Choose your Weapon
Summary
Students investigate and choose a biocontrol agent for a fictitious weed.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Explain how scientists find potential biocontrol agents.
- List 4 criteria for choosing biocontrol agents.
- Explain why careful selection of biocontrol agents is important.
Suggested prior lessons
- What is a weed?
- Cultivating weeds
Curriculum Connections
Science, levels 2-6
Vocabulary/Concepts
Biocontrol, biological control, biocontrol agent, ecology, organism, family, genus, parasitic, endangered, endemic, native
Time
1 – 1 ½ hours
Materials
- copies of The Scenario, Rules for Selecting Biocontrol Agents, Biocontrol agent clue cards, and Choose Your Weapon record sheet
- Video — Heather Beetle: a born killer