A WebQuest for Middle School Life Science Students

by Karla Kingsley

No, UFOs have not taken over the islands of Hawaii.  But Hawaii's plants and animals are under attack from foreign invaders.  In this WebQuest, you will look at how these visitors are causing the decline, and even extinction, of many native plant and animal species in Hawaii.

The silent invasion of ecosystems by animals, insects, disease organisms, weeds, and other pests is the single greatest threat to Hawaii's economy and natural environment and to the health and lifestyle of Hawaii's people. Pests already cause millions of dollars in crop losses, the extinction of native species, the destruction of native forests, and the spread of disease. But many more harmful pests now threaten to invade Hawaii and wreak further damage. Even one new pest could forever change the character of the islands. Stopping the influx of new pests and containing their spread is essential to Hawaii's future well-being.

The Quest:  In this WebQuest, you will examine the damage being done by "introduced species" to native species of plants and animals in Hawaii, the United States, and throughout the world.  You will explore ways to save native species of plants and animals, prevent further damage by harmful "non-indigenous species", and investigate ways to increase public awareness about this important issue.

Before starting work on this WebQuest, it may be useful for you to review some vocabulary specific to the subject of biodiversity and ecology.  Click here to go to a glossary of terms on the Web.  Some of the concepts you might look up are : ecosystem, carrying capacity, non-renewable resources, biodiversity, species, extinct, threatened, endangered, food chain, food web.

Attention: Your problem solving skills and good judgment are needed. The class will divide into groups to do research, discuss problems and possible solutions, and create a project.  Each group will consist of three or more members who will work together to try and determine the best approach for ensuring the survival of Native Hawaiian species. 

In the first phase of the task,  group members will assume different roles to examine the impact of the feral pig, an introduced animal, on the native Hawaiian plant and animal species.   Several questions will arise during the process of researching this topic, and these will be debated within your group.  After examining, discussing, and reaching a consensus on the issue of the feral pig,  group members will examine other endangered species in Hawaii.  The reasons for their endangerment, the impact of their possible extinction, and proposed solutions will be a part of this second phase.  This is a complex problem which is political as well as ecological in nature.  There is no one right opinion on the matter.

As individuals you will create presentations to educate the other members of your group on the importance of your specific perspective and the reasoning behind it. Then as a group you will determine what position to take as a whole, and what action you think should be taken to protect native Hawaiian species. Your group will write a letter to a Hawaiian lawmaker outlining your concerns about introduced species and their impact on native Hawaiian species, and describing what action you think would improve the situation. 

The class will be divided into groups that will examine and debate different perspectives on the issue of eliminating Hawaii's feral pig in order to protect native endangered plant and animal species on the islands.  Each group will contain members whose role is to research, debate, discuss and reach a consensus with the other members of the group.  You will also research the impacts of other non-native species on native Hawaiian plants and animals for presentation to the class. 

1.  Join with two or three others in the class to create a team of up to six  specialists. Chose your group wisely, as you will be earning both an individual and a group grade for this project.

2.  Each team member should select one of the following roles: Member #1 will be a Conservationalist/ Environmentalist, member #2 will be a Native Hawaiian/ Hunter, and group member #3 will be an Animal Rights Activist.  Additional team members can choose which role to represent.  Do your best to ensure an equal representation of all sides of the issue.      

3.  Read your job description.   Click below on your assigned role to see what your role involves.

Conservationalist Environmentalist

Native Hawaiian Hunter

Animal Rights Activist

4.  Group members will share their presentations. Each member will have ten minutes to share their findings with their group. Individuals should clearly present the problem, reason(s) for the problem, and a solution or a suggestions on what can be done about balancing "introduced species" and  Hawaii's native plant and animal species. 

5.  Thirty minutes will be allocated for a debate and resolution period. In this time group members can clarify their positions and attempt to reach a group position on the issue of how to manage the feral pig and other introduced species while protecting native species.   When your group has determined what position you will take as a whole you will write a letter with proposed suggestions and/or legislation about protecting the native treasures of Hawaii while acknowledging other concerns and perspectives. 

See Final Project Specifications, and the Group Role pages (see table above) for specific details.  

The following resources will help you in your investigation of endangered and non-indigenous plant and animal species.  Remember, some sources will be more useful to you than others, depending on your group's role.  Both on-line and off-line resources are provided.  For on-line resources, keep in mind that you do not have to visit every Web site.  Many of the sites have links to other sites on the Web.  These can be very useful, but don't forget to write down the URL, or address, of the sites you visited and found useful information

 Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project       Hawaii's Endangered Species Websites        

Hawaii chapter of the Sierra Club                The Hawaii Ecoregion

ECONET Endangered Species Resources         Wildlife Conservation Society

American Museum of Natural History             Hawaii's Endangered Species

Alien Invaders in Hawaii                            Hawaii's Feral Pig Policy        

Alien Species in Hawaii                              Hawaii Animal Imports

EE Link Endangered Species                        Endangered!   Exploring a World at Risk

Endangered Species Page  (has laws & agencies protecting animals)

Flowers of the Pacific Island Seashore : A Guide to the Littoral Plants of Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji and Micronesia      by W. Arthur Whistler

Images of Natural Hawaii : A Pictorial Guide of Aloha State's Native Forest Birds and Plants by Michael Walther

Hawaii, Naturally : An Environmentally Oriented Guide to the Wonders and Pleasures of the Islands by David Zurick

Hawaii's Vanishing Flora by Kimura, Bert Y. and Kenneth M. Nagata,

National Geographic magazine, September 1995; Volume 188, No. 3

"Song of Life," (video) by Nature Conservancy, 1994, (2nd-6th grades, available at public libraries, and Block Buster Video)

"Strangers in Paradise," (video) by National Geographic, 1991, (2nd-6th grades, available at Block Buster, and  public libraries).

           Individual Rubric         Teacher Rubric

Congratulations! If you have reached this point you now understand some of the diverse and complex issues of Hawaiian ecology.  There are a variety of reasons why native Hawaiian species are endangered or threatened, and just as many different opinions on how to manage native and non-native Hawaiian plants and animals. Hopefully, you have weighed the different opinions surrounding the issue and have used this information to form your own opinions.  Did your opinion differ from your group's?  Having completed the activities in this WebQuest, you were able to review all sides of some  important issues, and to become more knowledgeable on the topic of Hawaiian ecology as a whole.  You should be very proud of yourselves!  And remember, we should now realize that that our actions and decisions affect plants, animals, the environment and the balance of life on our planet, no matter how small the action.

This WebQuest can be extended to include many more activities.  Click here for suggestions for teachers and students to extend classroom research and involvement with endangered species.