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Lesson Plan
NASA

Decomposers Get Energy From Dead Things

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When life gives you mold, make penicillin. Scholars design an inquiry experiment to determine what causes rotting and mold growth. It also covers decomposers and the important role they play for other living things. 
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Interactive2:52
Scholastic

Study Jams! Ecosystems

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
With the forest as an example, Sam and Zoe talk about the components biotic and abiotic of an ecosystem. They also discuss the role of producers, consumers, and decomposers. This concise clip covers all of the basics. As an introduction...
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Activity
Discovery Education

Perfectly Decomposed!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Producers and Consumers

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students make lists of producers and consumers and act as consumers that eat producers in a garden. In this producers and consumers lesson plan, students demonstrate a food chain by using a piece of yarn to connect all of them together.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Producers, Consumers, Decomposers (3-5)

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students gather evidence to explain that organisms in an ecosystem are tied together by their need for energy. They see that decomposers break down dead organisms and wastes and release the nutrients they contain into the soil,
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biological Relationships

For Teachers 6th
Create a written document to show knowledge of producers, consumers, decomposers, and symbiotic relationships. To investigate food consumption, your classes will differentiate between types of symbiosis and explain examples of each.
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PPT
Biology Junction

Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem: Food Chains, Food Webs, and Energy Pyramids

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
When a minnow eats a piece of plastic, that garbage often tracks through multiple animals, causing harm to each as it passes through the food chain. Scholars learn about food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids with a presentation. It...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prairie Food Chains & Webs

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students complete a food chain. In this ecosystem lesson, students learn about producers, consumers and decomposers. Students identify herbivores, carnivores and omnivores and complete two worksheets.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Food Chains

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study food chains, producers, consumers, and decomposers. They play a food chain game and create food chain mobiles or posters. They take a nature hike around the school and observe various parts of a food chain.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

it's Lonely At The Top

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the differnences between food producers in food webs and food consumers in food chains. Behavioral choices of primary and secondary consumers such as herbivores, vegetarians, carnivors, and omnivors are analyzed.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Am I?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students classify organisms into one of five categories: producer, consumer, decomposer, predator, or prey. Students play a "Who Am I" game. Signs are hung on the backs of fellow students They must ask questions to determine what...
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Activity
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It's About Time

Who Eats Whom?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Packed with visual aids and multiple learning opportunities, an engaging exercise challenges individuals as they explore the role of producers, consumers, and decomposers. After discussing differences between food chains, food...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Sample Midyear Examination (Chemistry and Biology)

For Students 7th - 12th
A 12-page midterm exam sample can be given to young scientists in preparation for an exam. This particular installment is geared toward a class that delves into both ecology and chemistry concepts. There is no way to separate the 50...
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Interactive4:02
Scholastic

Study Jams! Food Chains

For Students 3rd - 7th Standards
Rhinozilla is Mia's bearded dragon and the focus of this lesson on energy flow in an ecosystem. She uses him to explain the energy pyramid, from producers through third level consumers, and she likens the food chain to a video game. Mia...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Ecology Study Guide

For Students 8th - 10th
In this ecology study guide, students fill in a table about producers, consumers and decomposers, they draw the water cycle, they fill in diagrams about cell respiration, the food pyramid, protein synthesis and nitrification, population...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Ecology

For Students 6th
In this ecology activity, 6th graders will review ecology vocabulary words by circling the word that doesn't belong in each group of words for 6 questions. Then students will determine if 9 statements relating to animal and plant roles...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Nutritional Relationships Chart

For Students 5th - 8th
Producers, Herbivores, Carnivores, Decomposers, oh my! Help organize the intricacies between these four types of eaters with this biology activity. Scientists display nutritional relationships in a graphic organizer. They place 15 terms...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Producers and Energy Transfer

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discuss the relationship between producers, consumers, and decomposers as they look at the energy pyramid. While working in small groups, they create an ecosystem that includes all or some of the given categories, and they...
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PPT
Curated OER

Prior Knowledge Investigation-Food Webs

For Teachers 7th
Students explore food webs. They identify any misconceptions of producers, consumers or decomposers and their relationship within a food web. Students draw an example of a food web for each of the examples that are given. They address...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Introduction to the Ocean World

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students comprehend how the organisms that exist within the ocean biome, and categorizing each into producer, consumer, or decomposer. They place various human actions under the headings of "hazard" or "help," illustrating how humans can...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Flow of Energy Song

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students perform the lyrics and instrumental parts for the "Flow of Energy song." They create photo images which represent consumers, producers, decomposers, and scavengers. These images will be inserted in an iMovie of the class...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Food Webs

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students research rainforest animals and use that information to make a flow chart to show the order in which energy is transferred through several organisms. They label the producers, consumers, and decomposers in their chart.
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Activity
Exploring Nature Educational Resources

Building A Classroom Food Web

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
From bears and owls to chipmunks and trees, all life depends on the sun for the energy to survive. Young biologists develop an understanding of this big idea as they arrange this series of plant and animal picture cards into food webs...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Living Environment

For Teachers 8th - 10th
In this living environment worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 34 clues about the various species in the environment that produce, consume and decompose. Topics also include photosynthesis, respiration, glucose, organic...