Trophic Level Teacher Resources

In this heat activity, students determine the heat gained or lost when matter changes phases. Students review the energy flow through ecosystems by comparing trophic levels and food webs. This activity has 10 fill in the blank, 5 short...

Students discuss how energy is transferred to different trophic levels. In this biology activity, students solve a theoretical problem and debate on a solution. They explain how energy is lost during cellular respiration.

Three activities introduce upper elementary ecologists to photosynthesis and food webs. In the first, an experiment is set up to determine how plants respond to different types of light. In the second, they connect organism cards with...

In this lesson sixth grade students get into groups and research a given ocean habitat. The major features of cold-seep communities are the objective but plenty information is given about other habitats which could be assigned to...

Imagine an ecosystem without any light or oxygen, where living things convert carbon dioxide into food. This ecosystem is thriving and might just be the largest ecosystem on our planet, yet we know very little about it. The lesson...

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...

For use early in the year with your ecology class, this collection of slides introduces viewers to cycles in nature and relationships between organisms. There is a food web diagram, but the presentation is incomplete without any diagrams...

A video starts by defining an ecosystem. It expands on the concept by covering trophic structure, primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, detrivores, and bioaccumulation. 

You are what you eat—or at least a part of what you eat. Budding scientists examine owl pellets to develop their own food webs. They use tooth and skull identification techniques to classify what they find.

Emerging biochemists more fully understand the flow of energy in ecosystems as they explore the laws of thermodynamics and relate them to energy transfer in food chains. They also investigate heat loss from the human body and how...

Students describe major features of cold-seep communities and the process of chemosynthesis as it relates to organisms in each habitat.  In this deep-sea habitats lesson, students study the categorization of ocean habitats...

For this biosphere worksheet, students identify the different levels of organization that ecologists study. Students complete charts, sentences, and answer short answer questions.

In this biology worksheet, students identify and locate various vocabulary terms related to trophic levels and food webs. There are 27 biology terms located in the word search.

Tenth graders role-play as members of the food chain. Sticky tables acting as polluting factors are introduced and members of different trophic levels suffer varying degrees of damage due to those pollutants.

Rhinozilla is back to take your lesson plan on trophic levels a step higher! After showing the video on food chains (available through the See All Related Jams button), add to it by showing this one. It deals with omnivores and food...

Here is a collection of 22 multiple-choice questions on topics from the physical and life sciences. Apparently they came from an 8th grade comprehensive science exam and have been released for public use. They may serve as a sufficient...

Some organisms spend their entire lives in leaf litter. The third in a series of six is a great lesson exploring the community of leaf litter. Groups gather and then spread leaf litter over white paper and remove leaves/twigs while...

Learners explore how the energy flow through a system is related to trophic levels. They investigate how organisms affect the cycling of elements and water through the biosphere. Students participate in lab activities to observe ways...

Students investigate the interdependencies of plants and animals, and study what a food web is. They create a food web using yarn and images.

Students work in small groups to create a poster illustrating the flow of energy through a typical ecosystem, then present their posters to the class.

Students visit a local stream, pond, creek, or river and collect macroinvertebrates. They sort macroinvertebrates and identify each species using a dichotomous key. Students decide on trophic levels and construct a possible food web for...

In this ecology activity, students will fill in a graphic organizer showing the relationship organisms have with their environments and with each other. This includes biotic and abiotic factors, tropic levels, and ecological pyramids....

Looking for a fresh take on traditional food/energy pyramids? Conduct an innovative activity where pupils build their own! The lesson uses research data from Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique for a real-life safari touch. Scholars...

For this food chains worksheet, students fill out the food chains listed with the correct consumer and producers. Students fill out 4 food chains total.