Topic: Invasive species of Pakistan
Level: Lower Secondary classes (VI-VIII) and higher secondary classes (IX-X)
Time: 40-45 minutes (three classes)
Subject: Science, Social studies

Resources: Black board, chalks, books, magazines, leaflets, pamphlets, website on invasive species of Pakistan and other Internet resources.

Visits: Visit to areas where invasive species and its properties can be observed A visit can also be arranged to zoological survey department, wild life department of respective provinces. It can also include visits to the Botany departments and other institutions working about the flora of Pakistan.

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson the students will be able to:

Knowing:

• Know the difference between alien invasive specie and alien non invasive species
• Know the details about the alien invasive species of Pakistan
• Discuss the properties and impacts of alien invasive species on the native species
• Identify the sources and impacts of invasive species.
• Know and understand the work of different organisations working on the flora and fauna of Pakistan.
• Highlight the different sources for collecting information about various issues in Pakistan.

Doing:

• Collect information about the Invasive species of Pakistan through different sources such as library research (books, magazines, pamphlets, internet), visits to different institutions such as the Wild life Department
• Develop skills to extract information from various sources
• Make and deliver presentations about the different Invasive species of Pakistan
• Think of different suggestions for avoiding invasion
• Visit different institutions working on the flora and fauna of Pakistan

Feeling:

• Appreciate the creation of God and the benefits extended to human beings
• Become sensitive to the impacts of invasive species on our environment
• Feel the importance of maintaining and keeping indigenous species
• Feel concern about the species becoming extinct by the invasive species.

Presentation of Lesson:

Motivation:

Teacher can start the lesson by asking students about the feeling of having a secure home and the importance of having a safe territory of one’s own. The discussion can then proceed by asking the following questions:

• What will happen or what do you feel when there is no security at your place?
• How does one feel when one is forced to leave his/her native space?
• What happens when native people leave their place and foreigners occupy it?

The above mentioned questions will help students to feel and think about the feeling of loosing a secure and safe territory of one’s own and captivating the place by the foreigners.

Development of the lesson:

The teacher can now relate the thinking and feeling of the insecurity and homelessness with that of other life forms on this earth. During this discussion teacher can ask students about the territory occupied by different plants and animals such as some plants are desert specific (cactus), water specific (water lily), animals also have their own habitat such as fish lives in water and monkey on branches. Teacher can also discuss the properties of each species which make them fit for their habitat.

Then a discussion can be initiated about the flora and fauna of specific places or countries. The discussion can contain following questions or the teacher can bring pictures of these animal and plants and then ask about their native places:

• Where does Kiwi belong?
• Where does Kangaroo belong?
• Where does the Eucalyptus belong?
• Where does the Indus dolphin belong?

Teacher can take the discussion forward to the reason, which makes certain plants and animals, specific to certain places or countries. The discussion can also include the reasons for certain plant and animals to become indigenous (local, native or domestic) to certain areas such as the Indus Dolphin, which is only found in the River Indus, It is blind and can survive in the muddy waters of the River Indus.

Teacher can then discuss the impact of bringing a plant or animal specie to an area, which is not native to that specie. In this connection teacher can discuss the impacts of invasive species in Pakistan. Here the teacher can highlight that alien species are not always a threat it is when an alien specie starts outgrowing the native species and cause harm to them. The discussion can include the following questions:

• Can you highlight some animals or plant species, which is not native to Pakistan?
• What happens when alien specie comes to an area?
• What happens when alien specie is not invasive?
• How does it impact the local or native species?

This discussion can also relate the above situations with examples of invasion by foreigners in somebody’s house.

Home assignments/home fun:

Here teacher can finish the classroom discussion and ask the students to collect information about the invasive species of Pakistan from the books, Internet, journals, magazines, articles, newspapers. Student can be asked to talk to their parents, relatives and other people in community about the invasive specie and gather information from these sources. Teacher can also plan a visit to Zoological Survey department, Wild life departments and the Botany departments for collecting information, talking and meeting to the teachers and scientists working on the flora and fauna of Pakistan.

Session II:

Teacher can start this session by dividing the students into groups and asking them to put the collected information in the following table:

Then the teacher will ask the students to present their findings to the whole class. These presentations can follow a thorough discussion on how alien species can become invasive and its impacts on the local species and environment. Teacher can explain the difference between specie, which is alien, and non invasive and a specie which is alien and invasive as well.

Conclusion:

While concluding the lesson teacher can take reflections from children about the concept of invasive species. S/he can also ask students to share their feelings about the invasion of alien species such as:

• How alien invasive species impact native species and how do you feel about this impact?
• What can be done to avoid invasion?

Home fun/assignments:

Teacher can ask the students to talk about their presentations and the class discussions with their family members. Students can also be encouraged to share feedback and additional information provided by their families with the class.

Brief description about the terms used:  

Alien non-invasive species:

Species imported accidentally or brought deliberately to an area where they adapt themselves but donot proliferate or harm other the species living in that area

Alien invasive species:

Specie imported accidentally or brought deliberately to an area where they not only adapt themselves but also proliferate at an accelerating rate by competing with the native species for food and place. Many times these species cause the extinction of native species.