A middle school educational program focused on Invasive Species and Seabirds will kick off this school year.

A new Invasive Species and Seabirds curriculum has been developed for middle schools and it’s free to all educators! The curriculum was developed with an eye towards rural island communities’ middle schools, but will be of interest to many natural sciences teachers around the world. Middle schools in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and the Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile are expected to integrate this curriculum into their classrooms this year for the first time ever. The Seabird Youth Network, Thalassa Education, and Coastal Conservation worked together with support from Island Conservation and other partners to develop this curriculum that focuses on native island wildlife and the threats of damaging invasive species. Island Conservation was proud to support the program by providing scientific expertise and by helping to spread the word about these great new educational tools.

The curriculum allows teachers to guide students in an exciting exploration of seabird biology, migration, concepts of biodiversity, ecosystems, sustainability, and stewardship. The program also focuses on how invasive species threaten biodiversity and the different ways people contribute to and combat the spread of invasive species. The curriculum includes case studies in the Pribilof and Juan Fernandez Islands, so it is of particular interest to those island communities. Yet, any classroom can enjoy taking an adventure to these remote islands as they explore the wonders of seabirds and how they’re impacted by dangerous introduced invasive species. A component of the curriculum also involves students in environmental stewardship within their communities.

The curriculum and supporting materials are available online for free to anyone who would like to use or reference them. While designed for middle school, they can be easily adapted for high school or elementary school.

The middle-school classroom activity package Invasive Species and Seabirds was developed by the Seabird Youth Network, Thalassa Education, Coastal Conservation, Island Conservation, Oikonos, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, the Ecosystem Conservation Office, Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, and the St. George Island Institute. Funding for the curriculum was provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Feature Image Curriculum illustration: Pink-footed Shearwater by Ram Papish