University of California
Energy and Biomass Pyramids
Young scientists play tag as they act out the food pyramid in the ocean ecosystem. Energy circles pass from the smaller prey to the predators and at the end of the activity, a data chart and analysis questions allow pupils to apply their...
Serendip
Food Webs, Energy Flow, Carbon Cycle, and Trophic Pyramids
The reintroduction of a species to an area doesn't always go as expected. Scholars learn about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park with a video, reading, and discussion questions. They complete a hands-on activity...
Curated OER
Energy Plus!
"Energy Plus!" from Together Counts is three days worth of lessons, discussions, and activities about nutrition. The materials help you teach youngsters about eating healthy and burning calories. Energy in and energy out. Included are...
Virginia Department of Education
Go with the Flow
How does nature's hierarchy relate to our local human environment? Answer this question, along with others, as the class visually depicts the natural hierarchy provided by nature. Pupils discuss each piece of the pyramid and its energy...
Curated OER
What A Tangled Web We Weave
Learners of many ages discuss how all organisms rely on other organisms for their survival. They construct a food web and energy pyramids, and write an informative essay about the food web that they have designed.
Virginia Department of Education
Freshwater Food Chains
What's in the water? Encourage your class to further explore this question and learn about pond ecosystems, food chains, and food webs as they complete this hands-on activity. They view the environment from a new perspective...
Curated OER
Avoiding Consumer Fraud: Financial Scams and Schemes
Young consumers get a hefty dose of information on how fraud can put their financial health at risk. The resource provides detailed lecture notes, scaffolded notetaking sheets, vocabulary worksheets, transparencies, and seven links to...
Curated OER
Animals, Soil, Trees
Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...
Curated OER
Ecology and the St. Lawrence River
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on ecosystems, organism interactions, and energy flow. They create a key for known species of fish, diagram the movement of energy through an ecosystem, and create and present food chains and food...
Curated OER
PICTURE PERFECT PYRAMID
Middle schoolers create a model of the USDA's Food Pyramid Guide, using shoe boxes. They bring an assortment of shoe boxes from home. Students are given a copy of the "Food Guide Pyramid." They wrap boxes for the bread group in white,...
Curated OER
Producers and Energy Transfer
Fifth graders discuss the relationship between producers, consumers, and decomposers as they look at the energy pyramid. While working in small groups, they create an ecosystem that includes all or some of the given categories, and they...
Curated OER
Nutrition: A Thematic Unit
Young learners explore nutrition and the food groups in these two mini-lesson plan ideas. First, kindergarteners have a discussion about their health and how different foods contribute to it before making their own personal food pyramid....
Curated OER
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Pupils, in groups, create a slide show about the ecosystem and answer critical thinking questions based on their research.
Eastern Michigan University
Energy Flow in a Wetland Ecosystem
How is energy transferred within an ecosystem? What would happen to a food web if one of the organisms was removed? Elementary or middle school ecologists examine these questions and more in a comprehensive 5E learning cycle...
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...
Virginia Department of Education
The Cycles of Nature
Encourage peer collaboration and assist with the creation of visual aids to identify carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles as your class learns more about nature. They discuss relative information, create a visual aid...
Curated OER
The Food Guide Pyramid - Daily Food Journals
Students examine the Food Guide Pyramid, then keep daily food journals. They evaluate their current nutritional habits and create plans for developing healthier eating habits.
Curated OER
Health Lesson: Food Pyramid
Students identify each level of the food pyramid and keep a record of their food intake. In this food pyramid lesson, students relate the food pyramid to the Gaza Pyramids. Students discuss the purpose and plan of the food...
Curated OER
Healthy Choices
Fifth graders discover how to make healthy choices in nutrition. In this nutrition lesson, 5th graders research the daily nutrition requirements recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Students keep a food diary for three days...
Curated OER
Menu for an Athlete
Football, basketball, softball. What do these sports have in common? Athletes. Young scholars learn about and discuss the food pyramind, especially grains, with the thought that they will be planning a pre-competition meal and snack for...
Curated OER
Create a Food Chain
Students discover the connection between plants and animals by discussing simple food chains. Students explore what may happen when parts of a food chain are removed. Students wrap up the instructional activity by writing a story about a...
Curated OER
Balance of Nature Pyramid
Students study the concept of food chains and create a physical forest food chain pyramid. In this balance of nature pyramid instructional activity, students identify the ingredients needed on each level of the pyramid then make...
Curated OER
Ecology - Food Chains
Students discuss the concept of a food chain in the California ecosystem. in this food chain lesson, students look at different cards and sort them into herbivores, carnivores, decomposers, and omnivores. Then they use these cards to...
Curated OER
Symbols and Signs
Pupils draw lines and symbols to express emotions much like the work of Keith Haring. In this drawing lesson plan, students use markers, boards, newsprint, scissors, and more.