Curated OER
"Croak" Science Mystery
Solve the mystery of a declining frog population! Lead your junior ecologists on an investigation that simulates actual events concerning pollution, predation, poaching, and more. Investigators read a story online, then analyze survey...
Purdue University
Eco-llapse
A balanced ecosystem doesn't mean balanced populations. Budding scientists complete a series of activities to learn about the relationship between producers and consumers in an ecosystem. They complete the wildlife conservation...
Global Oneness Project
Resiliency Among the Salmon People
Is losing cultural traditions the cost of social progress, or should people make stronger efforts to preserve these traditions? High schoolers watch a short film about the native Yup'ik people in Alaska and how they handle the shifts in...
National Wildlife Federation
Controversy Over Wild Cats
Everyone should take an interest in the fate of wild cats. A thorough lesson plan explores the habitat changes of native North American wild cats and asks learners to make connections to human development. They consider the implications...
Virginia Department of Education
Biomes of the World
Incorporate knowledge about biomes and ecosystems in multiple ways while encouraging creativity. Emerging ecologists collaborate and perform research to complete a graphic organizer about various biomes of the world. They conclude the...
Curated OER
Exploring the Web of Life
Young scholars develop a classroom definition of and explore ideas related to ecosystems. They create a food web using pictures and yarn.
Curated OER
The Game of Life
Students explore the game of life which refers to what happens to a species when most of the population is gone. In this endangered species instructional activity, students describe what it means for a marine animal to be endangered....
Curated OER
Urban Ecosystems 3: Cities as Population Centers
Students discover that throughout history cities have been centers of population but that human exploitation of fossil fuels was key to the growth of large cities worldwide. They research urban growth through a number of websites.
Curated OER
Population Ecology
Here are some ideas to help students understand population growth in ecosystems.
Curated OER
Biological Relationships - Coral Reef Memory Game and Chain Game
Students familiarize themselves with the interconnectedness of species within an ecosystem, and to use this knowledge to evaluate how the removal or decimation of one species can have far reaching effects.
Curated OER
Ecosystems: A Home By Any Other Name
Students can learn more about the parts of ecosystems through exploration and hands on activities.
Curated OER
Kure Waste Chase Game Lesson
Students work together to identify marine debris. They explain the effect of the debris on various ecosystems. They draw different types of ocean currents as well.
Curated OER
Wanted: Invasive Species
Young scholars create a WANTED poster about an invasive species to an ecosystem. In this invasive species lesson plan, students watch a video and research an invasive species and create the WANTED poster about it.
Curated OER
Monitoring Life In The Rocky Intertidal Ecosystem
Young scholars investigate marine life by researching aquatic organisms on the Internet. In this oceanography instructional activity, students monitor algae and animals of the ocean by identifying their population and habitat on data...
Wild BC
Bearly Any Ice
After reviewing food chains, your class members participate in an arctic predator-prey game that exemplifies the impact of climate change of food availability. If you are in a hurry, skip this lesson, but if you have the time to...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: The Warming of Our Large Lakes - Reasons for Concern
Another A+ instructional activity on the impact of climate change comes to you from the National Earth Science Teachers Association. In this installment, learners model the stratification of water in lakes due to temperature differences....
Curated OER
Oyster Gardens - No Soil Required!
Explore the practice of oyster gardening. Because oysters play a vital role in marine ecosystems and their populations have declined, biologists are transplanting oyster seed to repopulate reefs. After learning about this practice,...
Curated OER
Etosha: Poppin' Out at You
Tenth graders research an African animal of their choice and relate the concepts of population, climate and biodiversity to their animal. They examine how population interacts in an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Repopulating Michigan's Waterways
Eleventh graders identify the parts of an ecosystem and how communities change over time. In this ecology lesson students formulate a habitat restoration plan.
Curated OER
Bioinvasion
Young scholars examine the role of organisms when they eliminate the native species of an area. They review cooperative and competitive relationships within an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Predator-Prey Simulation
High schoolers simulate a predator-prey interaction in an ecosystem. Students use different size squares cut from paper to represent predators and prey. They simulate the interactions of the species by following instructions for the...
Curated OER
How Many Animals?
Learners use their math skills to develop estimates for the population of several animal species native to the Austrailian rainforest. It is a simulation that researchers at the Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia perform to...
Curated OER
The Mighty Hudson Stretches its Mussels
Students brainstorm possible causes of zebra mussel migration and population expansion. They identify the key causes and effects of the disturbance of the Hudson River ecosystem and research causes and effects in the disturbances of...
Curated OER
Owl Pellets
Sixth graders investigate the role of owls in their ecosystem. In this food chain lesson, 6th graders illustrate an owl food chain, dissect an owl pellet, and analyze data. Students discuss what would happen to owls if there were an...