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...
K12 Reader
Ecosystems
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.
Shelby County Schools
How Ecosystems Work
How does one organism get its energy? What is the main source of energy in an ecosystem? How does the flow of energy affect different types of ecosystems? Answer these questions with a fill-in-the-blank worksheet.
Curated OER
Marshland Ecosystems
Learners identify animals in ecosystem depicted on 16th Century ceramic basin and classify them as herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores based on physical characteristics and prior knowledge, determine which life forms in ecosystem are...
Curated OER
Models as Tools for Ecosystem Management
Fifth graders explore the concept of environmental management. In this ecosystem instructional activity, 5th graders discover how models help scientists learn more about managing ecosystems. Students create their own model, make...
Curated OER
Biomes/ecosystems
Fifth graders examine ecosystems through a variety of activities including an Internet hunt, work at centers, and building a diorama on a specific habitat.
Montana State University
Everest Extremes: Biodiversity
How many animals can live in a climate as cold as Mount Everest's? Find out with a science lesson all about biodiversity. Activities include research, presentations, group work, coloring maps, and a simulation of a food web.
Science Matters
That’s An Otter Story
Young scientists discover how sea otters' habitats have changed due to human impact. Through conversation, video observation, and story reading, scholars identify how human interactions change a specific ecosystem in both positive and...
Curated OER
The Gopher Tortoise
Can you believe the gopher tortoise was around when the dinosaurs were walking the Earth. Learn all about this creature that is one of Florida's most popular reptiles. Hands-on-activities and a glossary full of scientific terms...
National Science Teacher Association
Middle School Sampler: Science
Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis...
National Park Service
Fire Ecology on the Rim
An engaging unit on wildfires includes three sections, including a background section with eight lessons and five activities, a field experience section with 13 lessons and five activities, and a conclusion section featuring an...
ARKive
Biodiversity and Evolution – Darwin’s Finches
Teens experience natural selection firsthand (or first beak) in an activity that has them act as finches foraging for food. Using different household items to act as different beak styles, your little finches will collect as much...
Science Matters
Formative Assessment #3
Thirteen short-answer questions follow a brief food web activity in a formative assessment designed to test knowledge of ecosystems and the energy that flows through them.
Curated OER
Food Chain
Fourth graders explore the concept of food chains. In this food chain lesson plan, 4th graders discuss what different animals eat and how they are all connected. Students explore a garden and the environment around them to find examples...
Population Connection
Meeting Human Needs
How to meet the needs of people around the globe—a question many ask. The fifth in a six-part series about human population and its effects on the globe, the eye-opening lesson includes discussion, a homework activity, and an in-class...
Curated OER
Butterflies in the Garden
Learners estimate the population of a butterfly ecosystem and create a chart and graph based on information they find.
Curated OER
De-composers - Terrarium
Learners explore the environment by building a mock ecosystem. In this rainforest analysis lesson plan, students define many environmental and rainforest related vocabulary terms and discuss the current status of our planet's...
Curated OER
What Critters Tell Us About Water Quality: A Macroinvertebrate Lesson
Students explore our ecosystem by investigating the quality of our water. In this aquatic insect activity, students examine a group of random insects collected from different streams and ponds in the area. Students record their...
Curated OER
Introducing Biodiversity
Young scholars investigate biodiversity by creating reports with their classmates. In this ecosystem instructional activity, students utilize the Internet to research the different types of life in our environment and different...
Curated OER
Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon: A Publicity Campaign
Young scholars investigate the environment by designing a group project. In this ecology lesson, students identify the man made threats to the Amazon while reading environmentally conscience vocabulary terms. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Human Activity and the Environment
Students review and analyze graphs and tables as a group. They develop their graph and data analysis skills by converting data tables from Human Activity and the Environment into graphs.
Curated OER
Web of Predators and Prey
Students investigate the food chain by researching the Internet. In this ecosystem lesson plan, students view the video "Competitor and Predator" and read a book from the series "The Magic School Bus." Students utilize a...
Curated OER
Ecology - Food Chains
Students discuss the concept of a food chain in the California ecosystem. in this food chain lesson, students look at different cards and sort them into herbivores, carnivores, decomposers, and omnivores. Then they use these cards to...
PBS
The Lorax
Accompany a reading of Dr. Seuss' tale, The Lorax, with a five-item worksheet. Questions challenge scholars to list characters' names, use text details to answer inquiries, and describe the moral of the story.