Designing Solutions for Healthy Forests

Warm-Up Reflection (10 minutes)

(5 minutes) Ask students to individually reflect on their prior knowledge of forest ecosystems with the following questions. Students should write their individual reflections on their Day 1: Entry & Exit Ticket worksheet.

• When you imagine a forest, what do you think of? What might you see, hear, smell, touch, or even taste in a forest?
• Why do you think forests are important for us and for our world?

(5 minutes) Have students share their reflections with a peer sitting nearby. Optionally, prompt students to find commonalities in their reflections or share ideas with the whole class.

View Video 1 - The Future of Forests (20 minutes)

(11 minutes) Play The Future of Forests video for students. Prompt students to listen for 1-2 new ideas and 1-2 familiar ideas in the video. Students may record these briefly in their notebooks or on scratch paper. 

(9 minutes) Following the video, have students share the new and familiar ideas with a peer or with the whole class. Ask students why they think forests are important for us and for our world after viewing the video. 

• Students may share a variety of ideas, including that forests support biodiversity, trees create oxygen, or forests provide natural resources for humans. 
• You do not need to come to one answer on why forests are important, but students should appreciate that forest ecosystems and trees support humans and other species in multiple ways before moving on.

Threats Facing Forest Ecosystems (35 minutes)

(5 minutes) Split students into small groups (recommended 3-4 students) and assign or allow students to choose a forest case study to explore in more detail.

• You can assign case studies or student groups can choose from this menu of resources.
• You may wish to add case studies based on species that are located near your school or connected to your students’ backgrounds.
• I recommend that each group research a different case study to ensure their solution proposals are distinct and allow for comparison between ecosystems, but it could be interesting for 2 groups to research the same case study and compare their solutions at the end.

(30 minutes) Groups can use the provided resources and reputable sources they find on their own to understand the tree species, forest type and location, and threat type facing the forest in their case study. Students should record ideas on a note-taker (e.g., Forest Ecosystem Case Study Note-Taker).

Day 1 Exit Ticket (10 minutes)

(10 minutes) To close the first lesson, have students complete the exit ticket portion of their Day 1: Entry & Exit Ticket worksheet. Students should submit this to you at the end of the first lesson as a formative assessment.

View Video 2 - Saving the American Chestnut (20 minutes)

(10 minutes) To begin day 2, play Saving the American Chestnut, the second video in the series. Prompt students to listen for the specific problem and solutions in the case study of the American Chestnut.

(5 minutes) Have students share the problem and solutions they heard in the video with a nearby partner. Ask students to discuss which solution they think is the most promising.

(5 minutes) Ask a few pairs of students to share which solution they think is the most promising and what guided their decision. Point out to students that no solution is perfect. Scientists must weigh the feasibility, safety, effectiveness, and other priorities in choosing a solution for any natural problem.

Solution Brainstorm (15 minutes)

(15 minutes) Have students return to their case study groups from Day 1. Students should review their research from the prior lesson and brainstorm potential solutions for the threat they identified in their case study. Each group can record ideas in writing or visually on large chart paper.

• Encourage students to be creative and brainstorm ideas without judgment at this point.
• Remind groups that are struggling to generate ideas of the three options shown in the video (hybridization, genetic modification from a different species, CRISPR-Cas9 editing).

Solution Proposal (20 minutes)

(10 minutes) Have students discuss the pros and cons of the solutions they generated in their brainstorm. Each group should reflect on the pros and cons to come to consensus on the most promising solution from their brainstorm to share with the class. 

(10 minutes) On large chart paper or whiteboards, each group should present their solution proposal to share with the class. Each group’s proposals should clearly and concisely state:

• Ecosystem location and major species
• Importance or significance of the ecosystem
• Biggest threat facing the tree species and ecosystem
• Proposed solution
• What they prioritized in choosing their solution

Whole-Class Share (20 minutes)

(16 minutes) Groups should share their proposals one at a time and offer positive feedback/appreciations and probing questions.

I recommend using the following structure with times adapted for the number of groups and feedback modified for your students’ needs or comfort with peer feedback. The times below are for 4 student groups to share within 20 minutes.

• 2 minutes: group summarizes their forest ecosystem threat and proposed solution.
• 1 minute: classmates ask clarifying or probing questions. 
• 1 minute: classmates share positive feedback and appreciation.

(4 minutes) Once all groups have presented their proposed solutions, ask students to share the commonalities and differences they see between the solutions. Point out that there is no one “right answer” to these complex natural problems in science. Optionally, students can reflect on these questions individually in writing.

For deeper learning:

• Consider using peer-reviewed research articles as sources for the forest ecosystem case studies. 
• Prior to the whole-class share, two student groups can practice presenting their solution to each other. Groups can give each other feedback and refine their proposals and presentations based on their peer’s advice.

For diverse learners:

• Consider offering case study sources in a variety of modalities, including video, podcast, or visual articles, and a variety of reading levels. For multilingual learners, you may find sources in their home languages.
• Consider using case studies that connect to students’ prior knowledge and backgrounds.
• Offer sentence starters for Entry & Exit Ticket questions, solution proposals, and peer discussion prompts.
• Use visual timers to help students manage their time.
• Consider group roles or structures (e.g., every student must write one idea in the brainstorm) to ensure equitable participation.

Extension Activity:

To extend student learning, you may ask students to write formal proposals for their chosen solution. Students should provide a detailed explanation of how their proposal addresses the threat facing their ecosystem and use academic sources to support the feasibility or effectiveness of the details in their solution.