COMMUNITY LEADERS

As Beetle Busters, your students will be community leaders



leadership, and civic engagement skills.



moment and review the Cross-Curricular Connections on

the next page. Any subject can serve as an opportunity to learn

about, search for, and raise awareness about the invasive ALB!

COMMUNITY LEADERS

Middle School and High School Unit

SPECIAL NOTE

for High School Science Educators

Biology Extensions at the end of each

lesson challenge high school biology,

ecology, and environmental science students

to explore topics in-depth and show their

understanding in complex ways.

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

Vacations:

Summertime and other school breaks

are the perfect times for students to look

for the ALB (and signs of the ALB) far

from their own backyards. Encourage

your students to search for (and report)

ALBs wherever they go!

Cross-Curricular Connections

The inquiry-based lessons in this unit are designed to address the core subject areas of Science (biology, ecology, and

environmental science) and Language Arts (persuasive writing, public speaking, and communications). The following

are suggestions for extending your students’ exploration into all subject areas.

Social Studies/History:

Discuss how trade (transportation) is one of the main ways

invasive species are introduced to a new environment.

Examine the current global and interstate trade regulations

that are intended to stop ALB and other invasive insects

from coming to the United States and to limit the spread of



speak with the class about the impact that the ALB and ALB

regulations have had, or could have, on that business.

English Language Arts:



people are addressing this issue by making a difference in

their community and encouraging other community members

to follow suit. Develop a puppet show or short play with your

students that teaches younger children about the ALB. Check



Art:

Play the ALB PSA/TV ad that shows symbols in place of the ALB’s



things that have been, or will be, affected in their community as



place of spots to an otherwise accurate depiction of an ALB they



addition, you could share them with other teachers on the ALB

Facebook Page.

Music:





on your school radio station, or stream them over the



and post it on the ALB Facebook Page to help other

teachers empower their own Beetle Buster classes.

Computer/Digital Media:



the ALB work being done at your school. Link



it regularly with stories, photos, informational

reports, and seasonal suggestions.

Health:



neighborhood. Discuss the health issues

that increase as the number of trees





how to stop the ALB, and then distribute

them at a local health-related event, such

as a blood drive.

Physical Education/Sports:

Before, during, or after outdoor physical activity, take



activity. Bring a camera to record sightings and signs

and jars to capture live beetles. (Freeze them for later



the USDA Reporting Form.

Languages:





bring students to a neighborhood in

which this language is spoken, and raise

awareness about the ALB by hanging

the posters and talking to residents.

Service Learning:



grassroots organization to have your class assist in an

organized ALB search or in the planting of new trees.

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

ALB: An Invasive Pest



the PSA/TV ad 

show them the “Find the ALB” quadrant of the classroom

poster. Discuss what they know and questions they have

about the ALB and its presence in your community or a

neighboring community.

Wanted Wall. Encourage











answered about the ALB on the Wanted Wall.

Explain to your students that USDA/APHIS needs their help. USDA is encouraging them to be Beetle Buster

Community Leaders. Your students have the opportunity to make a real impact in their community by searching for,

reporting, and raising awareness about the Asian longhorned beetle (code name: ALB), an invasive tree-killing pest.

Understanding Goals:



Time Estimate:



Materials

• Classroom Poster

 

at www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

Tasks

• Create a Wanted Wall. Designate a bulletin board or wall



articles or other information about the ALB.

• Optional: For articles and videos on the ALB and

how it came to the United States, check out

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com.

As you complete the other lessons in this unit,

have your students revisit and answer the

questions they posted on the Wanted Wall



new questions as they arise!

TEACHER TIP

How Students Can Help

Share the “Report: Be a Beetle Buster” quadrant of the poster with

your students. Explain that, as Beetle Buster Community Leaders, they will:

• Search for and report the ALB and the signs it leaves behind, and mobilize

the community to join in the search.

• Be ALB experts for their communities, sharing key ALB information with a

wide audience.

ASK: Why do you think USDA/APHIS is asking students to get









Discuss their responses and add them, along with the “Report: Be a Beetle Buster” quadrant, to the Wanted Wall.

I am uniquely qualifed to help

stop the ALB because …

I want to help stop the ALB

because …

ADVANCE PREP

INTRO ACTIVITY

INTRO LESSON:

CALL TO ACTION

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

Identifying the ALB



know exactly what they are looking for.

Using their ALB ID Card as a reference, have



the ALB, highlighting the characteristics that make

it a beetle (the elytra, or hard wing casing over the

wings), a longhorned beetle (antennae as long or

longer than the body), and uniquely an ALB (white

and black banded antennae, shiny black body with

white spots).



the “Search for the ALB” quadrant of the poster.



noticed that are not already labeled on the quadrant.

Share with students that their most important task as Beetle Buster Community

Leaders is to search for the ALB and report what they’ve found.

LESSON 1:

SEARCH AND REPORT — FIND THE ALB

Understanding Goals:



Time Estimate:



Materials

• Classroom Poster





www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/plant_health/content/

printable_version/alb_look_alikes.pdf

Tasks

• Research those insects, including the white spotted

sawyer, with which the ALB is commonly confused.



community using the

and Look-Alikes List.

• Make sure you have an ALB ID Card for each

student. A template card that can be printed and

laminated is available online.

Six legs

White

spots

Long black antennae

with white bands

Shiny

black

body

May have

blue feet

Students may want to use the Asian longhorned beetle

(Anoplophora glabripennis



TEACHER TIP

INCHES

Have you seen the

Asian

Longhorned

Beetle?

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Report it at

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

die-cut

hole

ADVANCE PREP

INTRO ACTIVITY

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com



access in the classroom, print copies of the



List and the images of the beetles you’ve

chosen ahead of time.

TEACHER TIP

High School Biology Extension



their area and are commonly confused with the ALB. Students can compare

these beetles to the ALB using physical characteristics and Linnaeus’s

that shows

how these beetles are related to each other.

TAKE ACTION!

Search for the ALB

Encourage your students to search for the ALB in the summer and fall. Remind them

to bring cameras to record the signs and jars to capture live beetles (and freeze them



USDA Reporting Form.

Beetle Busters Connect



lesson on the ALB Facebook Page 

others to identify the ALB.

Beetle Busters Educate



about how to distinguish the ALB from other beetles. Correct characteristics allow the

students to run toward the caller, and incorrect characteristics keep them frozen in

place. Examples: Black-and-white antennae (run!); brown back (freeze!). The game



GUIDED INQUIRY

Classifying the ALB



are commonly confused with the ALB (see Advance Prep). Break

students into groups, and have them research the characteristics

of these local beetles using the 

Look-Alikes List,

outlining the physical similarities and differences between the

other beetles and the ALB.

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

ALB: Destroying Trees

Break students into groups, and have them review

the signs side of their individual ALB ID Cards and a

group copy of the “Follow the Signs” quadrant.

ASK: How does the ALB’s life cycle cause the

destruction of trees?



on the information on the card and the quadrant, as

well as their prior knowledge of how trees circulate

water, minerals, and nutrients.

Using the  quadrant, and the

information on the University of Vermont’s ALB Biology Page, have

students research the different phases of the ALB life cycle, and how each

sign pictured is created, in order to prove or disprove their hypotheses.



particularly harmful invasive species.

Share with students that — in order to be good Beetle Buster Community Leaders — they need to not only know



the signs of ALB activity, so they can report those as well.

Understanding Goals:



Time Estimate:



Materials

• Classroom Poster



• University of Vermont’s ALB Biology page:

www.uvm.edu/albeetle/biology/index.html

• ALB Year-Round Calendar (see back cover)



www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/plant_health/content/

printable_version/alb_look_alikes.pdf



• USDA’s article on the white spotted sawyer:



Tasks

• Make enough copies of the “Follow the Signs”

quadrant of the poster to have one for each

student group.

• Make sure you have an ALB ID Card for each

student. A template card that can be printed and

laminated is available online.

ALB — All Year Round



all year long!

ASK: Why is it important to search for signs in the winter and spring, when the ALB isn’t visible?



signs, particularly exit holes and egg sites. ALBs usually start at the tops, or crowns, of trees and work their way down,

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

Frass (wood

shavings) on

bark or at the

base of tree

Have you seen these signs of the

Asian Longhorned Beetle?

Round exit

holes in

trees

Capture beetles,

take photos, and

report sightings at

Scar from

egg sites

on bark

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is an

equal opportunity provider and employer.

Issued February 2011

Program Aid No. 2068

Search for signs year-round.

die-cut

hole

LESSON 2:

SEARCH AND REPORT— FOLLOW THE SIGNS

ADVANCE PREP

INTRO ACTIVITY

GUIDED INQUIRY

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

TAKE ACTION!

Search for the ALB — All Year Round!



the USDA Reporting Form. Make searching and reporting part of your class’s weekly routine!

Beetle Busters Connect

• Post a version of the ALB Year-Round Calendar, or the class-created online Search Calendar





www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com for reporting.

• Upload .jpgs or .pdfs of your students’ Search Calendars, or the

class-created online Search Calendar on the ALB Facebook

Page. Show other Beetle Busters around the country what your

class will be doing throughout the year!

Beetle Busters Educate

Search Calendars with their families

and discuss how the ALB destroys trees. Encourage searching at

home for signs or for beetles, depending on the season.

It’s Arbor Day, Earth Day,

and Keep America

Beautiful Month!

Celebrate our natural world.

Teach Lesson 3: Save

Our Trees, and get excited

about searching for the

beetle in June!

ALB INACTIVE: Search for

older exit holes and egg sites.

Teach Lesson 4: New

Recruits. Create action

campaigns that will mobilize

your community to search

and report starting in June.

Celebrate National

Physical Fitness and

Sports Month, and take

“ALB Search Breaks”

before, during, and after

physical activity.

Teach Lessons 1 and 2:

Search and Report, and

get students searching

daily for signs of ALBs.

During Great Outdoors

Month, spend time outside

each day searching for and

reporting signs of ALBs,

especially on World

Environment Day!

Celebrate National

Recreation and Parks

Month by having a

“Search Party”! Visit a

local park, and search

for ALBs.

Boy Scouts,

Girl Scouts,

4-H Groups, and

campers: Buy



camping. If you bring it

with you, you might bring

the ALB, too!

It’s Tree Check Month!

Take 10 minutes and check

your trees for the beetle

and any signs

of damage

it causes.

Back to School! Share

“everything ALB” that you

did over the summer. Make

searching for ALBs part of

the school routine.

On National Public Lands

Day, raise community

awareness about the ALB,

a pest that can destroy the

beauty of our public lands.

It’s Crime Prevention

Month. If you live in an ALB-

regulated area, moving



is a crime. Get the word out

on Make a Difference Day!

Teach Lesson 4: New

Recruits. Create action

campaigns that educate

your community about the



where it is cut.

Continue your “Don’t



awareness campaigns

(see October).

Continue your “Don’t



awareness campaigns

(See October).

Continue your “Don’t



awareness campaigns

(see October).

The leaves are gone, but

the signs of the ALB are not.

Teach Lesson 2: Search

and Report — Follow the

Signs, and look higher in the

trees and along branches

for ALB exit holes.

Continue your “Don’t



awareness campaigns

(see October).

Continue your “Don’t



awareness

campaigns

(see October).

AUGUST NOVEMBEROCTOBERSEPTEMBER

ALB INACTIVE: Adult ALBs



tunnel inside the trees.

ALB ACTIVE: Adult beetles emerge from exit holes in trees.

Female ALBs make egg sites on tree bark. Report them!

ALB ACTIVE: Adult beetles emerge from exit holes in trees.

Female ALBs make egg sites on tree bark. Report them!

DECEMBER MARCHFEBRUARYJANUARY

ALB INACTIVE: Larvae and pupae are inside the trees, lurking just out of sight! Search for older exit holes and egg sites.

ALB YEAR-ROUND CALENDAR

DON’T MOVE

BEETLE BUSTER MESSAGE: SEARCH AND REPORT — SAVE THE TREES

APRIL MAY JULYJUNE

BEETLE BUSTER MESSAGE: SEARCH AND REPORT — SAVE THE TREES

BEETLE BUSTER MESSAGE: DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD — SAVE THE TREES

Make the calendars a multimedia experience! Students can use images from







TEACHER TIP

High School Biology Extension



(and signs of activity) using the 

List, the University of Vermont’s ALB Biology Pages, and USDA’s white

spotted sawyer article

explore why the ALB is much more harmful to trees than the white spotted sawyer.

so you and your students may be able to spot signs high in the branches. Also, if



have prevented even more devastation!



personal Search Calendars. Each student’s calendar should highlight the different

life cycle phases of the ALB, the signs the ALB creates, and the damage to the trees.

Students should also include reminders of when they should be searching for the ALB

and its signs and events in their own lives that would provide excellent opportunities



camping trips.

Post the ALB Year-Round Calendar on the Wanted Wall, and have students

compare it to their Search Calendars



ALB Year-Round Calendar that they would like to participate in.

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

ALB Host Trees

Share the list of trees that the ALB likes to attack from the “Search for the

ALB” quadrant of the classroom poster. Explain that one of the reasons

the ALB is a particularly harmful invasive species is that it likes so many

different kinds

because the beetles are able to complete their life cycle in these trees.

The ALB is the guest that stays too long and keeps coming back!

Break students into groups, and assign each group a host tree to research

The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Guide

to discover more information about that particular tree, including how

common it is in areas infested with the ALB, and what products, if any,

are made from it.



maple syrup (sugar maple), and one that early doctors used for anti-malaria



class and post key information about each tree on the Wanted Wall. (See



Explain to students, that as Beetle Buster Community Leaders, their primary

goal is to protect their community’s (and our Nation’s) trees from the ALB.

Understanding Goals:



Time Estimate:



Materials

• Classroom Poster

• The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Guide:

www.arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/index.cfm

• Tape measures, string, and paper/pencils (for

tree surveying)

 

Tasks

• Plan this lesson for a time when leaves are on the

trees. Check the ALB Year-Round Calendar (back

cover) for suggestions!

 

string for each student group.

• Familiarize yourself with the National Tree









National Tree

 on a home or library computer.

TEACHER TIP

Horsechestnut

Maple Elm

Willow

LESSON 3:

SAVE OUR TREES!

ADVANCE PREP

INTRO ACTIVITY

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

TAKE ACTION!

Beetle Busters Connect

Encourage students to share a link to the 



own trees, and work to protect them by

becoming Beetle Busters at AsianLonghornedBeetle.com.

Beetle Busters Educate







encourage their families to protect their trees by searching





make recommendations for how their families could rebuild their ecosystem

services to pre-ALB levels by identifying non-host trees for replanting.

DON’T MOVE

What We Could Lose



just from the products we make from them. Share with students that they will be

surveying their schoolyard (or local park, if your schoolyard has few trees) to





use their previous research to identify the host trees in their assigned area.

For each tree, have them record the species and the diameter, taking the



for measurement information.)

After returning to the classroom, have students input the data they’ve collected

into the  and record the results for each tree.



of all of the trees they measured. Discuss the impact the ALB could have on your

community if it is not stopped.





overlaps. Next, they can straighten the string, and measure from point to point with a tape measure to determine the

tree’s circumference. Then, they can use the formula to determine the tree’s diameter.

TEACHER TIP

High School Biology Extensions

 



breakdowns. Discuss the impact of these potential losses on the community.

 ALB Quarantine Map(s)



GUIDED INQUIRY

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Community Leaders

Discuss with students how an effective ALB Action Campaign needs to be more than

just a one-time advertisement or event. An effective ALB campaign should change

the behavior of the people the campaign is trying to reach.

Brainstorm the many different ways in which people get new information.





and word of mouth.

ASK: Which of these methods will get you to remember the message and pass

it on? Why?

Discuss reasons why a person may be motivated to take on a new activity, and why



Examples: Why does a child keep playing basketball for many years? Why would a

family start — and continue — to recycle?

ASK: What makes you try new things? What makes you embrace

something as a part of your regular routine?



convinced them to change their behaviors.

Understanding Goals:



Time Estimate:



Materials

 





Tasks

• Make enough copies of the Beetle Busters

Action Campaign Plan worksheet for

student groups.

• Optional: Check out current Beetle Busters

TV, radio, and print ads online.

As Beetle Buster Community Leaders, students should strive to raise their community’s awareness of the ALB, and

mobilize their community to take action to stop the ALB’s spread. As socially and virtually connected young people,

they are in a unique position to have a lasting impact on the success of the Beetle Busters campaign!











important thing your students can do!

TEACHER TIP

LESSON 4:

NEW RECRUITS — ACTION CAMPAIGNS

ADVANCE PREP

INTRO ACTIVITY

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Beetle Busters Action Campaign Plans

TAKE ACTION!

Beetle Busters Connect

ALB Facebook

Page

Beetle Busters Educate

Beetle Busters Action Campaign Plans and monitor how



with students to make these Campaign Plans become more than just a one-time

activity; rather, promote long-term community awareness work that creates real

results over time.

Share the core Beetle Buster Campaign Messages with your

students:















that are well connected in their community, like heads of community

organizations, coaches, and hairdressers. Also, have them consider

groups for whom the message is particularly urgent, like homeowners,

yard work companies, and those who love nature.

Outreach Web, linking the message in the

center to the target audiences they brainstorm. Suggest that they put

the more important audiences closer to the message/center, and the

less critical (but still relevant) audiences farther away.



message. For each target audience, have the group complete a

Beetle Busters Action Campaign Plan Worksheet.

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ACTION CAMPAIGN PLAN WORKSHEET

MESSAGE

What is your message? This is not your “slogan”; it’s

the basic information you want your audience to know.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Who is your target audience? Why is this an



METHOD

What are the different ways to reach your target





SLOGAN(S)

Write one or more fun, simple sentences or

phrases that your target audience will like

and remember.

GOALS

List the things you would like your campaign to get

your target audience to do.

YEAR-LONG PLAN

Indicate when and how you would like your target

audience to take action. Hint: Think about what they



MEASURING SUCCESS



to measure that you accomplished all of your goals.

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

GUIDED INQUIRY

www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com

Share with students that, as Beetle Buster Community Leaders, they will make personal action

plans that build upon their roles as trendsetters and community leaders (online and in person),

in addition to carrying out their larger Beetle Busters Action Campaign Plans.

Community Leaders



ASK: What is the best way to tell your friends important information?



could make a powerful impact on the success of the Beetle Busters campaign.

Understanding Goals:



Time Estimate:



Materials

 

 

• Paper for personal action plans

Task

• Review the ALB Facebook Page and

Twitter

Youth ALB Organizing Online

-

nizing tools now in use at www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com.

ASK:

• How can you contribute to the ALB Facebook and

Twitter communities?

• How can you use social networking to get your

friends involved?

ALB

Online Plans describing how they will raise awareness



set measurable goals for their plans. Example: Number

of new Facebook page likes or number of tweets over a

certain time period.

ALB Outdoor Outreach



outdoors with friends.

ASK: How can you and your friends search for the

ALB during your outdoor activities?





Outdoor Outreach Plans. Examples:

Search before and after sports practice, or conduct daily

“tree checks” on the walk home from school.

Remind students to set plan goals that can be measured.

Example: The number of new people that they enlist to

participate in searching.

TAKE ACTION!

BEETLE BUSTERS EDUCATE AND CONNECT





been most successful with his or her personal plan by the end of the school year.

LESSON 5:

NEW RECRUITS — SOCIAL NETWORKING

ADVANCE PREP

GUIDED INQUIRY

INTRO ACTIVITY