Use this article to find out how students at Kaniere School are helping scientists combat the spread of weeds. They’re using simple digital technology to identify the weeds and upload the information to a national database, iNaturalist. The article shows how students can use digital technology to become citizen scientists and act locally on a national issue.
Connected article: The war on weeds
An article in the 2018 level 2 Connected journal ‘Step By Step’ published by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
Photographs (top): 'The blue lupins', public domain; middle left by Lisa Bennett ,CC BY 4.0; Middle right © Pete Richman; Bottom © Murray Dawson/Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research; Background textures, public domain; Comic style frames by Aaron McKirdy, © Crown 2018.
The project demonstrates how classifying involves both careful observation and comparison and the importance of data collection to both identify and monitor issues.
The article offers suggestions on how other schools can join the war on weeds. This supports the science capability ‘Engage with science’.
Check your school library for the article from the 2018 level 2 Connected journal ‘Step By Step’ download it as a Google slide presentation from Tāhūrangi or order it from the Ministry of Education.
2018 Connected level 2 ‘Step By Step’
The cover of the 2018 level 2 Connected journal ‘Step By Step’ published by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand. This issue includes the articles Amazing algorithms, The war on weeds, Lighting the sky with Raspberry Pi and Animation creations.
Photo by Wield.
The teacher support material (TSM) can be downloaded from Tāhūrangi (Word and PDF files available). It includes the learning activities – Plant classifications, Join the fight! and Why the fuss? – along with related resource links.
Related content
The article Weeds and native ecosystems – a context for learning provides curriculum and pedagogical ideas for exploring this vexing topic.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment was concerned at the growing risk and the lack of a call to arms on the weed front. Learn about the investigative report that was commissioned to review weed management in New Zealand. Read about some of the findings and possible solutions from the report in Tackling weeds to safeguard native ecosystems.
Discover more about the uniqueness of New Zealand plants.
Watch this video to find out about pest plants within the Waikato River catchment.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment was concerned at the growing risk and the lack of a call to arms on the weed front. Learn about the investigative report that was commissioned to review weed management in New Zealand. Read about some of the findings and possible solutions from the report in Tackling weeds to safeguard native ecosystems.
Check out our entire range of Connected articles here. We’ve curated them by topic and concepts.
Activity idea
In Native plant leaves – DIY classification system, students get a taste of classification.
Citizen science
The number of opportunities to be involved as citizen scientists continues to grow, and teachers are increasingly using them to make science education more relevant and engaging and to develop students’ science capabilities. Explore the projects listed in the Citizen science section, including iNaturalist, to find one that sparks an interest or is local and see these tips for planning your science programme.
If you need more help or inspiration, see our recorded PLD webinars:
- Getting started with citizen science – this will help to make sense of the growing opportunities to engage with citizen science.
- Online citizen science – Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize winner Carol Brieseman shares her experiences using online citizen science projects in the classroom.
Useful link
The Connected journals can be ordered from the Down the Back of the Chair website. Access to these resources is restricted to Ministry-approved education providers. To find out if you are eligible for a login or if you have forgotten your login details, contact their customer services team on 0800 660 662 or email orders@thechair.education.govt.nz.
Acknowledgement
The Connected series is published annually by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
