The Attack of the Forest Eating Plants in the Bronx

Kerry Mitchell

The School For Community Research and Learning

Kermitche7@aol.com

INTRODUCTION

Whilst walking through the Bronx River Park, some very important visitors; former president Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder and CEO Bill Gates along with Russell Simmons were observing the landscape. Mr. Simmons noticed that the majority of the trees that grew along the river looked the same and brought this to the attention of his companions. Mr. Clinton who knew something about plants knew that these plants were not native to the Bronx River Park: While he was a student in high school, he learnt that the trees indigenous to the Bronx River were primarily Oaks, Sycamores, Maples, Willows and Sumacs. Mr. Clinton also knew the name of the plants to be Japanese Barberry, also known as Berberis Thunbergii and Tree of Heaven – Alantis Alltisima . Mr. Gates, Mr. Simmons and Mr. Clinton are all interested in restoring the native plants that originally inhabited the Bronx River back to this landscape. Therefore, they’ve appointed you as investigators; your job is to find out the factors that have contributed to this plant being so prolific to this section of the Bronx River and to come up with a plan to eradicate it from the landscape of the park forever.

TASK

You will be working in groups of four to determine why these plants, Japanese Barberry and Tree of Heaven, are such invasive plants. In addition to being an investigator, you will also serve as advisors to the board of directors that will include such members as Mr. Clinton, Mr. Gates and Mr. Simmons. As an advisor to the board, you will make available plans, which you’ve created as a group, that explain how the plants became invasive and how they can be removed from along the Bronx River. Your group is responsible for a five-minute oral presentation. In this production, you are expected to use tables, charts, photographs and film (optional). A 3 to 5 page paper must be written; it must be double-spaced; type written; it must include charts and graphs; a cover page and a citation of the sources used to complete this report.

PROCESS

To complete this project, you will be working in groups of four. Among yourselves you will decide the following roles: researcher, recorder, timekeeper and presenter. You will follow the public policy analysis doing the first six steps. In order to complete this task, you must go to the following links; http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tipps/welcome.html.

Define the problem worksheet1.doc

Gather the evidence worksheet2.doc

Identify the causes of the problem worksheet3.doc

Evaluating existing public policies worksheet4.doc

Developing public policy solutions worksheet5.doc

Developing the best public policy worksheet6.doc

Keep the following questions in mind while doing your research!

What makes a plant invasive?

What are some common characteristics of invasive plants?

Where are the plants from originally?

How did they arrive in the United States?

Under what conditions do these plants grow best?

How do these plants reproduce?

When do they reproduce?

Does the plant have an advantage because of the time in which they reproduce? If yes, explain what the advantage is.

What are some methods used to control the growth of these invasive species?

What are some suggestions for keeping these plants from being invasive?

RESOURCES

http://www.bbg.org/sci/nymf/encyclopedia/contents.htm

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/ailanthus_altissima.html

http://seedlings.com/seeds/ailanthis-tree-of-heaven_100.shtml

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/aial1.htm

http://www.healthyroads.com/mylibrary/data/pdr/htm/102780.asp

http://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/Sheets/trees/T%20Tree%20Heaven.htm

http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/documnts/ailaalt.html

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/forestupdate/Articles/bigstink.htmhttp://omega.cc.umb.edu/~conne/jennjim/ailanthus.html

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/invasive/factsheets/barberry.htm

http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/berbthun.html

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/2504.htm

EVALUATION

Oral Presentation Rubric

Your Name: _________________ Group Topic: __________________________

Group Members: ___________________________________________________

Oral Presentation Rubric

Oral Presentation Rubric	Possible Points	Self-Assessment	Teacher Assessment
Provided depth in coverage of topic.	10
Presentation was well planned and coherent.	10
Presenters were models of thoughtfulness. Personal experience integrated where relevant and appropriate. Explanations and reasons given for conclusions.	10
Communication aids were clear and useful. Handout was useful for others interested in topic.	10
Bibliographic information for others was complete.	10
Total Possible Points	50

Rate each category according to the following scale: 9-10 = excellent, 7-8 = very good, 5-6 = good, 3-4 = satisfactory, 1-2 = poor and 0 = unsatisfactory.

Oral Presentation Rubric

Name: ______________________________
Date: _______________
Class: ________________________________________

Grade	4	3	2	1
Content	An abundance of material clearly related to thesis; points are clearly made and all evidence supports thesis; varied use of materials	Sufficient information that relates to thesis; many good points made but there is an uneven balance and little variation	There is a great deal of information that is not clearly connected to the thesis	Thesis not clear; information included that does not support thesis in any way
Coherence and Organization	Thesis is clearly stated and developed; specific examples are appropriate and clearly develop thesis; conclusion is clear; shows control; flows together well; good transitions; succinct but not choppy; well organized	Most information presented in logical sequence; generally very well organized but better transitions from idea to idea and medium to medium needed	Concept and ideas are loosely connected; lacks clear transitions; flow and organization are choppy	Presentation is choppy and disjointed; does not flow; development of thesis is vague; no apparent logical order of presentation
Creativity	Very original presentation of material; uses the unexpected to full advantage; captures audience's attention	Some originality apparent; good variety and blending of materials/media	Little or no variation; material presented with little originality or interpretation	Repetitive with little or no variety; insufficient use of multimedia
Material	Balanced use of multimedia materials; properly used to develop topic; use of media is varied and appropriate	Use of multimedia not as varied and not as well connected to topic	Choppy use of multimedia materials; lacks smooth transition from one medium to another; multimedia not clearly connected to topic	Little or no multimedia used or ineffective use of multimedia; imbalance in use of materials—too much of one, not enough of another
Speaking Skills	Poised, clear articulation; proper volume; steady rate; good posture and eye contact; enthusiasm; confidence	Clear articulation but not as polished	Some mumbling; little eye contact; uneven rate; little or no expression	Inaudible or too loud; no eye contact; rate too slow/fast; speaker seemed uninterested and used monotone
Audience Response	Involved the audience in the presentation; points made in creative way; held the audience's attention throughout	Presented facts with some interesting "twists"; held the audience's attention most of the time	Some related facts but went off topic and lost the audience; mostly presented facts with little or no imagination	Incoherent; audience lost interest and could not determine the point of the presentation
Length of Presentation	Within two minutes of allotted time +/–	Within three minutes of allotted time +/–	Within four minutes of allotted time +/–	Too long or too short; five minutes above or below the allotted.

Written Report Rubric         Name: ___________

Criteria	Needs Developing 1	Developing 2	Competent 3	Highly Competent 4
Focus-Content (Addressing the question)	Written response is confusing and needs more information	Ideas are scattered and need further development	Developed ideas and essentially accurate information	Sophisticated, substantial, well-developed ideas
Organization (Overall order, flow, and transitions)	Details and examples show confused organization; hard to follow	Details and examples show incorrect organization	Information in logical order with paragraphs and transitions	Information is presented in effective order; paragraphs and transitions help paper flow smoothly
Introduction	Introductory paragraph is not apparent	Introductory paragraph is vague	Introductory paragraph contains a focus	Introductory paragraph has a sharp, distinct focus
Conclusion	Concluding paragraph is not apparent	The closing paragraph attempts to summarize and draw a conclusion	The closing paragraph summarizes and draws a conclusion	The closing paragraph summarizes and draws a clear and effective conclusion
Style/Voice	Lack of sentence and word choice variety	Limited sentence variety and word choice	Some precision and variety in sentence structure and word choice apparent	Precision and variety in sentence structure and word choice are apparent
Conventions	Repeated weaknesses in mechanics and usage interfere with writer's purpose	Mechanical and usage errors somewhat interfere with writer's purpose	Some mechanical and usage errors	Contains few mechanical and usage errors
Sources	Insufficient resources are used	One appropriate source used	Two or more appropriate sources are used	Three or more well chosen sources are used
Bibliography	Bibliography is flawed; proper form not used	Correct bibliography attempted	Correct bibliography; minor errors	Correct bibliography

Standards

SCEINCE

S2b. Demonstrate understanding of biological evolution.

S2e.Demonstrate understanding of evolution, diversity, and adaptation of organisms.

S2f. Demonstrate understanding of behavior of organisms.

S5c. Uses evidence from reliable sources to develop descriptions, explanations and

models; and makes appropriate adjustments and improvements.

S5e. Identifies problems; proposes and implements solutions; and evaluates the

accuracy, design, and outcomes of investigations.

S5f. Works individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.

S6d. Acquires information from multiple sources.

ELA

E1c Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2e Produce a persuasive essay.

E3c Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

CONCLUSION

After completing this web quest, students should come to a better understanding of the effects of non-native species have on the natural landscape of their neighborhoods. They will know how to recognize non-native species and the steps to take so as to eradicate them from their neighborhoods. They should also understand what the public policies are for dealing with species foreign to the United States.