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Hō‘ike o Haleakalā

High school science curriculum designed by Maui teachers and field biologists

Bring the unique environment of Hawaiʻi into your classroom

#3: Frogs on Floor Four

Invasive· Unit 2

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Activity 3: Frogs on Floor Four

Invasive Species » Unit 2: Invasive Species Impacts: Why Care? » Activity 3: Frogs on Floor Four

Materials & Setup

In Advance

  • Have students read Student Pages “A Most Unwanted Neighbor – Coqui Frogs,” pp. (11-12) aloud in class or assign as homework.
  • “Coqui Calls” audio file on the DVD included in this curriculum or on this activity page.

For each student

  • Student Page “A Most Unwanted Neighbor – Coqui Frogs” (pp. 11-12)

For each group of four to five students:

  • Student Pages “Frogs on Floor Four.” (p. 8-10)
  • One wild card (from the Teacher Background “Wild Card” page (pp. 4-7)
Download Teacher Pages PDF
Download Student Pages PDF
coqui frog

Instructions

1) Play the “Coqui Calls” recording of coqui frogs for the class. Ask students if they know what the sound is. Tell them it is the mating call of the coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui), pronounced: ee-looth-er-o-dact-y-lus co-kee. Ask students if they would be able to sleep while that sound continued through the night.

2) Review the reading assignment.

3) Tell students that they will be acting as the owners and managers of a large resort on Maui that is infested with coqui. They will investigate the financial costs of coqui frog outbreak, based on real numbers from a local resort’s budget. Divide the class into groups of four to five students. Explain that each group is in charge of developing a budget for their imaginary resort.

4) Hand out the Student Pages “Control Strategies,” and “Resort Budget” to each group. Have each group select a) a general manager who will facilitate the group’s discussion and make sure it completes its assignment, b) one or two administrative assistants to do the math c) a secretary who will fill out the “Resort Budget,” and d) a public relations spokesperson who will present the group’s plan and rationale to the class. (They can also choose a name for their resort.) Tell them to fill out an annual budget, based on their hotel’s expenses and revenues. Allow students to work together for 20 minutes.

5) After your students have completed their initial budget, tell them that midway through the year the coqui situation has changed. Pass out one wild card per group. Give groups 5-10 minutes to discuss how this might affect their strategy and revise their budget accordingly for the second half of the year. When they are complete, they will present their budgets and the reasoning behind their choices to the class.

6) When approximately 25 minutes of the class remains, have each group’s spokesperson give a 3-5 minute overview of the group’s budget.

7) At the end of class, ask students to discuss what they learned by doing this activity. Which choices turned out to be the most financially prudent and why?

Journal Ideas

  • All business owners need to prioritize expenses and estimate long and short term costs. Which of the coqui scenarios seemed likely to occur? Which seemed less likely? Why?
  • Do you think legislation making it illegal to harbor coqui frogs on your property is a good idea? Why or why not?
  • Can you think of other strategies for dealing with a coqui frog infestation at a resort? Describe.
  • What other ways might invasive species affect people’s finances?

Assessment Tools

  • Group participation and class presentations
  • Student Pages “Resort Budget” and “Resort Budget Explanation”
  • Journal entries

Media Resources