Lesson Plan

National Park Legacy - Battle the Bully Plants and Conserve Water!
Grades 5 - 6

A ranger shows a student an invasive species found in a local stream.
Grade Level:
Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Subject:
Literacy and Language Arts,Math,Science
Lesson Duration:
60 Minutes
State Standards:
5-LS2-1.
MS-ESS3-4.
Thinking Skills:
Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Creating: Bring together parts (elements, compounds) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for NEW situations. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.

Essential Question

What are the impacts of invasive plants in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and what are water-saving landscaping options.

Objective

Students will review information on the Nature Neighbor web site about invasive plants.
Students will understand the impacts of invasive plants in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Students will learn about the role explore water-saving landscaping options.

Background

  1. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area comprises a unique Mediterranean- typical ecosystem which is found in just five places on earth. The climate and coastal conditions allow diverse wildlife to live in twelve specific plant communities. A threat to Santa Monica Mountains’ biodiversity is the spread of invasive plants, which were planted historically for slope erosion control, visual screens in open areas, roadway beautification, and neighborhood landscaping. While commonly called “weeds” or “bully” plants, invasive plants are defined as non-native plants that originated outside of California and compete with the native plant species for food, water and space.
  2. The National Park Service serves as a steward of the nation’s natural resources and its mission is to protect and restore ecosystems for every generation to enjoy. NPS Invasive Plant Management Teams have been established across the country. In 2017 1.4 million acres of national park units were identified as infested with invasive plants. Invasive plants have been described by NPS as a major factor in ecosystem instability.
  3. A local NPS initiative, SMMNRA Nature Neighbor Project, seeks to inform people living adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains about coexisting so that balanced ecosystems can be maintained and less urban impact on habitats will result. One Nature Neighbor goal is “Use non-invasive plants to landscape one’s yard.” When non-native seeds/plant materials are dispersed into natural areas, beneficial plants are crowded out, thicker plant growth prevents wildlife access to their water and nesting sites, root systems deplete limited water supplies, and food resources for wildlife is reduced. 
  4. Landscaping yards has many benefits. Shade trees can help cool homes. Insects, birds, reptiles and small mammals are provided food and shelter. In an urban setting, landscaped yards are green oases for relaxation and recreation. SMMNRA Nature Neighbor Project suggests native plant options for landscapes near natural areas. Native plants can generally resist weather challenges, require no fertilizer or pesticide and attract wildlife. Most importantly, plants native to Southern California are adapted to drought conditions and water is California’s most prized natural resource. Agriculture accounts for 77% of California’s total water use, and landscaping is the second largest category of water use at 9%.

Preparation

  1. Cut the base off a bunch of celery 2-3 inches from the bottom, keeping the stalks intact. Place in a shallow bowl filled with one inch of water. If possible place in a sunny location. Celery shoots will grow from center, and the whole base can be planted in shallow soil if desired. This investigation models the species of invasive plants that reproduce when any plant part is washed to a new moist location.
  2. Download a blackline master of a “wanted” poster either using the template provided or using a preferred site like www.pinterest.com. Label/identify three categories: Description, Where It Grows, Ecosystem Bully, and allow space for a sketch of an invasive plant. Students can hand label the categories if preferred.
  3. The Invasive Weed Field Guide lists grasses, herbs/forbs, and trees/shrubs identified by NPS Ecologists to negatively impact regional ecosystems. Students use this resource 1) to initially choose a regional invasive plant of concern and 2) to determine which main ideas to incorporate into their “Unwanted” poster designs.
  4. The Plant Right website (see procedure) is designed to promote noninvasive landscape plant suggestions for Californians. Suggested alternatives are listed for historically planted nonnative plants. Economic and ecological consequences caused by each invasive plant in California are described and students will reference information specific to the plant they choose for their “Unwanted “poster.
  5. The American Society of Landscape Architects, Inc created two demonstration landscaped front yards in side by side homes in Santa Monica, California. One yard was planted and maintained traditionally with lawn and common exotic plants. The second yard was planted with native plants. The project goal was to encourage sustainable landscape choices and show visually the environmental/resource requirement benefits of native plant use. Students will discuss statistics and create comparison graphs of water usage, manhour needs, and yard waste generated in the two yards.

Materials

Optional 'Wanted" poster template.

Download Wanted Poster Template

Lesson Hook/Preview

Neighboring Landscaping can Benefit Santa Monica Mountains Ecology.


Two 60-minute lessons.

Procedure

 

  1. Watch (1:56) YouTube selection: UC Davis Newswatch: Invasive Plants
  2. Discuss the phrase, “Don’t plant a pest. If you give them an inch, they will take an acre.”
  3. Allow students to share experiences they have had with landscaping, removing unwanted plants, observations of wildlife on native plants, etc.

Day One, 60-minutes

Introduce the lesson by asking students to list components of a nearby Santa Monica Mountains/ foothill ecosystem. Pair students and ask them to discuss, then share aloud, samples of foothill webs of life. Explain that NPS scientists are concerned about invasive/bully plants that are negatively affecting those SMM webs of life. Show the Nature Neighbor Santa Monica Mountains link which explains what invasive plants are, why biologists are concerned, and how these plants get into the SAMO habitats.

(optional) Students may be intrigued about the ways nonnative plants “escape” landscaping and begin growing in nearby natural areas. See the procedure listed above in “Lesson Preparation” to sprout a “new” celery from a plant part. Some bully plants simply need to have a small plant part washed away in rain and urban runoff water to be newly established. Other invasive plants get established in natural areas through seed dispersal. Ask students to share experiences they have had when seeds “hitchhiked” on their clothing and show the videos from Play Clean Go that shows how recreational activities can inadvertently spread unwanted plant seeds. (mountain biking) (trail running)

Students design an “Unwanted Poster” to model the negative impact of a SMMNRA invasive plant on natural areas and discourage its use in landscaping. See “Lesson Preparation” above.

Explain that “Wanted” posters typically show images of criminals and are used when law enforcement seeks identification help from the public. The invasive plant “Unwanted” poster can give information to the school community about “criminal” plants ecologists seek to remove!

Refer students to SAMO’s Invasive Weed Field Guide to choose a plant of concern and gather the main ideas to include on their posters.

Information for the poster’s three research categories- description, where it grows, and ecosystem bully- and a sketch of the plant can be found in the weed guide.

Students can often find additional photos and environmental impact information for their posters using the website https://plantright.org which was established specifically to help Californians choose noninvasive plant alternatives when landscaping. Once a student chooses a plant: example- giant reed, information on the website can be obtained using the scientific name: example- https://plantright.org/invasive/arundo-donax/ 

Encourage students to display completed posters in school common areas and/or arrange for students to summarize the main ideas of the harm the invasive plant causes in SMMNRA ecosystems by hosting a gallery tour for other classes.

Day Two, 60-minutes

Ask students to identify what natural resources human populations use in daily living. Water, air, sunlight, soil, fossil fuels are common examples. Remind students that drinking water for Southern Californians travels hundreds of miles before reaching homes. Water might be considered the most precious resource! Explain that water for plant life is scarce as well because of the Mediterranean climate and frequent drought patterns. Ask students to use their “Unwanted “posters to name examples of invasive plants they researched that rob precious water from native plants. Show students the following slides and video giving examples that consider low water needs of plants while landscaping and the importance to lessen the impact on natural resources-especially in urban areas.

These slides describe native gardens created at a high school in Southern California, where hand watering was only required for 6-8 months after planting.

“The Clean Water Act and our Backyards.”
This 25:57 minute video describes the challenges in maintaining clean water in the 109 square mile Malibu Creek Watershed at the heart of SMMNRA. Video time stamps from 5:40 to 6:27 describe the process of “wild scaping” yards- removing high water usage lawns and replacing them with native plants that have lower water needs and require no fertilizer that wash nutrients into the watershed.

 

Explain to the students that the city of Santa Monica grew two demonstration gardens at side by side homes- one with traditional landscaping, and one with native landscaping. Ask students to make a T table to compare resources used for each garden (Traditional, Native) Use information described on the 8 slides here, paying close attention to landscape water requirements.

  1. Some note taking examples follow:
    • Slide 6) native yard walkways made of porous material to eliminate water runoff.
    • Slide 5) traditional yard needs fertilizer and those nutrients wash into local habitats in stormwater.
    • Slide 4) native yard has drip irrigation for each plant needs and system adjusts to change in weather.
    • Slide 3) traditional yard sprinklers send equal amount of water to all plant types; water evaporates.
    • Slide 2) residents can compare yards visually, and track maintenance costs such as water use.
    • Slide 1) traditional yard requires constant watering and lawn mower contributes to air pollution.
  2. Slide 7) native yard provides habitat for wildlife; helps stabilize ecosystems in urban area.
  3. Slide 8) 4 year data shows 77% less water required to maintain native yard.

 

Discuss the 4 year statistics with students and the data on slide 8, which refers to the resource use 2004-2005. Ask students to transfer the 2004-2005 data listed on the pictograph into percentage of resource used by each yard. Key: Traditional yard-90% of water resource, 73% of yard waste, 84% of man hours. Native yard-10% of water resource, 27% of yard waste, 16% of man hours. Finally, ask students to construct and label a bar graph showing the 2004-2005 percentage of resource use. Explain to students that the Santa Monica demonstration yard project is a model on a small scale that NPS Ecologists use when monitoring ecosystem changes: statistical comparisons of natural resources use- such as water- with invasive plants and native plants.

Vocabulary

  1. Biodiversity-biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.
  2. Invasive plant-plant growing in a place that is not the location of its natural occurrence.
  3. Native plant- plant growing/occurring naturally in a specific region or environment.
  4. Coexist-species living in the same general area sharing natural resources.
  5. Landscape-planting and maintenance of plants around houses intended to add beauty, shade and erosion control.

Assessment Materials

"Unwanted” poster of a Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Invasive Plant

Have students create a wanted posted of an invasive plant species that they have learned about.

  1. The students complete an interpretive poster modeling the negative impacts invasive plants can cause in regional ecosystems. Completed posters should include a sketch and description of the plant, where it grows, and a summary of the ways that it impacts established webs of life- which identify it as an “ecosystem bully.”
  2. It may help students who have difficulty visualizing the changes that invasive plant species can make in an ecosystem to watch this 10:03-minute high school science video project, “Imposters--Invasive Species in California.”
    1. The video features NPS Restoration Ecologist Irina Irvine answering questions and pointing out examples of environmental impact in the field.

Additional Resources

  1. Students may have an interest in invasive species that impact ecosystems on a global level. They can access additional photos and broader environmental impact information by entering their chosen plant name followed by the word “datasheet” using the global invasive species database.  
  2. CABI, Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International also has multimedia resources on their website that introduce students to invasive pests, etc. that devastate crop growth and impact global food security.
  3. The National Park Service has established The Invasive Plant Program--a nationwide center located in Colorado that is dedicated to managing ecosystem instability caused by bully plants. Students can read updates from the 17 Exotic Plant Management Teams currently doing “boots on the ground” fieldwork. Readers learn about Kudzu, referred to as “The Plant That Ate the South!” and countless others.
  4. The National Park Foundation sponsored the development of a curriculum unit at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan entitled Wildlife Management Activity Guide for Teachers. One lesson plan, “The Deadly Plant Invaders Game,” is a role-play field game where students learn how invasive plants compete with native plants for water, space, and minerals. 

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Last updated: January 20, 2022