At Dirigo Middle School in Dixfield, we found an energetic and unfocused 7th grader practically bouncing off the classroom walls. When it was announced that his class was going outside on a real science exploration with Vital Signs, he enthusiastically ran to the printer to pick up his species card and data sheet and was first to have his coat on and be ready at the door….
This particular expedition was responding to an unusual report that garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, had been seen in the nature trails located on school grounds. The young man raced down the trail, species card in hand. He was the first to spot the plant on the side of the main trail, and shout out, “I found it! It’s over here!” With a small prompt, he carefully documented his find, taking pictures, sketching, and recording the evidence that would help him prove to the Vital Signs community that the plant before him was A. petiolata. Prompted by his data sheet, he looked for evidence that the plant was reproducing. When he realized there were little sprouts all around the main plant, he asked, “What can we do about it?”
He then picked each plant, one by one, and carried the whole lot back to the classroom himself. On the way back we talked about what you should do when you find an invasive plant and how to dispose of it without spreading it and how to engage the community to look for garlic mustard. At the end of the class, the student was still jumping up and down with excitement, but now he had a plan and a way to contribute.
