Invaders activity - fifth grade

1. Invaders!
Based on an Activity from Project Wet
Fifth Grade

2. Lesson Goal
Students will learn what aquatic invasive species are
Students will simulate a competition for habitat and resources
Students will analyze the data

3. Materials
Construction paper: 23 blue 28 red
Outdoor space
Sticky notes: Yellow Blue Red
Notebook and pencil for teacher

4. Set Up
Round 1-3, students were divided into two types of fish (light blue/ dark blue sticky
notes)
We learned that both blue-type fish species compeed for the same food and living
space, symbolized by 24 blue sheets
We played three rounds of “finding a blue space” to live in
Data was collected after every round
Students who could not find a blue square changed their sticky note, symbolizing
that more of the other species survived

6. Our Data
No invaders!
Round Blue in/out Blue total Yellow in/out Yellow total
0 na 12 na 12
1 1/4 9 4/1 15
2 3/2 10 2/3 14
3 1/4 13 4/1 11

8. Partner Talk
Students figured out that even though some fish lost their lives, in the end the
numbers almost equaled out
“Numbers went up and down”
“When there were more of one type, more died”

10. The Change
Class discussion:
“What is an invasive species?”,
“Where do they come from?”
“How do they get there?”
“What do blue/yellow and red
compeed for?”
Change in the simulation:
5 blue sheets were exchanged
for red
blue / yellow species “swam” on
the outside
Red species swam closer to the
game center

12. Invaders!
Round Blue in/out Blue total Yellow
in/out
Yellow
total
Red in/out Red total
0 na 8 na 11 na 5
1 0/2 6 1/2 10 3/1 8
2 0/2 4 0/3 7 5/0 13
3 0/4 0 0/6 1 10/0 23
4 0/0 0 0/1 0 1/0 24

16. Partner Talk
Since “red fish” could live in blue and red spaces, they had more choices to live
Since “red fish” were closer to the center, they picked the best spots
The invasive species was very “strong” (aggressive) when taking over the living
space
After the second round there were more red than blue and yellow together
“Yellow and blue did not have a fair chance”

17. Class Discussion
What was the impact on the Ecosystem by introducing the “red fish”?
How can this happen? (connection to LA story in EEI “Water on Earth”)
How can we prevent invasive species? Do we need to prevent them?

18. Return to the Food Web
We then brought back our experience to a reteach lesson on the food web
We looked at the impact of the extinction of one species on the whole food web