Taking Action, Together

AIM teachers were challenged to quickly digest the week's concepts and translate their learning to standards-aligned lesson plans for their local freshwater, marine, or wetland system. Plans were developed collaboratively and easily shared using the takeAIM wiki.

On the final afternoon of the Institute, teams presented an impressive suite of 7 lesson plans, each with its own twist. The diversity, creativity, sophistication, and energy behind these plans proved to us all that invasive species ecology can provide a rich and relevant context for teaching and learning fundamental science concepts.











Will these native songbirds survive the introduction of sparrows to their "MnM" habitat?

So, let's think ahead 3 months. To September. To the time when these 14 AIM teachers will give these ambitious plans some wings in classrooms across Maine. Students will be peering through the lens of invasive species to learn about biodiversity, geologic history, ecological changes through time, interspecies competition, shipping routes and methods, local food webs, cultural connections, current events, service learning,.... They will think like scientists. They will be connected to their local communities. They will have dirt under their fingernails and important stories to tell. Just like us.