Summary

Growing Native in Your Community introduces students to the concepts of native plant communities and the wildlife that inhabit them.  Students study native and invasive species in the classroom and learn to identify them in the wild.  They explore concepts such as interdependence and life cycles.  The students demonstrate their knowledge by restoring a native plant community.

Native Plants -- Living In Communities introduces students to the concept of a native plant community and facilitates research into local plant communities.  This lesson can be done in the classroom.

The Power of Invasion teaches students about invasive species in their community covering topics including how they arrived and how to remove them.  This lesson has both a classroom and field component.  

Managing and Restoring Native Plant Communities engages students to apply what they learned about native and invasive species and apply these concepts to restoring local native plant communities.

Objective        

Students will develop an understanding of the natural heritage of their region.  This includes learning about local native plant communities and their associated wildlife. Students will be able to explain and apply the concepts of native and invasive species, soil type, and interdependence and apply these concepts to creating and restoring native plant communities in their local area.  

Grades: Middle School

Subjects: Science, language, art

Skills: Observation, research, inquiry, communication, animal and plant identification, drawing/map making, organization, creative thinking, and team-building       

Materials: Pencil, paper; art supplies; lists of regional native plant and animal species; Internet access; list of invasive species

Notes: These activities can be greatly enhanced through inviting a local wildlife biologist, ecologist, botanist or forester to give a presentation to the class about the natural heritage of the region.  Links to organizations such as native plant societies, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and local conservation districts can be found on the WHC management tools section.

Activities: Click on the activity do download the .pdf file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the file.

Native Plants -- Living in Communities

The Power Of Invasion

Managing and Restoring Native Plant Communities

Vocabulary