Invasive Species Lesson Plan: Ecosystems

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Invasive Species Lesson Plan. 

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic, Invasive Species, and addresses the standard of evaluating how biological or physical components impact populations within an ecosystem. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

• Display the word “invade.” 
• Ask students what comes to mind when they hear this word. Prompt them to use examples to illustrate their thinking. 

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read aloud the description on the Invasive Species topic page.
• Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
• Assign Related Reading. Have students read one of the articles. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.
  

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign the Invasive Species Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about invasive species while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

• Make-a-Movie: Create a public service announcement that explains the impact of invasive species on ecosystems. In your PSA, answer this question: What are some ways to reduce the effects of invasive species on an ecosystem?
• Make-a-Map: Make a cause and effect concept map that analyzes the impact of an invasive species on an ecosystem. Identify the specie’s effects on existing interspecies relationships, as well as the ecosystem’s populations and biodiversity. 
• Creative Coding: Code a newscast that headlines the arrival of an invasive species into a local ecosystem.

More to Explore

Food Fight Game: Students apply understanding of ecosystems by creating food webs that increase species’ population.

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of ecosystems with these topics: Ecosystems, Food Chains, and Energy Pyramid. 

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas. 
• Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.