Montana Natural History Center
Studying Grassland Ecosystems
At first glance, grassland ecosystems might seem dull and uninteresting, but once you start to explore it's amazing the things you'll find! Through this series of engaging lessons, activities, and experiments, elementary students examine...
Curated OER
Ecosystems and Remote Sensing
Young scholars obtain remote sensing data to compare and contrast global biomass data with global temperature data.
Curated OER
Ecosystems Lesson Plan
Students research ecosystems (rainforest, desert, grassland, woodland, and arctic tundra). Students compare the seven continents and the importance of proximaty to the equator.
Curated OER
Exploring Ecosystems
Students examine the characteristics of an ecosystem. They create their own landmass of an ecosystem and creating a map of the area. They develop a brochure sharing information about their new landmass.
Curated OER
Ecosystems of the World
Learners are able to list different ecosystems and describe their environment and organisms. They have an understanding about the function and balance of the ecosystems. Students are able to tell what type of ecosystem the St. Mary's...
Curated OER
Building an Ecosystem
Students research a variety of local and world ecosystems. Students will create a collage to represent the biotic and abiotic factors and interactions important to their given ecosystem.Students will understand that an ecosystem is...
Curated OER
The Formation and Value of Temperate Grasslands
Learners study the Temperate Grasslands biome of North America. They explain that it is an endangered ecosystem because the rich soils have been converted to farming in most areas. They view videos imbedded in this plan, then complete...
Curated OER
Ecosystems Connect
Learners investigate ecosystems near their school and across the world. They examine both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) elements of each. They recognize ecosystems from various continents around the globe. The use of computers...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Biomes
Do you know the difference between a biome and an ecosystem? Teach elementary ecologists exactly what a biome is with this captivating cartoon! It discusses six biomes: taiga, tundra, deciduous forest, desert, tropical rainforest, and...
Curated OER
Speedy Succession
Fifth graders identify how a pond can change into a grassland. An ecosystems lesson where learners identify pioneer and climax species, and recognize that ecological succession can take up to 100 years or more. Some excellent activities...
DePaul University
Breaking the Food Chain
Throughout history, the growth of big cities has resulted in the destruction of ecosystems. In the case of Chicago, IL, a grassland that was once home to bison, deer, wolves, and foxes quickly became a booming city of over three million...
Curated OER
Geography of Australia: The Shaping of a Continent
Whether you are embarking on a unit on ecosystems, or on the characteristics of the Australian terrain, this picture-packed presentation would be a great one to use. Not only does the presentation contain useful information, it also has...
Curated OER
Ecosystems and Habitats
Fourth graders go on a virtual field trip to five ecosystems. They investigate and videotape a temperate forest in the school's backyard.
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Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?
Students explore the characteristics of major ecosystems, the interactions of the organisms within the systems, and the effects of humans on the system. Both living and non-living components are examined in this five lesson unit.
Curated OER
Ecosystem Interactions Web
Students pick an ecosystem (forest, desert, coral reef, open ocean, grassland, mountain, savanna, etc.) and design an interaction web for their chosen ecosystem. Each group shares their ecosystem's web of life with the class.
Curated OER
Ecosystem Organization
Students examine the structure of ecosystems. For this ecology lesson, students listen to a lecture on relationships among organisms and biomes. Students use the information to create ecosystem organization pyramids.
Curated OER
What Are Earth's Ecosystems?
In this ecosystems worksheet, students will brainstorm facts that relate to 6 different habitats found on the earth: tundra, taiga, grassland, temperate forest, tropical rain forest, and desert.
Curated OER
The Formation and Value of Temperate Grasslands
Students get an overview of the climate and organisms of the North American Prairie. After a lecture, and watching some videos imbedded in this plan, students compile research data on the North American Prairie.
Curated OER
Speedy Succession
Fifth graders investigate how a pond ecosystem can change into a prairie or grassland ecosystem. They observe a small pond ecosystem in a two liter soda bottle, and examine and record changes over a two-week period of time on a worksheet.
Curated OER
Ecosystems
In this ecosystems worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle with 35 questions about the different types of ecosystems and organisms in them.
Curated OER
Seas of Grass
Students view a video clip about grasslands. They identify threats to grasslands and describe cultures which have adapted to grassland conditions. They discuss possible solutions to preserve grasslands as well.
Biology Junction
Land Biomes
Biomes share similar climates and ecosystems, despite being separated geographically on the planet. A presentation introduces the six most common land biomes. It focuses on the commonalities in climate, plants, and animals with many...
Curated OER
Natural Inquirer Ecosystem Article Lesson
Students discover new ways to preserve the ecosystem by completing graphic organizers. In this environmental activity, students read an article from the Natural Inquirer in small groups and fill out a graphic organizer based on the...
Curated OER
Comparing Ecosystems
Students, in groups, research two biomes. They create a Venn diagram and include the characteristics of each biome, placing similar features in the overlapping area of the circles.