Exploring Nature Educational Resources
Building A Classroom Food Web
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...
Curated OER
The Living Environment
For 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,...
Curated OER
Ecosystem Game
Students examine the ecosystem by playing a game. In this ecosystem lesson, students are put into groups of decomposers, consumers, and producers. Students create a list of animals that fit into each group and items that represent...
Curated OER
Mini-Ponds
In this mini pond worksheet, students create a mini-pond ecosystem with soil, water, and plant life. Students let their ecosystem sit for a day and they observe a sample the next day. Students identify all the pond water microorganisms...
Science Matters
Crawly Composters
Get your hands dirty with an interactive lesson that showcases the process of decomposing and returning nutrients back into the soil. After building a compost pile, pupils regularly observe the ways worms help with changes to the soil...
Biology Junction
Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
Every living thing requires a food source, thus the interconnections in ecosystems become complex. Scholars learn about these interconnections in a presentation on energy flow. It starts with the sun and moves through many different...
Science Matters
Matter Cycles — Sum It Up
Scholars become part of the cycle of matter with a reader's theater that showcases producers, consumers, decomposers, and the sun. A diagram and discussion concludes the learning experience and enhances comprehension.Â
Science Matters
Energy Flow
Budding scientists work collaboratively to reenact energy flow in a food chain. Scholars take on roles such as producer and consumer and perform tasks that symbolize energy flow in order to provide evidence of how much energy passes...
Curated OER
Flow of Energy Through An Ecosystem
In this flow of energy in an ecosystem, students complete a graphic organizer and show the flow of energy from the sun to producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers and then decomposers. Students define each of...
Curated OER
Cycling of Matter and Energy
These twenty various types of questions related to the cycling of matter and energy require students to match each definition in column 1 with the correct vocabulary term from column 2. Then, students explain what is being demonstrated...
Curated OER
The Macaroni Lab
Students are given an introduction to the "ecosystem", what factors make up an ecosystem (biotic factors, abiotic factors, food chain, producers, consumers and decomposers) and how those factors interact.
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Forest Ecosystem
Students become familiar with the temperate rainforest. In this forest ecosystem lesson, students identify the producers, consumers and decomposers in the forest ecosystem. Students sort cards and identify the trophic level of the...
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Marshland Ecosystems
Students identify animals in ecosystem depicted on 16th Century ceramic basin and classify them as herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores based on physical characteristics and prior knowledge, determine which life forms in ecosystem are...
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Insect Pitfall Traps
Students ask testable questions, use the inquiry cycle to investigate, gather data and interpret the results, study the diversity of insects and other smallorganisms which live around the school; they can make an inventory /collection of...
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A Dog Eat Dog World
Fourth graders distinguish between acquatic and terrestrial organisms. They label animals as producers, consumers, and/or decomposers.
Curated OER
What is a Food Web?
In this food web worksheet, students will brainstorm organisms and classify them as either a consumer, producer, or decomposer. Students will write the organisms under the correct category in this graphic organizer worksheet.
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Composting
Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...
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The Mechanisms of Decay and Decomposition
Eighth graders study how all living things die. They are introduced tot he life cycle and the concept of an ecosystem. Students have a introductory exposure to trophic levels (producer-consumer-decomposer) in the environment.
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Food Chains
Students investigate the food chain. In this ecology lesson, students define producers and consumers. Students use organism cards to demonstrate how the food chain works.
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Food Chains and Webs
In this food chains worksheet, students identify the producers and consumers in the given food chains and describe how contaminants can biologically accumulate. This worksheet has 4 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Insect Travel Brochure
Seventh graders study producers and consumers in habitats. They examine the trophic levels and how different organisms interact with a focus on insects. They create a travel brochure for an insect to visit a habitat which they create.
World Wildlife Federation
Food Chains and Food Webs
As part of a study of food chains and food webs, class members complete a series of worksheets that trace a marine chain from producers to consumers or decomposers. After studying a food chain example, young marine biologists make up...
Curated OER
Food Chains & Webs
Fourth graders examine roles of animals in food chain, explore roles of humans, plants, and animals in ecosystem, create their own food webs, and role play producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Curated OER
Standard 4-Ecosystems
In this ecosystem worksheet, students answer questions about energy pyramids, food chains, consumers, producers, decomposers, biotic and abiotic factors in an environment, natural selection and the importance of biodiversity in an...