Japanese Knotweed Research Jigsaw
Compliments of the Vital Signs Team: Sarah “smo” Morrisseau & Christine “Vital V” Voyer
Overview & Procedure
This is a jigsaw you can do with students to build knowledge and context for a study focused on Japanese knotweed. The first three pages list
each of the five perspectives for you to easily skim through, and pages 4-7 are handouts to guide each of your Jigsaw Teams.
Split your Fieldwork Teams into 5 different Jigsaw Teams. Each Jigsaw Team should have at least one representative from a Fieldwork Team.
After kids do their jigsaw work, have them get back into their Fieldwork Teams to share the information they learned and make a prediction
before they start their field investigation.
Fieldwork Teams  Split into Jigsaw Teams for this activity  Regroup into Fieldwork Teams
Our Research Question
Is there more invasive Japanese knotweed in southern or northern parts of Maine?
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #1
What’s the big deal? Use these resources to get a sense of why scientists, managers, and others want to know where Japanese knotweed is.
Species News
http://vitalsignsme.org/news (click on Japanese knotweed, then click on each news article)
The Wild Carrot’s Video Blog
http://vitalsignsme.org/blog/video-blog-japanese-knotweed
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #2
How do I know it when I see it? Use these resources to learn more about the key identifying characteristics and biology of Japanese knotweed.
Vital Signs species ID cards for Japanese knotweed (and check out Giant knotweed, too)
http://vitalsignsme.org/species-identification-resources
New England Wild Flower Society Field Manual of Invasive Plants for the Northeast
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Invasive Plants, Bulletin #2511
The Wild Carrot’s Video Blog
http://vitalsignsme.org/blog/video-blog-japanese-knotweed
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #3
How does Japanese knotweed behave in an ecosystem? How is it spread? Use these resources to better understand Japanese knotweed ecology, and how it
spreads and/or travels from one location to another (naturally and by humans).
Garden ecology with Thomas Muse
http://www.gardenecology.com/knotweed.asp
Garden Organic
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=11
Maine human population distribution map
http://vitalsignsme.org/maine-population-county-layer-google-earth
Download and launch this Google Earth layer, check out human population densities and roadways in northern and southern Maine
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #4
Where in Maine in Japanese knotweed? Use these resources to understand where Japanese knotweed has been FOUND, and where it has been looked for but
NOT FOUND.
Vital Signs Map (Explore Data  Map)
http://vitalsignsme.org/explore/map
Vital Signs Map Guide, How Do I Find Things On The Map?
http://vitalsignsme.org/guides
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England Map (Data & Distribution Maps  Fallopia japonica  points)
http://www.eddmaps.org/ipane/distribution/
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #5
Why are NOT-FOUND data important? Use these resources to understand why it’s important to document that you looked for a species like Japanese
knotweed but did NOT find it.
Vital Signs Guide – When “Not Found” is good
http://vitalsignsme.org/guides
Why Nothing Matters
http://vitalsignsme.org/why-nothing-matters
Our Prediction
We think that Japanese knotweed is MORE/ LESS/ JUST AS common in northern Maine as it is in southern Maine because
__________________________________________________________________________________!!
Our Research Question
Is there more invasive Japanese knotweed in southern or northern parts of Maine?
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #1
What’s the big deal? Use these resources to get a sense of why scientists,
managers, and others want to know where Japanese knotweed is.
Vital Signs, Species News
http://vitalsignsme.org/news
The Wild Carrot’s Video Blog
http://vitalsignsme.org/blog/video-blog-japanese-knotweed
Our Research Question
Is there more invasive Japanese knotweed in southern or northern parts of Maine?
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #2
How do I know it when I see it? Use these resources to learn more about the
key identifying characteristics and biology of Japanese knotweed.
Vital Signs species ID cards for Japanese knotweed (check out Giant knotweed, too)
http://vitalsignsme.org/species-identification-resources
New England Wild Flower Society Field Manual of Invasive Plants for the Northeast
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Invasive Plants, Bulletin #2511
The Wild Carrot’s Video Blog
http://vitalsignsme.org/blog/video-blog-japanese-knotweed
Our Research Question
Is there more invasive Japanese knotweed in southern or northern parts of Maine?
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #3
How does Japanese knotweed behave in an ecosystem? How is it spread? Use
these resources to better understand Japanese knotweed ecology, and how it
spreads and/or travels from one location to another (naturally and by humans).
Garden ecology with Thomas Muse
http://www.gardenecology.com/knotweed.asp
Garden Organic
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=11
Maine human population distribution map
http://vitalsignsme.org/maine-population-county-layer-google-earth
Download and launch this Google Earth layer, check out human population
densities and roadways in northern and southern Maine
Our Research Question
Is there more invasive Japanese knotweed in southern or northern parts of Maine?
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #4
Where in Maine is Japanese knotweed? Use these resources to understand
where Japanese knotweed has been FOUND, and where it has been looked for
but NOT FOUND.
Vital Signs Map
(Explore Data  Map)
http://vitalsignsme.org/explore/map
Vital Signs Map Guide, How Do I Find Things On The Map?
http://vitalsignsme.org/guides
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England Map
(Data & Distribution Maps  Fallopia japonica  points)
http://www.eddmaps.org/ipane/distribution/
Our Research Question
Is there more invasive Japanese knotweed in southern or northern parts of Maine?
JIGSAW PERSPECTIVE #5
Why are NOT-FOUND data important? Use these resources to understand why
it’s important to document that you looked for a species like Japanese
knotweed but did NOT find it.
Vital Signs Guide – When “Not Found” is good
http://vitalsignsme.org/guides
Why Nothing Matters
http://vitalsignsme.org/why-nothing-matters