Laura Seaver, teacher extraordinare from Old Orchard Beach's Loranger MS, pointed us to this Simpsons episode from 1998. "Bart the Mother" could be a good hook for students. Laura is going to show clips to classes this week as part of her ecosystem-health-biodiversity-invasive-species unit, and will report back on its success.

Episode synopsis:
"Bart accidentally kills a mother bird with Nelson Muntz's bee-bee gun, and tries his best to raise the mother's eggs on his own. But when the hatchlings turn out to be a pair of destructive lizards that harvest nests for their own survival, the town's bird population is placed at great risk. Guest voice Phil Hartman, in his final speaking role on The Simpsons" (http://wtso.net).

The Simpsons 1003 Bart the Mother