10 Invasive Species of the United States Reading and Worksheet

In this invasive species of the United States reading, students will:

• READ about the most invasive species in the United States. They’ll learn how they got here, their effect on ecosystems and native species, and how they can be controlled.
• ANSWER reading comprehension questions on a related worksheet. All answers come from the text, so no prior knowledge is required.

Includes both PRINT and GOOGLE versions!

Examples of what students will read about in the article…

• Invasive European starlings got the U.S. because fans of Shakespeare wanted to bring all the birds in his plays to the United States.
• Environmental scientists are urging restaurants to serve invasive lionfish to decrease their populations in the Atlantic.
• People can control invasive Japanese beetles using a bacteria that harms them.
• Invasive kudzu plants can grow up to a foot a day.
• Plus much more – 10 invasive species total!

Teacher Notes:

• You may also be interested in our Graphing Invasive Species Activity!
• INCLUDES ANSWER KEY
• Please note: This invasive species of the United States reading is NOT editable.
• NGSS Standards: MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5, and MS-ESS3-4
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Related Standards:

• NGSS MS-LS2-4: Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
• NGSS MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• NGSS MS-ESS3-4: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.