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Unit Plan
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Living Organisms and Their Environment

For Students 9th - 10th
A tutorial podcast providing an overview of the interdependence of organisms in their environment. [1:05]
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Unit Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic: Study Jams! Science: Ecosystems

For Students 3rd - 5th
A video and a short multiple-choice quiz on the topic of ecosystems, covering biotic and abiotic factors, and the roles organisms play in an ecosystem.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Invasive Species O Logy Card

For Students 3rd - 8th
Uncover facts about invasive species by turning over this interactive OLogy card.
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eBook
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Life Science: 12.11 Habitat and Niche

For Students 5th - 9th
See how organisms each have their own role in the ecosystem.
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Activity
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Volcanoes of the Deep

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Discuss how individual organisms and groups of organisms interact with each other, and research and classify symbiotic relationships between individual organisms of different species.
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Handout
BiologyWise

Biology Wise: Examples of Parasitism

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains what parasitism is and provides a few examples of parasitic relationships.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Examples of Primary Consumers in the Food Chain

For Students 4th - 8th
Explains what a primary consumer's role in a food chain is and provides examples.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Food Chain in the Tundra Region

For Students 3rd - 5th
Describes the characteristics of a tundra biome, how a tundra food chain compares to a tropical food chain, and what the different trophic levels look like.
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Handout
BiologyWise

Biology Wise: An Analogy: Biomass Pyramid vs. Energy Pyramid

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains what biomass and energy pyramids are and provides a table highlighting their differences.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Tropical Rainforest Energy Pyramid and Its Importance

For Students 4th - 7th
Explains the roles of consumers, producers, and detrivores or decomposers and how energy flows through the different levels of the energy pyramid of a tropical rainforest.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Tropical Rainforest Food Web

For Students 3rd - 5th
Explains what a food web is, the complexity of one in a rainforest, and how energy flows through a food web.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: 12 Lesser Known Examples of Intraspecific Competition

For Students 4th - 8th
Explains what intraspecific competition is and gives examples.
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Handout
BiologyWise

Biology Wise: Examples of Beneficial Mutation

For Students 9th - 10th
Not all genetic mutations are harmful. Examples of beneficial mutations are described here.
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Handout
BiologyWise

Biology Wise: Understanding the Process of Biological Magnification

For Students 9th - 10th
Biological magnification is the term used to described the increasing accumulation of substances in organisms as one looks at higher trophic levels in a food chain. When that substance is a toxin, such as a heavy metal or a pesticide,...
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Handout
BiologyWise

Biology Wise: Facts About Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains what autotrophs and heterotrophs are, the several types of each, their roles in an ecosystem's food chains, and the differences between them.
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Prokaryote Classification and Diversity

For Students 9th - 10th
Different groups of prokaryotes. Evolutionary relationships of bacteria and archaea. Extremophiles.
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Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Biology: Interdependence of Living Things

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Covers how species interact with each other.
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Handout
University of California

Ucmp: Introduction to the Carnivora

For Students 9th - 10th
Nice informational site about the order Carnivora. The opening page lists members of the order and briefly describes relationships between humans and carnivores. It links to pages on evolution of carnivores, the ecological roles of...
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Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Life Science: Importance of Birds

For Students 6th - 8th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] You are probably familiar with birds as food. Around the world, people consume chicken, turkey, and even more exotic birds, like ostriches. Can you think of other...
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Activity
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigation a Food Web: Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Being field scientists, students will explore a wooded area in their community and journal about their observations. Students will collect information about producers, consumers, and decomposers in the ecosystem. They will then construct...
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Handout
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: The Habitable Planet: Ecosystems: Energy Flow Through

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed explanation of the processes by which energy flows through an ecosystem. Scroll down and open Section 3.
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Environmental Interactions

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this activity, students create a "web" to identify and demonstrate the interactions among the living and non-living parts of an environment. This information allows students to better understand what an environment is and to also...
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Website
Other

Texas/fossil Rim Wildlife Center

For Students 9th - 10th
Fossil Rim is a refuge center for endangered species and is located "50 miles southwest of Fort Worth." The site is an excellent resource for classroom teachers and students. It features word games, coloring pages, pictures and...
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Butterfly Bush Visitors

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
In this instructional activity, the children learn about how critters depend on the butterfly bush and how the butterfly bush, in turn, depends on it. Common Core writing skills are integrated as they take it to the next step, and create...