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
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Baylor College

Food Webs

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Explore various ecosystems from around the world as your class discovers the interdependence of all living things. Using the provided sets of ecosystem cards, young scientists work in small groups building food webs to demonstrate the...
Lesson Plan
Pennsylvania Department of Education

Animal Classes and Their Ecosystems

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore animal characteristics by participating in an environment identification activity. In this animal habitat instructional activity, students discuss a range of different wild life and the ecosystems that they are a part...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building an Ecosystem

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers 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.Middle schoolers will understand that an...
Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Ecosystem Comparison

For Teachers 4th
Fifth graders examine plants and animals in two ecosystems and compare them. In this ecosystem survival activity, 5th graders compare and contrast a coral reef and kelp forest ecosystem. Students investigate the abiotic and biotic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parts of an Ecosystem

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the Great Salt lake and the ecosystem that encompasses it. They study the relationship between an individual of a species, a population of that species, a community that includes that population, and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

GPS Ecosystem (Ecotone) Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers describe the characteristics of an ecotone. In this ecotone lesson, students pick out their area and describe the visual appearance, conditions, ecosystem, biodiversity, predators, prey, and trees in their ecotone. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design a Reef!

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Using a miniature coral reef aquarium kit, young ecologists model this unique ecosystem. They research various coral reef organisms and their niches, and they culminate the project by working together to write a report. Use this activity...
Unit Plan
Montana Natural History Center

Studying Grassland Ecosystems

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forest Ecosystem

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students become familiar with the temperate rainforest.  For this forest ecosystem lesson, students identify the producers, consumers and decomposers in the forest ecosystem.  Students sort cards and identify the trophic level...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecosystems

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders create a closed ecosystem and place it where is it visible to others in the school. They label it with posters describing the interdependence of living things in the ecosystem. They discuss what might happen to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecosystems and Habitats

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders go on a virtual field trip to five ecosystems. They investigate and videotape a temperate forest in the school's backyard.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Visualizing Vocabulary in an Ecosystem

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders observe the pond ecosystem. In this ecosystem lesson, 6th graders observe the organisms at the pond and create a poster that illustrates the pond.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cause And Effects Of Pollutants In Ecosystems

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders define what an ecosystem is, what its make up is and how pollution effects it.  For this air pollution lesson students identify the cause and effects of pollution on an ecosystem and trace a food chain. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Web of Life - Ecosystem

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students examine the concepts of ecosystems and interdependence. They construct block pyramids to demonstrate interdependence, and map off an area to observe and identify animals. They create food chain mobiles and play a web of life game.
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Living & Non-Living Interactions

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Tree is an Ecosystem

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students make observations about trees. In this ecosystem lesson, students observe and record all living and non living things they find under a tree, look for birds nests, evidence of woodpeckers and take samples such as leafs, bark,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Ecosystems

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create an ecosystem as a class. They have already produced smaller ones. They use a pond or something similar on school grounds to meet the needs of certain plants and animals of their ecosystem. Specifically created will...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Populations and Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the factors that influence the stability of ecosystems. They construct a miniature ecosystem in a jar that includes plants, small fish, and snails, record the population changes over a period of four weeks, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Populations and Ecosystems

For Teachers 7th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prairie In A Bottle

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders observe images of prairie ecosystems and discuss the needs of living things. They create a prairie habitat in a closed jar to observe the water cycle and plant growth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Species Diversity in Ecosystems with Different Techniques of Land Management

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students visit numerous places to help in their understanding of Ecology. In this biology lesson plan, students will learn about characteristics and how to identify numerous plants and animals. This lesson allows for many field trip...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New York City Water Quality Assessment Project

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students investigate the chemistry of water and how its molecular structure supports life through its biochemcial, physical, and environmental roles. They investigate the quality of water as it interacts with the environment. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Create An Ecosystem

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders create ecosystems in a jar which they observe over the course of the school year.