Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

35 minutes	Part B: Invasive Species on Lord Howe Island
60 minutes	Part C: Share The News
10 minutes	Reflection
20 minutes	Extension For Students Who Are Completing The Full Unit

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1. Begin this lesson by inviting students to complete a THINK PAIR SHARE around the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What are invasive species?
Suggested answer: An invasive species is an organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area. Invasive species can be plants, animals, and other living organisms (e.g., microbes).
Why might invasive species be a problem for our environment?
Suggested answer: Invasive species can cause all sorts of problems for our environment. Invasive species replace natural food sources in an environment and alter ecosystems. Some invasive animal species might eat other animals or eat native plants that native animals need. Invasive plant species grow where native plants should be, crowding out native plants and interrupting their reproductive cycles.
Can you think of any invasive animal species in your area?
Suggested answer: Some common invasive animal species in Australia include the rabbit, fox, camel, cane toad, cat, horses, common myna bird, honey bee, fire ant. (See here and here for more information.)
Can you think of any invasive plant species in your area?
Suggested answer: Depending on where you live, you might have some of the following invasive plant species: blackberries, salvation jane/Patterson's curse, broom, morning glory, lantana, prickly pear or ox-eye daisy. (See here for more information.)

Tip: You could quickly research some invasive species in your area and source some images of these species to share with students.

You can then invite students to share their ideas with the class, using the suggested answers above to clarify student understanding.

Part B: Invasive Species on Lord Howe Island

Step 1. Differentiation:

Where students have completed the previous lesson:
1. Invite students to return to their Lord Howe Island Library Padlet and to remind themselves of what they already know about the plants and animals on the island. Also, invite them to share anything they have already learned about invasive species on Lord Howe Island.
Where students haven’t completed the previous lesson:
1. Display a map of Australia on the board and direct students to Lord Howe Island. Invite students to share what they already know about this island.
2. Digitally distribute the Lord Howe Island - Overview Factsheet to students and invite them to work in pairs to read through the factsheet and to make note of any interesting details about invasive species on Lord Howe Island. They can record their ideas in the workbooks and then share these with the class. You can then explain to students that they will be exploring invasive species on Lord Howe Island in more detail over the course of the lesson.

Step 2. By now students should have an understanding of the most significant invasive species to threaten the environment on Lord Howe Island. You could share the following images with students and invite them to suggest what they are:

You can explain that image 1 shows the Ship Rat (Rattus rattus), and image 2 is of the House Mouse (Mus musculus). Together these are referred to as rodents and together they caused a lot of damage to the island.

Factcheck: What is a rodent? A rodent is a gnawing mammal of an order that includes rats, mice, squirrels, hamsters, and porcupines. They have strong incisors (front teeth) that are constantly growing but have no canine teeth.

Step 3. Explain to students that they will now work collaboratively to explore the impact of rodents on Lord Howe Island and what has been done to manage them.

Students will work from this case study: Lord Howe Island Eradication Program - Case Study

Case study analysis options: Select one, based on time available or age and ability -

Option A: Students could work in pairs or small groups to read through the case study together, pausing after each section to discuss and record answers to the questions provided. Groups can then pair up with another group to discuss, share and compare their answers - what was similar and what was different?
Option B: Break the class into 6 or 9 groups, assigning each group as a number 1, number 2 or a number 3. Invite each group to read the section of the case study that correlates with their groups' assigned number and answer the questions. Once complete, groups can team up with another group of a different number to discuss, share and compare the answers they recorded to their assigned questions. The aim here is for all students to understand the rodent eradication program on Lord Howe Island.

Extension: Students requiring extension could read through this article, summarising the article in less than 50 words and sharing their summaries with the class.

Step 4. After each group has had the chance to share and reflect on the case study and the answers to the questions, engage students in class discussion around the following questions:

What was the most interesting thing you learned through this case study?
What does this case study make you think about trying to remove invasive species in other places?

Part C: Share The News

Step 1. Explain to students that the story of the rodent eradication program is a great outcome for the precious ecosystems of Lord Howe Island, and the fact that it has been successful could be a great inspiration for other places who are wanting to remove invasive species.

Explain to students that they should create a poster that shares the story. The poster should include text and imagery that describes:

Details about Lord Howe Island, including where it is, why it is special and some of the native species of the island
Details about the rodent eradication program, including what was involved, why it happened and whether it was successful

Students could work independently or in pairs/small groups to create the poster.

Step 2. Each student/group who created a poster could team up with another student/group to share their posters. Students should provide feedback on each other's posters, remembering to be kind, helpful and specific. For example:

Be kind - It can be hard sharing your ideas with other people so make sure you remain kind and supportive
Be specific - Be clear about what you think and why. Rather than saying “I like the colours”, say something like “I like the way those colours help create a mood that supports your message”.
Be helpful - Try not to just say what is strong or weak, but also make suggestions about how things could be improved.

Extension: Where students have created a Lord Howe Island Library Padlet, they can photograph or scan their posters and upload to their Padlet.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to write a short piece that answers the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How important do you think it is for programs like the rodent eradication program on Lord Howe Island to have the support of the wider community? Explain your answer.

Extension For Students Who Are Completing The Full Unit

Invite students to access their own island. Students should think about the plants and animals on their island and what kinds of invasive species might threaten these species and the impacts these invasive species might have (for example, although the native animals are as big as dinosaurs, rabbits would eat all the grass that the native animals would normally eat).

Students should create a mind-map that describes the invasive species and the impacts they would have on their island. This could be an invasive species from the real world, such as rabbits or rodents, or it could be a made-up species that is particularly threatening to the made-up native species. Kind of like the activity from Lesson 2 but reverse, creating threatening species.

They could also think about what actions would need to be taken to remove the invasive species or prevent them from reaching the island. What kind of quarantine measures are in place to prevent these species from reaching the island in the first place? Fences at the docks, decontamination of boats. Taking what you know about what was successful on Lord Howe Island and applying the lessons to your own personal island.

Students should add their mind-map to their folder.

Teacher Reflection

Lord Howe Island - Invasive Species

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