American Museum of Natural History
Pterosaurs: The Card Game
Piecing together the past is a challenging endeavor. Learners get a taste of that challenge as they play a game that incorporates several components such as trophic levels, geological time periods, and catastrophic events. Pairs work to...
Biology Junction
Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
Every living thing requires a food source, thus the interconnections in ecosystems become complex. Scholars learn about these interconnections in a presentation on energy flow. It starts with the sun and moves through many different...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Building Ecological Pyramids
Looking for a fresh take on traditional food/energy pyramids? Conduct an innovative activity where pupils build their own! The lesson uses research data from Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique for a real-life safari touch. Scholars...
Curated OER
How Does Energy Cycle in Ecosystems?
In this energy cycle worksheet, students will write in examples for each trophic level in an energy cycle: top, middle, and lowest levels.
Curated OER
Ecological Pyramids
Students apply the ecological pyramids of numbers and biomass with an activity using topographic maps. In this trophic level lesson, students work in groups using a topographic map to determine the number of organisms that can live in an...
Curated OER
Food Chains and Webs
For this food chains worksheet, students identify the producers and consumers in the given food chains and describe how contaminants can biologically accumulate. This worksheet has 4 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Six Levels of Ecological Organization
Ninth graders describe the six levels of ecological organizations and give examples of each. They also differentiate between food chains and webs and identify trophic and consumer levels in food chain and food webs.
Curated OER
Ecosystems
A critical look into the structure and function of ecosystems is here for young learners as a series of lessons and worksheet activities. Topics covered include land-based and marine ecosystems, connections to the water cycle, food webs,...
Curated OER
The Biosphere
In this biosphere worksheet, learners identify the different levels of organization that ecologists study. Students complete charts, sentences, and answer short answer questions.
Curated OER
Food Web Mystery
Students describe typical marine food webs, and explain why food is generally scarce in the deep-ocean environment. They discuss reasons that seamounts may support a higher density of biological organisms than would appear to be possible.
Curated OER
Constructing A Food Web
Students identify and explain the relationships within a food web. They use index cards to glue pictures of producers and consumers. On the back of the card, students name the organism, list the type of biome in which it is found.
Curated OER
A Tale of Two Reactors
Tenth graders role-play as members of the food chain. Sticky tables acting as polluting factors are introduced and members of different trophic levels suffer varying degrees of damage due to those pollutants.
Curated OER
Secrets of the Ocean Realm - Survival in the Sea
Middle schoolers determine the sequential links in a marine food chain and identify the roles that various organisms play in this chain. Students develop charts as visual aids for illustrating marine food chains.
Curated OER
Identifying trophic levels and the skeletal system through Owl Pellets
Young scholars identify a food chain sequence. They compare, identify, and record the rodent skeletal parts to a rodent skeletal diagram. Students construct a rodent skeleton from the skeletal parts found in the pellet. They are given...
Curated OER
Ecosystems
Students work in small groups to create a poster illustrating the flow of energy through a typical ecosystem, then present their posters to the class.
Curated OER
Principles of Ecology
In this ecology worksheet, students will fill in a graphic organizer showing the relationship organisms have with their environments and with each other. This includes biotic and abiotic factors, tropic levels, and ecological pyramids....
Curated OER
Life is Weird!
Students describe major features of cold seep communities, and list at least five organisms typical of these communities. They infer probable trophic relationships among organisms typical of cold-seep communities and the surrounding...
Curated OER
The Barn Owl Pellet
Seventh graders examine the factors that affect the number and types of organisms that an ecosystem can support. In this ecosystem lesson students study the barn owl and where it is on the food chain, then dissect an owl pellet.
Curated OER
Nutrition and Energy Flow
In this energy flow worksheet, students will complete 10 short answer questions based on a food web diagram. Then students will review different cycles in nature including the water cycle, carbon cycle, and energy cycle. This worksheet...
Curated OER
Life In Extreme Environments
Students work together to design and participate in experiments to determine the rate rotifers eat. After completing their experiments, they record and analyze their data and identify any challenges faced during the procedure. They...
Curated OER
Principles of Ecology
For this ecology worksheet, students will review 10 vocabulary words associated with the basic principles of ecology. This worksheet has 10 fill in the blank questions.
Curated OER
Populations and Ecosystems
Seventh graders create a model of an ecosystem and label it to show structure and function. They research the food web of an aquatic animal and also trace energy flow from the primary producer up the food chain.
Curated OER
What Should I Know about Biosphere?
If your class is learning about the biosphere, you may find a study guide or reading guide helpful. Focusing on vocabulary, processes, and interactions, the Word document is easy to edit as needed to fit your needs. Another great option...
Curated OER
Human Impact Starts with?
What kind of effects do humans have on their environment? Review key anthropogenic vocabulary with a fill-in-the-blank handout. You may wish to use this as an ongoing glossary, review before a test, or even create a crossword puzzle or...