Curated OER
Backyard Birds: Who's Who Out There?
Students practice techniques of field observation and data-gathering while studying local bird population, describe ecosystem as complex combination of elements, which can affect or be affected by each other, and determine effects of...
Curated OER
Monitoring Life In The Rocky Intertidal Ecosystem
Students investigate marine life by researching aquatic organisms on the Internet. For this oceanography lesson, students monitor algae and animals of the ocean by identifying their population and habitat on data sheet ID cards. Students...
Virginia Department of Education
Owl Family Natural Selection
How do genetic mutations within a population lead to future variations? Provide your class with the resources to answer this question and more upon completing an activity on natural selection. The entire class participates in a...
Virginia Department of Education
Evidence of Evolution
What an impression fossils make! In this activity, aspiring paleontologists view fossils and construct a timeline to further understand how the lack of natural adaptation caused historical organisms to become extinct. While they...
Curated OER
Biodiversity Activity
Young scholars are introduced to biodiversiy. They use a simulation of two forests, one planted with only Douglas Fir trees, and one with diverse species of trees. Students also use the simulation of two forests, one a monoculture of...
Curated OER
Exploring Arizona's Biotic Communities Lesson 1: Mapping Biotic Communities
As part of a unit on Arizona's biotic communities, young ecology learners create a map. They describe how humans and animals adapt in their habitat. They take notes and create graphic organizers from articles they read. Beautiful maps,...
Global Oneness Project
The Man and the Wolf
Human attitudes toward the big bad wolf come into focus in a photo essay that asks viewers to consider their own feelings about the endangered species.
Curated OER
How Does Your Ecosystem Grow?
Students consider that under certain conditions in nature tend to remain the same or move toward a balance. They observe populations and determine the functions (e.g., de-composers, producers, consumers) they serve in an ecosystem. They...
Curated OER
Carrying Capacity of Ecosystems
Students define population and carrying. In this algebra lesson, students explore exponential growth and decay based on animals and things that grow or decrease exponentially. They graph their findings and discuss their results as they...
Curated OER
Ecosystem Vocabulary
In this ecosystem worksheet, students read descriptions and match the appropriate vocabulary term using ecosystem, habitat, community, and population. Students identify ten vocabulary terms.
Curated OER
Beluga Balancing Act
Students study beluga whale populations and the issues they face. In this beluga lesson students compare the issues that the whales are facing and name ways people can help.
Curated OER
Organisms and Their Environment
Students explore Earth's biosphere. In this biosphere instructional activity, students participate in group activities regarding biotic and abiotic factors, population density, and species' habitats.
Michigan Sea Grant
Fish Habitat and Humans
Strict habitat requirements are needed for the survival of fish populations and fish variety in the Great Lakes. Young scientists become experts in the basic needs of fish and understand how survival necessities can vary with different...
K12 Reader
Taiga Ecosystems
After reading a short article about taiga ecosystems, middle schoolers are asked to identify the characteristics of this chilly environment.
Curated OER
Speciation and Genetic Drift Worksheet
Fifteen terms pertaining to speciation, extinction, and gene flow are to be matched to their definitions. This simple, easy-to-read instructional activity can be used as a pop quiz for your biology learners when studying natural...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Measuring Biodiversity in Gorongosa
Take your biology class' understanding of biodiversity to a whole new level! Ecology scholars use data to calculate three different diversity indices based on the organisms in the Gorongosa National Park. The four-part activity uses an...
Polar Trec
Touring the Poles
Would you want to vacation in the Arctic or Antarctic regions? Scholars research both regions and produce a travel brochure trying to convince tourists to visit. The project focuses on the geography, climate, flora, fauna, and indigenous...
Curated OER
Fall 1-The Rain Forest Biome and the Effects of Acid Rain - Biology Teaching Thesis
Students explain why rain forests have great biodiversity, and list each layer of a rain forest and tell an organism that lives in each. They identify the cause of acid rain and its affect on a rain forest. Students hypothesize the...
Curated OER
Biomanipulation
Students explore the effects of aquatic trophic relationships on water transparency. They observe and explain the effects of reducing nutrient inputs on agal density on water transparency.
Curated OER
Balance and Flux Reveal How Organisms Are Connected in Ecosystems
Young scholars read about cats in Borneo and discuss role predators play in controlling population size. They map the interdependencies among species. They read about flux in ecosystems and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Population Patterns
Students study patterns of population growth in an ecosystem and why populations must remain in balance. They interpret basic population graphs and suggest scenarios about different population growth patterns in an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Ecosystems II
Middle schoolers engage in a lesson that is about the concepts related to the careful balance of an ecosystem. They identify the beneficial and harmful relationships that can exist with diverse populations in an ecosystem. The lesson...
Curated OER
The Captain And Lake Wilmar
Tenth graders examine the ecosystem of Lake Wilmar through three coordinated performance tasks. They first investigate the effects of pH on freshwater animals by comparing the zooplankton counts from three different areas. They then...
Curated OER
Ecosystems and Habitats
Fourth graders go on a virtual field trip to five ecosystems. They investigate and videotape a temperate forest in the school's backyard.