NOAA
Build Your Own Ocean Ecosystem
Hold the sea in the palm of your hand! Amateur oceanographers work together to create models of an ocean ecosystem in the sixth and final installment in a series. Raise awareness of global ocean health issues through guided research,...
Eastern Michigan University
Energy Flow in a Wetland Ecosystem
How is energy transferred within an ecosystem? What would happen to a food web if one of the organisms was removed? Elementary or middle school ecologists examine these questions and more in a comprehensive 5E learning cycle lesson....
Curated OER
Ecosystems
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...
Curated OER
Climate Change Challenge
Students participate in a demonstration in which they role-play polar bears and habitat components to demonstrate the impacts of climate change on the Arctic Ocean ecosystem.
Curated OER
Investigative Case - "Rio Grande Wildlife Refuge"
Students study wildlife management as it relates to ecological principles and whole systems. They role play professional ecologists working for the fish and wildlife service to develop a plan to manage a new wildlife refuge along the Rio...
Curated OER
Smokey's Message
Pupils list and discuss positive and negative effects of wildland fire. They discuss relationships among ecosystems and fire. They participate in role-playing activities related to wildland fire management.
Michigan Sea Grant
Survival Game
Musical chairs may be a classic game, but Ruffe Musical Chairs is a unique lesson on invasive species! Using the time-honored game, pupils role play the behaviors of the invasive fish called Eurasian ruffe. Learning about this aggressive...
Curated OER
Spinning the Eco Web
Students examine the components and relationships of ecoregions and ecosystem management. They define ecoregion and ecosystem, list ecoregions, and participate in a simulation that demonstrates the connections between parts of the...
Curated OER
Introducing Biodiversity
Learners investigate biodiversity by creating reports with their classmates. In this ecosystem lesson, students utilize the Internet to research the different types of life in our environment and different locations around the...
Curated OER
Design a Reef!
Here is an ambitious, but highly valuable undertaking: set up a miniature coral reef in your classroom. Young marine scientists research coral reef ecosystems and ensure all vital factors are included in their functioning model. The...
Curated OER
Compettion at its Best
Sixth graders role play predators, prey and other parts of the aquatic ecosystem. They show inter and intra-specific competition as well as the link between abiotic and biotic components in an ecosystem. Students play games about the...
Science Matters
Oh Heron
Two teams—the environmentalists and herons—play four rounds of the game, Oh Heron. Using hand symbols to represent food, shelter, and water, players locate their match to produce more herons while those unmatched decompose.
Curated OER
Predator and Prey Game
Students explore the why the balance among producers, predators and prey is necessary in order for an ecosystem to be sustained over time. Through web games and activities, they discover how each component of the food chain works to...
Curated OER
The Great Kapok Tree: A Social Studies Lesson
Students examine how plants, animals and people need each other in order to survive. They simulate an ecosystem in a food web and role play certain animals or plants. They answer questions about their simulation to finish the lesson.
Curated OER
Habitat Lap Sit
Students examine through role play interdependence of animal and man in their search for the proper arrangement of food, water, shelter and space in the same regions. Students then discuss necessary components of suitable habitat.
Curated OER
Sound Pictures
Students examine the components of a sonar system. In this physical science lesson plan students explain how multibeam and sidescan sonar systems are useful to ocean explorers. Students simulate sonar operations in an activity...
Curated OER
Sensational Soil
Fourth and fifth graders explore soil by taking a simulated field trip under the earth. They go to an Internet site that runs a simulation which charges them with finding a source of pollution that could destroy all of Earth's soil, and...
Science 4 Inquiry
The Ups and Downs of Populations
As the reality of population decline across many species becomes real, pupils learn about the variables related to changes in populations. They complete a simulation of population changes and graph the results, then discuss limiting...
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: The Role of CO2
Though this is meant to be second in a two-part instructional activity, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react...
Curated OER
Bye-Bye Bison
Fourth graders investigate the bison's struggle for survival. They discuss the importance of bison while participating in an role playing activity showing how important the food supply and surroundings are to their survival.
Curated OER
Poisoning the Prairie
Seventh graders investigate what pesticides are and why people use them. They examine the effect of pesticides on prairie grasses and what alternatives can be used.
Curated OER
Hawaii's Freshwater Animals - Species Report
Students explore biology by creating a report for the class. In this oceanography lesson plan, students research and identify the survival characteristics of a list of freshwater animals by utilizing the Internet and library. Students...
Curated OER
Choose Your Defense: Spines, Vomit and Camouflage
Students investigate defensive mechanisms of insects and organisms. In this biology activity, students draw imaginary caterpillars as well as imaginary parasites that will harm the caterpillar. Students utilize the Internet...
Curated OER
Fair Games
Students participate in several chance activities and examine a few games for fairness. They become game designers who are asked to design a fair game for a toy company. Students must describe the rules for play and examine...