Weed Education Curriculum
      See weed education links below:

      I. Noxious Weed Research Paper- Cross curricula writing project, 7-12th grades.

      II. Spotted Knapweed Gall Fly Lab- Using the knapweed seed heads in your area to study a biological weed control agent (insect).  This lab can be modified to fit any grade level.

      III. Soil Seed Bank Lab- Introducing the concept of the soil seed bank with emphasis on noxious weeds.  This lab can be modified to fit any grade level.

      IV. Grow a Weed, Kill a Weed Lab- This lab studies plant growth and noxious weed control.  This lab can be modified to fit any grade level.

      V. Grow a Larvae Lab- Students learn about an insect (moth) life cycle and noxious weed control while growing a larvae.   This lab can be modified to fit any grade level.

      VI. Mass Rear Calophasia lunula larvae- Have your students mass rear the larvae of Calophasia lunula, a moth who's larvae defoliate the noxious weed Dalmatian toadflax, for release on the plant next spring.  This lab can be modified to fit any grade level.

      VII. Noxious Weed Control Internet Slide Show- An Internet slide show created by Whitehall High School students that is a good introduction to the concept of noxious weeds as a solvable problem, weed ID and weed control methods.  This can be used at any grade level.

      VIII. Create a Spotted Knapweed Insectary- a spring/summer/fall project to mass rear insects that attack spotted knapweed.  A project that includes students and may produce a summer job for a teacher and several students.

      IX. Individual Student Biological Control Agent Study- How to get biological weed control agents for your students and help them set up and carry out individual experiments/studies in the field.  These agents often become established and may become an effective part of the Integrated Pest (Weed) Management (IPM) in your area.

      X. How noxious weeds effect the food chain.

      XI. How noxious weeds effect the web of life.

      XII. Noxious weeds and biodiversity.

      XIII. Grow Cyphocleonus achates (the knapweed root boring weevil) on artificial growth media in the classroom- This is a work in progress as the University researchers who formulated the growth media, and the Bureau of Land Management (the agency supporting this effort), will get together with Mr. Breitenfeldt and some of his students in summer, 2003 to create a usable lab for mass rearing this useful knapweed root boring weevil in any classroom.  We hope to make this available to the public within one to two years.


      Weed education links:
      Townsend K-12 Noxious Weed Curricula - A developing set of curricula for all grade levels that match Montana State Content Standards.
      Alien Invasion - Plants On The Move Curricula - being field tested at this time.

      Montana Weed Awareness Campaign - Ed. & Weed Awareness Products.
      Teaching Resources K-12 - Center for Invasive Plant Management.
      BLM Weed Education
      Teaching Resources K-12 Curricula- A Teacher Curriculum about Noxious Weeds developed by Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
      The Purple Loosestrife Project
      California Department of Agriculture
      Global Environmental Change
      Illinois Natural History Survey
      National Biological Information Infrastructure
      Understanding Invasive Aquatic Weeds - for 5th grade level
      On Line Noxious Weed Fact Book  - Developed by Dr. Randy Westbrooks and the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW).
      Celebrating Wildflowers Coloring Books
      http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/  Celebrating Wildflowers, with coloring books and invasive weed info. 

      Weed education resources:
      The Montana Weed Project Teachers Handbook: sponsored by the Montana Energy Education Council and the Missoula County Conservation District. The curriculum was developed by REAP (Resource Education Awareness Project) and is an interdisciplinary environmental weed education curriculum for educators of 5th through 12th grade students. This innovative program is available through the Missoula County Conservation District.  There is a charge for mailing the curriculum.
                           Montana Weed Project
                           Missoula County Conservation District
                           3550 Mullan Road, Ste. 106
                           Missoula, Montana 59808-5125
                           Phone: (406) 829-3395


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