NOAA
Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Cool Corals
Young oceanographers research deep sea corals that thrive on chemosynthesis. The lesson focuses on the biology of the animal, preferred habitat, associations, and interactions.
NOAA
Deep-Sea Ecosystems – A Tale of Deep Corals
Many have debated which came first, the chicken or the egg, but this lesson debates which came first, the hydrocarbons or the carbonate reef. After a discussion on deep-sea corals, scholars receive a set of questions to research and...
Maine Math & Science Alliance
Earth as a System
Ecosystem, human body system, weather system. We hear the word system a lot, but what does it really mean? In the activity, pairs or groups of learners discuss how a bicycle is a system and then analyze objects in their classroom and...
US Mint
Desert Dwellers
What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of shared reading...
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...
American Museum of Natural History
Life in the City
Believe it or not, biodiversity exists even in areas of disturbed habitat. An interactive activity challenges learners to look for species with a magnifying lens in an image of a city habitat. Pop-up images and descriptions explain how...
Curated OER
Animal and Plant Cell Journaling Activity
Jump into the classification of animal and plants cells, through this inviting lesson comparing Elodea leaves and Epithelial cells. Middle school learners will create wet mounts, write journal entries that compare specimens, and finally...
Sea World
Saving the Wild: Conservation Around the World
Enhance your unit on conservation, ecosystems, or migration with a series of lessons about ways to save the wild around the world. Kids research types of conservation, such as recycling, and use their geography skills to map the...
Purdue University
Discovering the Watershed
Human impact on watersheds can make or break an ecosystem. Learners use a game to learn about the impact human choices have on water quality and the organisms that depend on it. The activity includes a game board and game cards that tell...
Curated OER
Water Filtration
As an example of nature's water filtering system, young ecologists conduct an experiment in the lab. They construct a funnel out of a plastic bottle, fill it with specified layers of materials that simulate layers of soil, then run muddy...
It's About Time
Who Eats Whom?
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...
Florida International University
Are You Concentrating?
Explore the importance of a concentration gradient in the rates of dissolution. Using the ocean ecosystem, learners study rates of dissolution around coral reefs. A hands-on experiment helps individuals discover the effects of changing a...
EngageNY
Close Reading: Blue Creek, a Rainforest in Belize (Page 12)
Peace and quiet. After reading page 12 of The Most Beautiful Roof in the World, scholars participate in a silent conversation with a chalk talk activity. They take turns describing how the rainforest is diverse by writing on chart paper....
Curated OER
Predators Among Us
Pupils 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...
Curated OER
Biodiversity - Does It Really Matter?
Students examine biodiversity, ecosystems, and extinction. They are divided into groups to discuss why they think biodiversity is important.
Curated OER
Seahawk Educational & Environmental Discovery Program
Students identify and describe local poisonous plant/animals. They compare characteristics of three local ecosystems and describe common plants from different ecosystems; comparing shapes, colors, textures, and measuring sizes.
Curated OER
Biomes -- Part 1
Learners 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
The Rainforest Community
Students create a miniature rainforest ecosystem, a terrarium. Students then explain how the continuous flow of energy and food in the ecosystem allows it to sustain itself.
Curated OER
Wild Thing!
Sixth graders view several segments of the video, "How Animals Survive." They discuss elements of survival. Students list living and nonliving things found in their backyards and schoolyards. Students work in groups to complete the...
Curated OER
Habitat Mural
Students build a collage of an ecosystem. The goal is for them to understand interactions in a community, plant and animal adaptations, and how all life depends on plants. This activity is based on Wump World and students describe what...
Curated OER
Biodiversity
Students complete activities to study the importance of biodiversity. In this biodiversity lesson plan, students find images to categorize into organism groups and illustrate their interconnections. Students use measurement tools to...
Curated OER
Oh Where, Oh Where, Can My Industry Be?
Students conduct observational studies of three ecosystems by visiting the Web World Wonders website. They gather data, compare/contrast the information, and decide on the establishment of a nuclear power plant at one site over the others.
Curated OER
Web of Life
Learners collect information about various organisms in a forest ecosystem and create a mural that depicts organism interdependence. They then simulate a food web using a ball of string.
Curated OER
Which One Matters?
Students study the balance necessary to maintain ecosystems and how changing that balance can impact the ecosystem. They identify and discuss the need for balance in any ecosystem and discuss how greenhouse gases impact ecosystems.