson 1.1 Introduction to topic
Lesson 1.2Dissection of dandelion
Lesson 1.3Review HW assignmentLife cycle card game
Lesson 1.4Knapweed and toadflax dissections
Overview of lesson plan
Introduce students to the life cycles of plants and insects and how they interactVenn diagramStudents discuss their findings in table groups
Discuss the area where plant and insect cycles overlap
Lesson 1.1
Introduce term “invasive species” to studentsWhat is an invasive species or weed?Discuss characteristics of an invasive weed:
large seed bank, can survive with few resources, etc.
Dissect dandelions Identify parts of the plant: root, stem, leaves,
flower, seedMake scientific drawings, give opportunity to
look at plant under microscope
Lesson 1.2
Review “invasion of the soil grabbers” homework assignmentLook at graph results on projector, discuss
what the graph showsLife cycle cards
Students put cards in order of insect and plant life cycles
Discuss mistakes that students make and describe correct order
Lesson 1.3
Image of Soil Grabbers Homework Graph
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20080.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
Non-native invasive annual grasses and forbs
Year
% o
f gro
und
cove
red
Dissect Knapweed seed headsFind Larinus minutus insects in the seed heads
Identify different stages:Larvae, pupa, adult
Dissect Dalmatian Toadflax stemsFind Mencinus janthinus
Identify different stages:Larvae, pupa, adult
Lesson 1.4
Debrief dissectionsReiterate how plants and insects coexist and
need each other to survive. Also review life cycles of both.
Discuss the potential negative impacts of biological controls and why these examples are scientifically soundTested in a lab for 5 years before introduced, first
introduced in a closed environment, host-specific to knapweed and toadflax
Be sure students understand the environmental consequences of invasive species
Conclusions
Average Pre-test Score: 8.48 Average Post-test Score: 10.80Average Change: 2.33 Average percent increase in score: 16%Range: 11% to 23%
Improvements…Insect life cycles
Adaptions for other grades…
Success rates
What did you learn?
“I learned that invasive plants are steadily rising in growth each year”
“I learned that some insects live in plants.”“I learned about the insect and plant life
cycle.”“I learned that beetles inside invasive plants
are killing the plant and eating the inside.”
Comments from students
Emily Krall—Outreach Coordinator at [email protected]
Kim Greene—Science teacher at Manhattan Middle SchoolKim.greene @bvsd.org
Dan Tomlin—Science teacher at Manhattan Middle School [email protected]
Contacts
