Michigan Sea Grant
Invasive Species
Learners identify invasive species to the Great Lakes and analyze their impact on the ecosystem. Using photo cards with pictures and facts, young scientists work in small groups to match invasive species with their corresponding...
Georgian Court University
Introduction to Marsh Ecology
Compare and contrast the characteristics of fresh and salt water marshes. After exploring the typical plants and animals found in each marsh type, participants use a set of flash cards to sort into fresh and salt water marsh life. Their...
Serendip
Changing Biological Communities – Disturbance and Succession
After cutting down a forest to make a farm, how long would it take the environment to turn an abandoned farm back into a forest? Scholars study this exact scenario while they interpret many charts and graphs of the changing ecosystems as...
Curated OER
What Happens When Invasive Species Are Introduced
Helping students understand the dangers of nonnative species is an important part of ecology and environmental science lessons.
Curated OER
Coastal Ecology of the Bahamas
Sixth graders investigate the Bahamas through presentations and charts. For this ecology lesson, 6th graders utilize their library and Internet to research the life forms and species that inhabit the Bahamas. Students observe a...
Curated OER
Invasives and Marsh Birds
Students are taught that invasive plant removal can have a variety of impacts. They are shown this by using graphs. Students view maps of vegetation change on Iona Island. They discuss implications of changes on marsh birds using data...
Curated OER
Becoming the Great Lakes Invasive Species Czar: A Game to Show the Difficulty in Controlling Invasive Species
Tenth graders explore different ways to control aquatic invasive species. In this ecology lesson, 10th graders play the role of a member of the Dept of Natural Resources. They decide whether money should be spent on control or prevention...
Curated OER
Student Peer Review Through a Discussion Board to Develop an Invasive Species Paper
Students develop electronic communication skills through a discussion board while peer reviewing a paper on invasive species. Students work in groups of three to provide constructive feedback on a classmate's paper.
Curated OER
Great Lakes Ecology
Students are able to use a secchi disk to measure the turbidity of water by determining the depth at which the sechi disk is no longer visible and using the data in a formula to quantify the results. They are able to use Vernier probes...
College Board
2003 AP® Environmental Science Free-Response Questions
One size fits all doesn't seem to be the right approach to endangered species. Using a four-part AP® assessment, learners respond to questions that address environmental concerns such as human population changes, invasive species...
Institute for Applied Ecology
From Salmonberry to Sagebrush - Exploring Oregon’s Native Plants
Take a deep dive into Oregon's ecosystems, plants, and changes from the past to the future. Many hands-on activities in an environmental science unit delight scholars, including creating a field guide for a local park. The in-depth study...
Curated OER
Ecology
Young scholars explore, experience and experiment identifying the human impact on the environment of vegetative differences within the same biome. They assess what causes deserts, rain forests, savannahs, tundras and saguaros and how...
It's About Time
Competition Among Organisms
Who knew plants could be so competitive? Join your class as they observe plants competing for space and nutrients. Middle and high schoolers describe possible effects of introducing a new species into an already established ecosystem,...
Curated OER
Invasive Mussels
In this ecology activity, students study a fact sheet on invasive mussels. They answer 8 short answer questions about it after reading the provided information.
Community Resources for Science
Food Webs/Clipfish
Human impact on habitats can be alarming. A hands-on activity has learners explore the impact of human interactions with different environments using a gamified approach. They simulate the impact of a species' abundance under different...
Curated OER
Ecology Community Status
In this ecology community status worksheet, students research their state's ecosystem, make a chart of the biodiversity, analyze the chart and identify issues with wetland species. This page has several links to helpful web resources.
Curated OER
Investigative Case - "Malama Keone'o'io"
Students study techniques for conducting a local environmental assessment in an ecologically sensitive area. Identification of native plants and methodologies for sampling is taught in the classroom and then reinforced in the field. The...
Curated OER
Population Growth
High schoolers grow duckweed, observe what happens when an organism population is allowed to grow without predation or competition, view videos about invasive species, and develop a proposal for controlling the growth of an invasive...
Curated OER
Invasive Species
Eighth graders explain the impact of exotic species to an ecosystem. In this environmental science lesson, 8th graders brainstorm ways to eliminate invasive species. They share their ideas in class.
Curated OER
Species and Specimens: Exploring Local Biodiversity
Students practice skills essential to all scientific investigation: carefully observing and collecting data. They become field biologists in a series of hands-on activities to collect and identify specimens, and survey and calculate the...
Curated OER
Non Native Species: English Ivy-Landscape Plant or Deadly Killer?
Students study the impact that invasive species have on biodiversity and more natural areas.
Curated OER
Mussel Movements
Students consider the impact of invasive species on local environments. In this ecology lesson, watch the video, Arizona Wildlife Views, which focuses on invasive species. Students develop vocabulary, relate to meaningful comprehension...
Curated OER
The Wingra Marsh: A Purple Population Problem
Learners engage students in an ecological inquiry. They author a presentation to the Grounds Management Committee of their school giving their recommendation for the control of the invasive species purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)...
Curated OER
Blue Mud Shrimp Mystery
Students explore invasive species on an environment. In this exploratory lesson students hypothesize why shrimp are on the decline and make a brochure or poster showing their results.