Planted Podcast Season 1: Ep. 5 Lesson

Eastern Hemlock and the Woolly Adelgids

Objectives:

· Students will be able to describe how Woolly Adelgids affect Eastern Hemlocks across North America.

· Students complete a reading guide to orient their comprehension and will be able to extract lines of evidence from the non-fiction text to support the development of an action plan.

· Students will be able to propose an action plan to mitigate the spread and impact of this invasive species, by monitoring and increasing awareness about the pest.

Next Generation Science Standard: HS-LS2-7: Design, evaluate and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

Materials: Students need a print out of the Battling a Giant Killer article, the reading guide, the action plan worksheet, and a pencil or pen.

Background:

Within this activity, students will explore the effect of the Woolly Adelgids on Eastern Hemlocks. Through reading, “Battling a Giant Killer”, students will learn about Woolly Adelgids, the different methods scientists are trying to save the Eastern Hemlocks and the different ways scientists are learning about their spread and the die off of the Eastern Hemlock. The student’s answers should emphasize the ecological risk to the community as the Eastern Hemlock is lost. Students will then take the information they have learned and develop an action plan to monitor the spread of the pest and increase awareness about its existence and ecological threat.

Main article used for this activity can be found here:

· https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ra46AHCrbHpTBoXv499JD-1dsZNdmy1j

Procedure:

1. Ask students what happens when species move into areas or environments where they are not commonly found

a. These are called non-native or invasive species

2. Introduce students to the concept of invasive species by showing them this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spTWwqVP_2s

3. Tell students that invasive species travel to different countries all the time in our current day and age

4. Brainstorm with students the ways in which invasive species could travel to and from different states, countries, and even continents. The two main ways are through:

a. Human activities: Ships, cars packages, pets and people can carry or release invasive species into new areas accidentally

b. Climate change: As temperatures, weather patterns, and environments change – invasive plant species can move into new areas

5. Explain to students that they will be investigating a current invasive pest to the North East of North America, the Woolly Adelgids.

6. Tell students that scientists are actively trying to figure out ways to protect Eastern hemlocks from this pest and learn from the deaths of these keystone species.

a. Keystone species: species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

7. Explain to students that they will be investigating why people are concerned about this species, in particular it’s ecological threat, and developing an action plan to raise awareness and monitor it’s location – to keep it from spreading.

8. Instruct students to read the Battling a Giant Killer article and complete the reading guide.

9. After completion, discuss with students the article and brainstorm:

a. Key characteristics to identify the insect

b. Ecological Impacts

c. How it might spread

d. How scientists are trying to combat it

e. How scientists are learning from the hemlock’s death

10. Assign students to pairs or groups

11. Explain to students that now they will be developing an action plan to raise awareness of the pest and monitor it’s spread and location

12. Explain to students the components of an action plan and the requirements for completion:

a. Vision: What you want to achieve

b. Objectives/What: These need to be SMART or mini goals that have distinct steps.

i. S: Specific

ii. M: Measurable

iii. A: Achievable

iv. R: Relevant

v. T: Tangible/Timely

c. Strategies: This is how the objective you have set, can be carried out

d. Who/Agents of change: This details who will be part of this given task or objective

e. What resources: This details what resources we need to provide them in order to care out the step and objective

f. Evaluation: How will you know you are successful

13. Walk through the action plan worksheet, stepping students through the first objective as an example (this is filled out for you).

14. Assist students with their planning, walking around the room

15. Instruct students to turn in their action plan

Eastern Hemlock and the Woolly Adelgids Reading Guide: Name:________________

Article Title:

Author:

Before You Read:

1. What have you heard about the Woolly Adelgids?

2. Why do you think people are concerned about it spreading to other parts of the US?

While You Read:

3. Where is the Woolly Adelgids from?

4. How did it get to the US?

5. What characteristics could we use to identify it, compared to other insects?

6. Why is it so hard to get rid of Woolly Adelgids from Eastern Hemlocks?

7. What are the ways in which scientists are trying to combat the Woolly Adelgid’s spread?

8. What are the main ways scientists are learning from the death of the Eastern hemlocks?

After You Read:

9. What pieces of evidence support the claim that this invasive species poses an ecological risk?

Woolly Adelgids Awareness and Monitoring Action Plan

Names of Students in Group:

Vision: To develop a country where the Woolly Adelgids is eradicated and the Eastern Hemlocks are not ecologically threatened.

Objective

Strategy

Who

Evaluation

To have all foresters within immediate area be able to identify this pest

Host mandatory on-site identification trainings for all regional foresters

Pest Outreach Coordinator

Have an after training assessment of identification skills and another at six months after training

Action Plan Grading Rubric:

Task

Exceeds Standard

Meets Standard

Nearing Standard

Below Standard

All objectives with details are completed

Objectives are concrete goals

Strategies directly address objectives

Proposes a potential person or group who would be responsible

Describes how it will be evaluated with tangible metrics

Addresses pest monitoring

Addresses pest awareness

Addresses/Involves the people who have ecological risk

Addresses/Involves the people who have economic risk