Curated OER
Ecology and the Conservation of Natural Resources
Students examine the components of ecosystems. They compare and contrast an ecosystem to an aquatic ecosystem. They examine a local ecosystem and discuss its components.
Curated OER
What Is In The Water?
Students investigate the biotic and abiotic factors that are found in an aquatic ecosystem. The emphasis is upon the investigation of present an projections of future water quality. Then students visit a local body of water to gather...
Curated OER
Beaver Ecology
Students explore the lives of bgeahvers. They identify the physical and behavioral adaptations that help beavers survive in their environment. Students compare and contrast how beavers influence the ecology of both forest and aquatic...
Curated OER
Aquatic Communities
Students watch a video about aquatic communities. They conduct an experiment that shows how movement of rivers change the landscape. They compare fresh and salt water communities and its wildlife.
Curated OER
Aquatic Invertebrates
Students examine the impact that human development has on streams. For this stream sampling lesson students compare macroinvertebrate data and graph it.
Curated OER
Weave an Aquatic Food Web
Students explore organisms that are part of interconnected food webs. In this food web lesson, students choose an animal and research what the animal eats. Students begin with the food chain and branch out into the interconnected web...
Discovery Education
Perfectly Decomposed!
We all know someone who won't eat the banana with a brown spot, the grape with a dimple, and the apple with a bruise. Scholars use different fruits to explore what happens when fruits really start to decompose. They set up an experiment...
Curated OER
Wetland Metaphors
Students describe the characteristics of wetlands and identify their ecological functions. They inspect items and use them to create metaphors about wetlands.
Curated OER
What If There's No Light?
students discuss the importance of light and the consequences of living without it. Using a plant as a demonstration, students predict and observe what happens to a plant when it does not receive enough light. In groups, they experiment...
Curated OER
How Do Plants and Animals Change the Environment Around Them?
If you have elodea and snails in your classroom aquarium, or if you have access to a pond with these organisms, your young biologists can set up a controlled experiment to determine how certain ecosystems respond in light and dark...
Curated OER
Peek at the Chesapeake!
Students research organisms that live in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. In this science activity, students choose an organism and research how it is affected by humans. Students create a presentation of their findings.
Curated OER
Your Own Fresh Water Aquarium in the Classroom
Students explore aquariums. In this fish and ecosystems lessons, students establish a freshwater aquarium environment using materials provided. Students read about and care for the classroom fish.
Curated OER
Build An Island
Students explore erosion. In this science lesson, students build an island and observe the effects of erosion on the island. Students discuss freshwater ecosystems in Hawaii.
Curated OER
Business Responsibility to Wetlands
Eighth graders discuss the responsibilities of businesses to protect local wetlands. In groups, they participate in numerous activities and create a model of a wetland to discover how it functions. They are given a quiz to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Marine Field Trip to Whytecliff Park
Students study the intertidal habitat, tidal pools and the organisms that live in them. In this aquatic ecosystems lesson students take a field trip and experience first hand the local seashore environment.
University of South Carolina
Home Sweet Home
Fifth graders will research a biome (land or aquatic) and create a project (diorama, model or another idea of the student's choosing) which includes the geographic features of that biome as well as plants and animals found there and...
Curated OER
Biomes -- Part 1
Pupils use the internet to locate and gather information on the world's biomes. They compare and contrast biomes to ecosystems and describe the human effects on ecosystems. They answer questions to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Who Lives in a Wetland?
In this science worksheet, students list the names of 14 animals that live in a wetland. The animals are pictured and numbered. Students identify the animals and color the picture.
Curated OER
Salmon Life Cycles
Students list salmon life cycle stages in order, list three threats that salmon face throughout their lives, and examine important role native fish play in aquatic food chains throughout their life cycles.
Curated OER
Speedy Succession
Fifth graders investigate how a pond ecosystem can change into a prairie or grassland ecosystem. They observe a small pond ecosystem in a two liter soda bottle, and examine and record changes over a two-week period of time on a worksheet.
Curated OER
Bahamian Terrariums
Sixth graders create a Bahamian terrarium. In this Bahamian ecosystem instructional activity, 6th graders watch a PowerPoint to see Bahamian biotic and abiotic factors. They bring in 2-3 items for their terrarium.
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...
Curated OER
Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Seven pages of fascinating reading on marine debris preface the activities in this lesson plan. Four different activities are employed to simulate how the debris is distributed in the ocean and along beaches. Early ecology learners...
Curated OER
Water Quality Survey
Students identify the differences in the water quality of a stream and complete water testing. In this water quality lesson students collect aquatic insects and identify them.