K-12 Resources

Provides general educational resources for students K-12 for invasive species. Refer to Outreach Tools for resources created to assist in increasing awareness of invasive species issues. See other sections for species specific information:

• Aquatic Species
• Plants
• Animals
• Microbes

General

• Federal Government
• State Government
• University/Academic
• Organizations
• General Educational Resources (non-invasive related)

Federal Government

ARS Launches Redesigned Kids Site (Jun 7, 2010)
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
Sci4Kids, an educational website operated by the Agricultural Research Service now has a new look and "feel." The website, which is primarily geared to youngsters aged 8-13, offers a "Teachers' Desk" loaded with classroom resources and activities designed to stimulate kids' learning about agricultural research. New features include: Images of Ag Research," a captioned slideshow depicting science in action, from a dive-bombing fly that's forcing fire ants to take cover, to parasitic tapeworms "pickled" in a jar.

Don't Let It Loose
DOI. NPS. Evergaldes National Park.
Aimed primarily at 7th and 8th grades, this activity guide encourages teachers to explore the role of introduced species in our natural ecosystems. Interactive games and classroom activities instill students with the importance of responsible pet selection and ownership.

Invasive Species - Learning Landscapes
DOI. Bureau of Land Management.

Invasive Species Knowledge Center - Teacher Resource Center
DOI. NPS. Biological Resource Management Division, Natural Resource Information Division.

Natural Inquirer / Invasive Species Edition
USDA. FS. Conservation Education.
The Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used with learners from grade 5 and up. The Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and
natural resource research conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These are scientific journal articles that have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities.
The goal of the Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while learning about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

Non-native Invasive Species Learning Kit
USDA. FS. Eastern Region.
Interactive Non-native Invasive Species learning kits are available to educate pre-school to adult groups about non-native invasive plants and animals.

West Nile Virus - Education: Training and Materials
DHHS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Government

Florida Agriculture and Non-native Species (PDF | 812 KB)
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Division of Aquaculture.

Idaho is Under Attack! Learn About Invasive Species That Threaten the State You Love (and have fun doing it!) (2012; PDF | 2.7 MB)
Idaho Department of Agriculture.
Activity book to help teach kids about Invasive Species in Idaho.

Invasive Species Education
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Activities and lesson plans geared toward pre-school through 12th grade learning and educator resources.

Nonindigenous Species Educational Programs and Resource Materials
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

University/Academic

Educators and IPM for Teachers Curriculum
Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; Pennsylvania IPM Program.

Elementary Urban IPM Curriculum
Michigan State University. Pesticide Education.

Exotic Species Compendium of Activities to Protect the Ecosystem (ESCAPE)
Illinios-Indiana College Sea Grant Program.
Includes a collection of activities developed from the Exotic Species Day Camp Project for Educators. This package includes 36 user-friendly sets of lessons that incorporate experiments, art, music and games.

Integrated Pest Management Curriculum for Connecticut
University of Connecticut. Integrated Pest Management.
Includes separate curriculum for Grades K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8.
These curricula are intended to illustrate the application of the science, math and language arts taught in our schools to solving the environmental and human health problems facing society and to introduce the concepts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to the younger generation.

Interactive Learning Module
University of Arizona. Office of Arid Lands Studies.
Why are invasives a problem? This learning module focuses on the information needs of non-professionals. Developed by the University of Arizona, School of Natural Resources and the Environment (formerly the Office of Arid Lands Studies) in cooperation with and support of NISIC.

Invasion Ecology (Oct 2002) and Invasive Species
Cornell University. Environmental Inquiry.
Published by: National Science Teachers Association Press.
Authentic Scientific Research for High School Students; consists of a student edition and teacher's guide designed to enable high school students to carry out authentic research.

Invasive Species 101
Oregon Sea Grant Extension. Watershed and Invasive Species Education.
Created by Oregon Sea Grant Extension WISE Program (Watershed and Invasive Species Education), this site is for those interested in invasive species education and raising awareness about invasive species in their local watershed. You will find many different kinds of invasive species projects from creative teachers and students that participate in the WISE Program, including lesson plans, power points, public outreach materials, and stewardship projects.

Nonindigenous Species Education
Louisiana Sea Grant.

Nonindigenous Species Activities for Youth (PDF | 650 KB)
Mississippi State University Extension Center. Coastal Research and Extension Center.

Organizations

Alien Invasion: Teaching Guide
Public Broadcasting Service. Scientific American Frontiers.

General Educational Materials (including Reports, Fact sheets, Posters, CD-ROM)
Illinios-Indiana College Sea Grant Program. Exotics on the Move.

Global Environmental Change: Introduced Species
National Science Teachers Association.
This book is the fourth installment in the Global Environmental Change series created by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency. The information and activities are written for grades 9-12. The book can be ordered online through NSTA.

K-12 Teaching and Learning Center (requires subscription)
K-12 Teaching and Learning Center.

Pushy Plants and Alien Animals: Invasive Species in North Carolina
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Real-life Aliens: Introduced Species (May 2002; PDF | 79 KB)
Actionbioscience.org.
Includes two original lessons for the high school to undergraduate level. Both lessons examine issues stemming from introduced and invasive species. Activities include gathering statistical information about local invasives and interviewing animal and plant inspection personnel at an international airport.

Strange Days on Planet Earth - For Educators
Public Broadcasting Service; National Geographic Society.
Provides learning resources for environmental educators, at locations such as environmental education camps, zoos and aquariums, parks and wildlife refuges, as well as middle-school classrooms. Services will be available for free online and will include an in-depth educators' guide, video clips, a glossary, interviews, printable educational materials, episode summaries, and weblinks. All of the activities are peer reviewed, correlated to national education standards and conform to the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Excellence in Environmental Education - Guidelines for Learning (K-12).

General Educational Resources (non-invasive related)

Elementary Schools
Elementary Schools.org.
List of all public elementary schools and private elementary schools within the country as well as various statistics.

High Schools
High-Schools.com.
Includes data on thousands of public and private high schools in the U.S. Extensive listing of high schools by city and state and school search tools. School data on each and every high school in the U.S., including enrollment and student/teacher ratios, as well as school address and contact information.

Statisical Abstract - Education
Census.gov.
Includes data primarily concerning formal education as a whole, at various levels, and for public and private schools. Data shown relate to the school-age population and school enrollment, educational attainment, education personnel, and financial aspects of education. In addition, data are shown for charter schools, computer usage in schools, distance education, and adult education.