• Would the species share a similar food or shelter source?
• Would the two species have a predator/ prey relationship?
The teacher then sets a timer for two minutes. During this time, students ask their partner questions (below) about their species to help identify connections. Encourage the students to use the record sheet (provided at end of document) to record responses. Students could be directed before the activity starts to ask questions such as the following:
• What is the name of your species? • Is your species a plant or animal? • What time of day is it most active? • What does your species eat?
After the two minutes is up, the outer cir- cle rotates to their right so that its mem- bers are each facing a new partner. The teacher begins the two-minute timer, and students continue the process again. The rotation continues until those in the outer circle are facing their original partners.
Blue Jays
Post-speed-dating discussion Time: 15 minutes
The teacher directs the students into a large group for a discussion and asks them to share any interesting facts that they have learned about any of the species. When students are done sharing their fun facts, the teacher asks them to share any of the connections that they have made between their assigned species and others. If students need help, a poll can be taken to see how many students came across either their species’ predator or prey. This can open up the discussion to the concept that each species depends on another one for survival. Here are two of the many potential connections:
• The predator-prey relationship between Eastern Cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) and Coyote (Canis latrans) — Without Eastern Cottontails, Coyotes would lose a food source.
• Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) depend on Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) as a nectar source. They also use the plant for its ability to attract small insects and spiders, another food source that hummingbirds sometimes need.12
Next, the teacher starts a discussion about similarities between some of the species about which the students have learned. The teacher should use guiding questioning to direct the students towards the understanding that each animal is from the same area. For example, Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) and Crayfish (Decapoda sp.) both reside in freshwater lakes around Ohio.13
This
will start the conversation about native species. After the students have discovered that all of the animals are from the same area, the teacher will share that this means that all of the species they have just discussed are native to their local environment. Using the information gained from the activity and discussion, the teacher can work with the students to come up with a defi- nition of biodiversity. The teacher should direct students to end up with something similar to the above-mentioned definition:
• Biodiversity: Biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals3
Invasive species match game Time: 15 minutes
Students are shown cards that are set up the same way as the cards they viewed in the first activity. However, these new cards have invasive species on them. The invasive species shown are as follows:
• Japanese Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica • Asian Long-horned Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis • Common/European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris • Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis • Creeping Thistle, Cirsium arvense • Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar dispar These invasive species were picked due to their likelihood of being spotted in a local park (though this can be tricky with the
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