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Teaching science in elementary school is crucial for nurturing young minds. But as educators, finding the time and resources to create engaging lessons can be a challenge. That's where this podcast comes in. Welcome to Naturally Teaching Elementary Science, the show dedicated to supporting elementary teachers in their quest to bring authentic and place -based science experiences to their classroom.

I'm Victoria Zablocki, a certified elementary teacher turned outdoor educator. With over a decade of experience coaching teachers on effective science teaching methods, I'm passionate about making science accessible, understandable, and fun for educators and students alike.  Join me as we explore strategies for teaching science in elementary school with practical teaching tips, insightful interviews, and more.

00:48

Hey, welcome back to the Naturally Teaching Elementary Science Podcast. My name is Victoria Zablocki, and I'm your host.

When I try to teach science, I use conservation best practices, the best that I can, but sometimes that can be challenging, especially when we know we want to give our students hands-on experiences.

And if you're like me, and you want to be as good to the environment as possible, I have a hack for you that will give you plenty of plant specimens without harming the environment. In fact, harvesting these plants can actually help the environment. I'm talking about invasive species activities for your elementary classroom.

But before we get into that, I want to remind you real quick that to celebrate the launch of this podcast, I'm doing a picture book giveaway where I'm going to give three people a physical copy of  Worm Weather by Jean Taft, Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler, or Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner.

Along with those, I'm also going to send an electronic copy of my coordinating picture book companions that have science and ELA activities already made to go along with the book of their choosing. To enter this giveaway, write a review about Naturally Teaching Elementary Science on whichever podcast player you're listening on.

Screenshot that review and then send it to me on Instagram at naturally.teaching, or to my email at victoria@naturallyteaching.com.  Plus, for a bonus entry, you can take a screenshot of your favorite episode and share it on Instagram and tag me, and entries will be accepted until June 23rd, 2024, and winners will be notified shortly thereafter.

2:40

All right, so before we get into invasive species activities in particular, I want to cover a few definitions to help clear up some misconceptions.  So, to be able to talk about invasive species, we need to know what a native species is. If you've heard the term native species before, you might be wondering what classifies a native species.

So, they're organisms that are in a region, that are local, and they have natural evolution. There's no hard and fast date of origin to determine what the native status is, but co-evolution with the plants and animals around those organisms happen over hundreds or thousands of years. And that's what determines the native status.

So if it has co-evolved alongside other species in a certain region,  then there's natural predators and competition, which allows them to work cohesively in that ecosystem, and that's a native species. So, on the flip side, an exotic species is an organism or organisms that are not native to a location, so they could come from a different location via shipping, we've had that happen a lot, or they're brought over from a different location to serve a certain purpose.

An exotic species, though, doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be an invasive species. So, we're talking about invasive species today. And to give you an idea of what that means, invasive species are exotic species of organisms that create an ecological damage to an area where they are not native.

So, all that being said, invasive species are the perfect vehicle for a variety of activities in elementary school, and I say this for a few reasons. First, the definition shares that they're damaging to our ecosystems, so we can actually use them for up close investigation without worrying about hurting nature.

However, this does come with a disclaimer. So, my disclaimer is that if you're working with young students it might be hard for them to distinguish the fact that you're taking some plants out of the ecosystem, but you should leave other plants where they are. To be able to help combat that, what you want to do is make sure your students are aware that the plants that you're removing are making it so other plants can't grow and animals can't eat and they come from a different place and are making our ecosystem sick, and that's why we're pulling them out of the ground.  Otherwise, we want to leave plants in the ground for other plants and for animals to be able to be healthy.  The second reason that I think invasive species are perfect for teaching science is that they often have an accelerated life cycle, which allows them to spread quicker, which we don't like.

But, that accelerated life cycle would allow your students to see advancement through life stages quicker and potentially even during a school year. We find that that's often pretty challenging because a lot of plants take so long to mature, but invasive species, whether we like it or not, will mature quicker, which helps our investigations because students can see things happening right in front of their faces.

So, what I want to do, is I want to introduce invasive species activities, one for each grade, K through 5, paired with a Next Generation Science Standard.  So, I'll give you the standard, then I'll give you a little bit of natural history about how an invasive species could help, and then also a quick idea for an activity.

6:23

So, for kindergarten, the Next Generation Science Standard, K-ESS2-2, and that's: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. And each of these standards I'll make sure to put in the show notes, so don't feel like you have to pause and write it down. They will be in the show notes and you can find that on naturallyteaching.com.  So, for this standard, Spotted knapweed and Buckthorn are two plants that are invasive exotics throughout pretty much the entire United States. And what they have is an allelopathic chemical that helps kill plants surrounding them, and that allows them to make space for themselves.

They're not the only ones. It's not just invasive exotics. So, if you did want to talk about a native species, the Black Walnut is native to a lot of the continental United States, and it also has allelopathic chemicals that it uses.  The super cool adaptation, even though it's not beneficial for our native plants, most of our native plants, it's pretty cool.

Our students would be excited and interested to know that they have chemicals that they spread out through their roots, or through their leaves, and then it kills everything around it, right? That's like a super power. So, an activity that you can do to illustrate this really interesting way of adapting the environment close to these plants is to play a game of tag.

You're going to play two different rounds. So, on the first round you'll play a typical game of tag where there's three to four taggers depending on how many students you have in your class.  And those taggers are native plants that are trying to get resources by tagging other students. So, your three to four taggers are going to be your native plants. And then all the rest of the students are going to be resources that those plants need. They could be sunlight, they could be water, they could be nutrients, whatever your students want to be.  So set up your boundaries. And then all of your students can run around and the taggers will tag your students, the resources, and when they're tagged, you can have them sit to the side, you can have them sit down, whatever you have them do. But that means that those resources have been taken by a native plant, and then that native plant got something that they needed to survive.

Then what you're going to do is you're going to play a second round where the taggers are actually going to be invasive plant species with allelopathic chemicals. So, in this round, the taggers get to use balls to throw at students’ lower half of their bodies to help them tag. This extends their reach for those resources. They're not reliant just now on their arms. Now, they can actually throw a ball that extends their reach farther. And those balls represent the chemicals that are killing off plants that are close by. And then once those plants are killed, there's more water, nutrients, and sunlight unlocked for those invasive species.

And then don't forget, after playing both rounds, even though it's been a lot of fun, they've had a good time, make sure you have a discussion about which round was easier for the taggers to get what they needed. Talk about how the invasive species eliminate competition by releasing chemicals into the soil, which makes it difficult or impossible for other plants to grow around them.

9:34

Okay, the next invasive species activity is for first grade, and so the Next Generation Science Standard that we're covering is 1-LS3-1, which is: Make observations to construct an evidence based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.

As I said earlier, invasive plants tend to grow quickly, so you can see multiple generations in a short amount of time. So again, because these invasive species are a problem for our native species, there's little guilt to removing these species from your schoolyard for closer investigation. You can dissect them and press them without negatively affecting your school ecosystem.

So, the invasive species activity for first grade would be to collect invasive exotic species from your schoolyard or local green space. Have your students group together in pairs and then give each pair a white paper plate. Let your students pull the plants apart, grouping together parts that look the same.

After letting them dissect the plants and maybe even notebooking about them, pose this question to them; “what do you think the parents of these plants looked like and why?”  Work with them to figure out that if all the plants you were dissecting look similar, they can probably assume the parent plants look similar as well.

One thing to note about this is make sure that you're picking plants that are not going to have a negative effect on your students. So, picking Buckthorn may not be the best choice because it has thorns. So, making sure that you're selecting plants that are okay to use with your students. And if you're not entirely sure, you could contact your local nature center or a local state or national park and see if there's a naturalist that can help you identify plants before you introduce them to your students.

Also, if you want a little background on notebooking, go back to Episode 1, “10 Science Activities for Elementary Students That Aren't Experiments”, and in that I talk about some ideas for science notebooking and other activities that might be helpful to extend your first grade activity here. And again, I'll link that in the show notes.

11:39

Alright, so for an invasive species activity for second grade, we're looking at the Next Generation Science Standard 2-LS4-1: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.  Invasive species are successful because they take over a location. They don't have natural predators, and so when they move into a new location, they're able to take over and spread, making it impossible for native plants to be able to stay in that space.

So, your invasive species activity for second grade would be to do a survey of your schoolyard or local green space. So, you could give your students a way to have the same surveying area, because that's important in science, to make sure you're using the same space as all the other scientists. So, you could give them something static like a hula hoop, you could give them a length of string that they can use to create a circle, you could give them a cardboard box that's open on both ends, that sort of thing. That way everybody has the same surveying area. And then what they'll do is you have them count the number of different types of plants they find in that space.

And you'll want to take two different surveys. So, you'll want to do an area with invasive species and an area without invasive species. And then in theory, the location that had invasive species should have fewer number of species and then the area without invasive species should be more robust and should have a greater variety of species.

And it's important to note that you don't have to identify what plants are in the surveying space. They should just look for plants that are similar, count that as one species, and then something that looks different should count as a second species and so on. That’s all. They don't need to go through and identify this type of grass and this type of clover, that sort of thing.

It's more or less about finding things that look different in order to be able to identify what the biodiversity is or how many species live in a certain area.  And then this can also illustrate how impactful invasive species can be on biodiversity. If you only have two species in your surveying area, then there's not a whole lot of diversity and you're not going to have very many different animals.

13:53

So, your invasive species activity for third grade is going to go along with the Next Generation Science Standard 3-LS1-1, which is: Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. So far, we've talked mostly about plants, but many invasive species have quick life cycles so that they can reproduce and spread at a faster rate than native species which often take longer to mature. And that's true as well for a lot of the invasive animals.

So, your third grade invasive species activity is to research the different life cycles of invasive exotic species in your area. The Sea lamprey here in Michigan has a very unique life cycle that children would find quite fascinating. If you're so inclined, you could have your students create an invasive exotic species brochure that introduces the animal or plant, their stages, and then it's up to you if you want to also include when it's best to harvest them in order to help reduce their population. That, in turn, would promote the growth of native species.

Sometimes it's during the larval stage, sometimes it's during the adult stage. Different invasive species should be harvested at different times in order for best success. However, this is a conservation topic that is up to your discretion whether or not you want to include.

15:18

All right, so your fourth grade invasive species activity goes along with the Next Generation Science Standard 4-LS1-1, and that's: To construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

So, invasive exotic species have adaptations that help them survive. A lot of them are unique.  So, your invasive species activity for fourth grade. is to have your students research a local invasive species to learn their internal and external adaptations that help them survive. Once they become familiar with those adaptations, have your students develop a superhero with powers that counteract the adaptations of their invasive species.

This will show their understanding, their ability to apply newly acquired information, and also critical thinking skills.  And if you're in a school that encourages STEAM, you could add some art into the equation by having your students create a comic strip with a select number of frames that illustrates their superhero thwarting their invasive species.

16:24

So, the 5th grade invasive species activity pairs with the Next Generation Science Standard 5-PS3-1, which is: Using models to describe that energy in animals food used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth was once energy from the sun.  So, the growth of invasive exotic species takes the space and resources from a lot of the native species.

And since most native species have not evolved to eat these exotic species means that they have the space to grow without predation, and their numbers can increase at an alarming rate, taking up more space and resources from our native species, and ultimately taking over a location. And this negatively affects the food web, which essentially creates a blockage in energy exchange.

Your invasive species activity is to go to an area where you have plants growing and look for evidence of plants that are being eaten. If you have a lot of plants with bites out of their leaves, they're likely native and are part of the food web. If you have a lot of plants that are undisturbed, they may be invasive exotics.

It could be worth taking pictures of the plant's leaves, stems, and flowers if you think that they're invasive exotics, and that could help you go back into the classroom and try to identify which plants aren't being eaten.  If you do find that they are invasive exotic species, your students could research how to remove them, and you could conduct an invasive species removal in your schoolyard to encourage biodiversity in your space again.

But if you want to skip the research part, as I mentioned before, you can get a hold of a local nature center or state or national park to see if one of the naturalists could give you suggestions on how to remove those species.

18:09

So, to recap, we have six different invasive species activities, one for each grade level K-5.

So, again, for kindergarten, you could play a game of tag where one round they are native species and the next round they're an invasive species.  First grade, you could collect invasive exotic species from your schoolyard and dissect them to try to figure out what the parent plants look like. Second grade, you can do a survey of your schoolyard looking for biodiversity within a small space.

Third grade, you could research different life cycles of invasive exotic species in your area and potentially turn it into a brochure.  Fourth grade, you could have your students do research on invasive species, specifically looking at their internal and external adaptations that help them survive, and then they get to create a superhero that would combat those invasive species.

And then 5th grade is going to go to an area and look at plants that are growing to see if they're being eaten or not. And then if they do find that they're not being eaten, you could potentially set up an invasive species removal project.

Thanks for taking time to listen today. I know you're busy, and the fact that you've chosen to spend your time listening to the podcast today is very humbling.

If you have any questions, wonderings, or anything else, you can get a hold of me on Instagram at naturally.teaching, or you can email me at victoria@naturallyteaching.com. I'll see you next time. And don't forget about the picture book giveaway.

To celebrate the launch of this podcast, I'm doing a picture book giveaway. I'm giving three people a physical copy of Worm Weather by Jean Teft, Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler, or Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. I'm also going to send an electronic copy of my coordinating picture book companions with science and ELA activities already ready to go.

And to enter this giveaway, all you have to do is write a review about Naturally Teaching Elementary Science on whichever podcast player you're listening on. Screenshot that review and then send it to me on Instagram or to my email. And for a bonus entry, take a screenshot of your favorite episode and share it on Instagram and tag me. Entries will be accepted until June 23rd, 2024, and winners will be notified shortly thereafter. So thanks again for joining me today.

And until next time, keep exploring, keep learning, and keep naturally teaching.

Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode of the Naturally Teaching Elementary Science Podcast. I hope you found it informative, inspiring, and full of actionable insights to enhance your science teaching journey.  Connect with me on social media for more updates, science tidbits, and additional resources.

You can find me on Instagram and Facebook at naturally. teaching. Let's continue the conversation and share our passion for elementary science education together. Don't forget to visit my website at naturallyteaching. com for all the show notes from today's episode.  If you enjoyed today's episode, please consider leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Your feedback helps me improve and reach more educators just like you. Thank you again for listening, and until next time, keep exploring, keep learning, and keep naturally teaching.