Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants and Ecosystems

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
The relationships within and between ecosystems can be explored. after examining an area for living and non-living things students complete the same examination in the forest ecosystem. Students identify abiotic and biotic elements in an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mangrove Ecosystem

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Eager ecologists explore ecosystems through video and photographs of a Mangrove. They discuss the animals in this habitat and how they interact with each other after reading and discussing "The Sea, the Storm and the Mangrove Tangle."...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Observing the Nutritional Relationships in an Ecosystem

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Make learning about food webs fun and fascinating for your fifth graders.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Endangered Species in the Sonoran Desert

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify and explain some caused of endangerment and extinction for species as well as explain the effects of extinction on an ecosystem. Teachers use this lesson plan before teaching students about collecting insects or plants.
Assessment
Science Matters

Ecosystem Pre-Assessment

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Test scholars' knowledge of ecosystems with a 20-question pre-assessment. Assessment challenges learners to answer multiple choice questions, read diagrams, and complete charts.
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Winogradsky Columns: Microbial Ecology in the Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Winogradsky columns are ideal for observing the role of bacteria and other microorganisms in an ecosystem. This student activity guide is complete with data tables for observations and analysis questions for processing what was observed....
Lesson Plan
EduGAINs

Go Eco! Ecosystems

For Teachers 7th - 10th
How is a movie theater like a desert biome? Compare systems to ecosystems with a set of activities that focuses on accessing multiple intelligences and building upon knowledge. As learners discuss the ways elements of an ecosystem depend...
Activity
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Curated OER

Food Chain Activities

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
Transform young biologists into grasshoppers, lizards, and hawks as you teach them about food chains in an interactive life science simulation. Working collaboratively to act out three different scenarios involving...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building an Ecosystem

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Species Interactions

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students research desert species to find where it lives, what it eats, and what species it interacts with directly. Upon completion of research, students construct a web of all the species as a class. This emphasizes the role each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drama in the Salt Marsh

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are introduced to the various organisms that live in a salt marsh. They recognize adaptations of organisms that live in the salt marsh. Pupils review concepts of the ecosystem and niche. Students explain the different roles...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Evaluate Ecosystems

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders conduct an environmental inventory on one ecosystem. They collect data, and write an environmental impact statement on that area. Students explain the interactions between different systems found within an ecosystem....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Ecosystems

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine the relationships between plants, animals, and the environment in ecosystems. They sort animal cards, collect natural materials from the schoolyard, and record an ecosystem web in the form of a poster.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Endangered Ecosystems

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Reading comprehension and note-taking skills are practiced as young ecologists embark on this journey. Explorers visit a website where they will read about three ecosystems that are in danger. They use interactive programs to build a...
Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Lesson 4: Gorongosa's Food Webs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Who eats who in the savannas of Africa? Explore trophic levels with part four of an eight-part series of lessons focused around Gorongosa National Park. After young explorers identify animals using trailcam images, they construct a food...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Measuring Biodiversity in Gorongosa

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Take your biology class' understanding of biodiversity to a whole new level! Ecology scholars use data to calculate three different diversity indices based on the organisms in the Gorongosa National Park. The four-part activity uses an...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Life in the City

For Students 6th - 12th
Believe it or not, biodiversity exists even in areas of disturbed habitat. An interactive activity challenges learners to look for species with a magnifying lens in an image of a city habitat. Pop-up images and descriptions explain how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Etosha: Poppin' Out at You

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders research an African animal of their choice and relate the concepts of population, climate and biodiversity to their animal. They examine how population interacts in an ecosystem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Predator-Prey Simulation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students simulate a predator-prey interaction in an ecosystem. Students use different size squares cut from paper to represent predators and prey. They simulate the interactions of the species by following instructions for the capture of...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Ecosystem Dynamics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Searching for an eccentric way to enhance lessons on ecosystems while ensuring pupils remain creative and motivated? Upon viewing The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, designated groups design and construct a pop-up book that...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

A Salt Marsh Ecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What a web we weave. Pupils use yarn as the primary resource to create a web depicting the intricacies of a salt marsh ecosystem. They participate in a question and answer session, which leads to an in-depth facilitated discussion...
Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

Snakes in the Everglades

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The Burmese python is on the loose ... and he's hungry! Illustrate the differences between causative and correlative relationships through an inquiry lesson. Pupils examine several sources of information to determine if there is a...
Worksheet
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K12 Reader

Ecosystems

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Examine how living and non-living things work together in a reading passage about ecosystems. Class members read the text and then respond to five response questions that relate specifically to the content of the passage.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Marvels of Mud

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Young scientists roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty in this three-day earth science investigation. Following the scientific method, children monitor the growth of algae in pond water samples in order to determine...