Curated OER
Leaf Living
Students participate in a game to simulate life on a leaf. In this habitat lesson, students climb under a pile of leaves, some acting as predators and some as prey. Students answer questions related to the game under the leaves.
Curated OER
Sustainability and Extinction
Galapagos Penguins are the only penguins on earth that live north of the equator (in the wild). In this last lesson plan a discussion on how the Galapagos islands developed their populations and diversity sparks the introduction. Two...
Curated OER
Wildlife
First, biology pupils research land and marine habitats along the route of skipper Rich Wilson's Great American II. Then, using colored paper clips scattered across a colored paper background, they play the predator-prey game to...
Curated OER
Peregrine Falcon
Young environmentalists study the effects that pesticides have on birds, such as the peregrine falcon. They also look at predator/prey interactions. Some wonderful in-class activities accompany an inventive lesson. After an activity that...
Ask a Biologist
It’s a Plankton Eat Plankton World
For as small as they are, plankton sure play an enormous role in maintaining marine ecosystems. Dive into an investigation of these tiny organisms with a hands-on life science activity in which children cut out pictures of sea...
K20 LEARN
Ecosystems, Human Activity, And Interactions, Oh My!: Human/Environment Interaction
Word clouds about ecosystems hook learners into a lesson that explores Yellowstone wildlife. Young scientists create cause-and-effect relationships after examining data and recommend solutions to their observed problems. More data...
Curated OER
The Lynx Eats The Hare
Students investigate the predator and prey relationship. This is done using a simple simulation. The simulation is done as an arts and craft activity. Students record data and track it using a graphic organizer and then they discuss the...
Curated OER
Calling All Owls
Students research various types of owls. In this owls lesson, students observe owls and discuss their characteristics. Students go to an owl habitat and listen for the call of an owl. Students read The Owl in the Shower and...
Curated OER
Create a Creature
Young scholars design, build, draw, or bake a creature of their choice and present to the class. They write a paper including the creature's habitat, method of getting energy, their creature as a producer or consumer, predator or prey...
Curated OER
Predator-Prey Simulation
Students simulate the interactions between a predator population of lynx and a prey population of rabbits. They collect and graph the data, then extend the graph to predict the populations for several more generations.
Curated OER
The Predator-Prey Simulation
Students play a game in which they simulate the interactions between a predator, lynx, and a prey, rabbit. Students collect data on the interactions, graph data, and make predictions for populations of several more generations.
Curated OER
Spider Safari
Today we are talking about one of the stealthiest, sneakiest, and most intriguing insects of all times, the spider. Learners will examine the predatory nature of these super bugs as they conduct a spider safari survey. Each child will...
Curated OER
Bat and Moth
Pupils stand in a circle, with two in the center. The center students are the bat and moth. They are both blindfolded, and the bat must catch the moth. The bat shakes a can, and the moth must reply by shaking his/her can, also. After...
Berkshire Museum
Camouflage!: Collecting Data and Concealing Color
Help young scholars see the important role camouflage plays in the survival of animals with a fun science lesson. Starting with an outdoor activity, children take on the role of hungry birds as they search for worms represented by...
Curated OER
Predators Among Us
Students study environmental science. In this ecosystems lesson, students discover how humans have an impact on life in the coral reef. They watch video clips and work on small group activities. This lesson includes links to the videos...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Modeling Trophic Cascades
In the ecological game of who eats who, one small change can have a big impact! Individuals create food chains in an array of ecosystems, then determine what happens to organisms in the chain when one organism changes its feeding...
Nature Works Everywhere
Sharks and Shorelines
Examine predator-prey marine relationships through an interactive lesson plan design. Learners begin by studying a specific shark species and then analyze real-time shark-tracking data. They also study threats to shark populations and...
Montana Natural History Center
Studying Grassland Ecosystems
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...
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...
Wilderness Classroom
Ocean Life
Our oceans are composed of many complex relationships. Young oceanographers explore relationships between organisms, understand the world ocean's currents, and discover the effects of water pollution and how it behaves. There are...
Curated OER
What Makes up an Ecosystem?
Eighth graders design posters of working ecosystems using pictures from magazines. They label autotrophic, heterotropic, or saprotrophic energy sources, and identify predators and prey.
University of California
Energy and Biomass Pyramids
Young scientists play tag as they act out the food pyramid in the ocean ecosystem. Energy circles pass from the smaller prey to the predators and at the end of the activity, a data chart and analysis questions allow pupils to apply their...
Captain Planet Foundation
Energy Flow in the Garden
How can you tell what an owl has eaten? Study the food chain and flow of energy in an ecosystem by dissecting an owl pellet and noting the bones found inside. Additionally, the instructional activity includes a game about consumers and...
Curated OER
Sound Off!
Students investigate the sounds animals make as they communicate. In this animal communication lesson, students play a game in which they simulate animal sounds. They attempt to find their animal partner before being captured by a predator.