Teacher Monitoring Guide
Grade 8 · Cycle 4 · Week 2 — Ecosystem Disruption & Invasive Species

Learning Goal

Students will analyze case studies of invasive species introductions to explain how ecosystem disruptions cascade through food webs and biogeochemical cycles, and evaluate management strategies using evidence.

Station Checkpoints

Station 1 — Hook & Phenomenon
Look for: Students connecting the phenomenon to prior knowledge and generating testable questions
Common misconception: Invasive species are always larger or more aggressive than native species — show examples of invasive plants, microbes, and small animals that outcompete natives through different mechanisms
Station 2 — Investigation / Data Collection
Look for: Accurate data recording and identification of emerging patterns in the evidence
Common misconception: Removing invasive species always restores the original ecosystem — discuss cases where removal causes secondary disruption when native competitors have gone locally extinct
Station 3 — Sense-Making
Look for: Students revising their model based on evidence collected during investigation
Common misconception: Invasive species only affect wildlife — connect to economic impacts on agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure using quantitative data

Exit Ticket Monitoring

Score Range Interpretation Next Step
18–23 pts Meeting target Extend with synthesis question
10–17 pts Developing Small group re-teach at day start
0–9 pts Needs support 1:1 intervention before next station

MTSS Tier 2 Supports

For students scoring below 10 pts on the exit ticket: use the sentence frames below during the next class's hook.