Once students have learned about invasive weeds, they come to realize the importance and urgency of controlling weeds. Even students who do not complete this curriculum understand the negative impact that weeds have on our environment, ecosystems, and economy.

Students often want to become involved and participate in activities that contribute to the control of noxious weeds. Weed-control activities usually require an outlay of cash, especially as projects become more detailed and require special equipment.

When it comes to weed control, students have the ability to perform invaluable services that will impact their community and extend beyond the borders of their community. Students can increase weed awareness within their community, advocate weed control, and participate in weed-control projects. The amount and type of service that students perform depends on the following factors:

	The amount of time a teacher devotes to activities outside the classroom
	The amount of time teachers and students devote to activities in the classroom
	The relationship that exists between the school and government agencies or other organizations

With proper planning, students may develop and market products to support their weed-control efforts.

This unit provides concrete examples, ranging from simple to more complex, that show ways in which students can help manage noxious weeds. Many of the lessons are designed for students in grades 9 to 12.

Alien Wanted Poster – Emphasizes community education through a photography project. Students photograph weeds and use the photos to create invasive-weed posters.

Discovering the Artist Within – Applies students’ artistic and copywriting skills to produce weed notecards that they market.

Let’s Pull Together – Involves establishing a cooperative project with a weed manager from a local government agency. Students make a positive impact on the environment by following a detailed plan to physically remove weeds from a specified area.

What About Weeds? – Emphasizes increasing public awareness of weeds by developing presentations or products that catch the attention of the public.

On the Path to Discovery – Involves conducting research to investigate how we can use noxious weeds to our advantage in the areas of medicine, chemical control, modification of soil conditions, grazing, and arts and crafts. Students learn about numerous opportunities that exist in the area of noxious plant research.

Weed Control, Everybody’s Business (advanced placement biology) – Investigates the role of public and private agencies in weed control. As a class, students “adopt” one agency and assist that agency in a weed-control project.