5th Grade Ecosystems Final Version Web

5th Grade Life Science:
Ecosystems Unit
Developed for Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools

Northside Elementary School Outdoor Wonder & Learning (OWL) Initiative
Unless otherwise noted, activities written by:

Lauren Greene, Sarah Yelton, Dana Haine, & Toni Stadelman
Center for Public Engagement with Science
UNC Institute for the Environment
In collaboration with 5th grade teachers at Northside Elementary School:

Michelle Gay, Daila Patrick, & Elizabeth Symons
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to Dan Schnitzer, Coretta Sharpless, Kirtisha Jones and the many wonderful teachers and
support staff at Northside Elementary for their participation in and support of the Northside OWL
Initiative. Thanks also to Shelby Brown for her invaluable assistance compiling, editing, and proofreading
the curriculum.
Instructional materials and supplies to promote STEM-based outdoor learning were instrumental to the
successful implementation of this curriculum. The purchase of these materials was made possible with
funding provided by the Duke Energy Foundation to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
Curriculum developed June 2018 – July 2019
For more information, contact:

Sarah Yelton, Environmental Education & Citizen Science Program Manager
UNC Institute for the Environment Center for Public Engagement with Science
[email protected]
5th Grade Ecosystems Unit Northside Outdoor Wonder & Learning Initiative
Overarching Unit Question
How and why do organisms (including humans) interact with their environment, and what are the effects of these
interactions?
Essential Questions
Arc 1: How can I describe and compare different ecosystems?
Arc 2: How is energy transferred through an ecosystem?
How can I explain the interconnected relationships between organisms and their environments?
Transfer Goals
o Use scientific thinking to understand the relationships and complexities of the world around them.
o Identify real-world dilemmas and opportunities and apply scientific thinking to develop solutions for them.
Enduring Understandings (Science)

 The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of
organisms.
 Organisms within ecosystems are interdependent and can survive only in environments in which their
needs can be met.
 All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live and they, in turn, are affected by changes
in their environment.
Target Science Essential Standards

5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.
5.L.2.1 Compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems, including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans,
lakes and ponds, forests, and grasslands.
5.L.2.2 Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers,
or decomposers (biotic factors).
5.L.2.3 Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their
ecosystem.
Secondary Target Standards (ELA, Math, Social Studies)

ELA
RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences
from the text.
RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details;
summarize the text.
RI.5.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to
a grade 5 topic or subject area.
SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
5th Grade Ecosystems Unit 1 Northside Outdoor Wonder & Learning Initiative
SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and
relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; adapt speech to a variety of contexts and
tasks.
L.5.4 Determine and/or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on
grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies: context clues, word parts, word
relationships, and reference materials.
L.5.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,
including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships.
Math
5.MD.2 Represent and interpret data.
Social Studies
5.G.1.1 Explain the impact of the physical environment on early settlements in the New World.
5.G.1.2 Explain the positive and negative effects of human activity on the physical environment of the United
States, past and present.
Unit Overview
In this unit students will learn how all living organisms are interdependent upon each other, as well as the non-
living factors within an ecosystem. The activities in this unit provide students with opportunities to develop skills
such as observation, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. They will investigate their
school yard and ecosystems surrounding it by using direct observations and completing nature journaling
activities.
In Arc 1, students learn about the abiotic and biotic factors in ecosystems. They begin exploring the ecosystem
around their schoolyard and record their observations in a nature journal. Students then take a virtual trip down
the Cape Fear River and discover different types of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They explore ocean habitats
and the creatures that inhabit different ocean zones and play a game to match animals to their ecosystems. The
Arc wraps up by having students revisit their schoolyard to compare and contrast how it looks now and how it
may have looked 250 years ago.
Arc 2 provides students with opportunities to learn how energy flows through ecosystems by studying food
chains and food webs. The Arc begins with students learning about ecology, which is the study of the
relationships between plants, animals, people, and their environment. Other activities allow students to analyze
what happens when food chains and food webs become unbalanced through changes in the environment. As
students work through these activities, they gain an understanding of how organisms are interdependent within
an ecosystem. The unit wraps up with an exploration of how ecosystems provide services that impact human
health.
Duration
• 20-24 days of 45 minute learning activities
Vocabulary *
Ecosystem, environment, biome, terrestrial, tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, rainforest, grassland, desert, aquatic,
wetland, ocean, river, lake, pond, estuary, organism, biotic, abiotic, producer, consumer, decomposer, predator,
prey, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, scavenger, food chain, food web, population, community, competition,
photosynthesis, organic, biodiversity, interdependence, conservation, limiting factor
* Definitions of vocabulary words can be found on the arc overview pages. Relevant vocabulary is listed on each
learning activity page.
Go Outdoors! Tips & Tools
Taking your class outside for science or any lessons can be rewarding and challenging. Along with behavior and
materials management tips with each lesson, this section is intended to help you have the tools you need to
successfully take your class outside.
Before You Go Outside

• Create ground rules with students for all outdoor lessons. Post the rules for students to be able to easily see.
• Ask for parent volunteers. Extra help can make an outdoor learning experience much more manageable.
• Teach students proper use, including safety, of the science tools they will be using.
• Set expectations before go. Give instructions both inside and repeat once outside.
• Have a clear objective for going outdoors. This will help focus students’ attention.
• Be flexible. Structure lessons to take advantage of opportunities and challenges.
• Establish a meeting spot and emergency plan. Have a signal for emergency situations.
• Take students outside for short exercises to practice rules before longer outdoor lessons.
• Use same door to always go outside for learning. Emphasize this is different than going outside for recess.
While You Are Outside

• Model the activities and outdoor skills for students. Show them what you expect them to be doing.
• Participate in the activity. Get down on your students’ level. Get your hands dirty.
• Model respect for nature with your students.
• The outdoors is full of teachable moments. Use “I wonder” statements to engage students in questioning the
experience. Have students write down questions to be researched back in the classroom.
• Allow students to be leaders in the activity. Ask students to volunteer as teacher assistant or materials manager.
• Acknowledge that students want to explore and can do so once the assigned task is complete.
Safety First!
• Scout outdoor areas ahead of time if possible, to note potential hazards such as poison ivy.
• Students should never be alone. If a student needs to go back to the building, send 2 students.
• Take a first aid kit and phone/walkie-talkie. Consider bringing along staff trained in first aid/CPR.
• Let office staff know where you and your class are going if headed out on a walking field trip.
• Stay on the trail/path, unless otherwise directed. On the greenway, stay on the right side of path.
• Do not eat wild plants, unless harvesting in the garden with a teacher.
• Set boundaries for the students to stay within. You have to be able to see me and I have to be able to see you!
A Note on Nature Journaling

Nature journals that you use with your class should be small composition books or other blank books that students
use to make outdoor observations, including writing, drawing, and painting. Students can use colored pencils,
watercolor pencils, or other materials to remember details of plants, animals, and habitats they are investigating
around the schoolyard. This is different from a science notebook. However, some teachers may choose to have
students paste blank pages into their science notebook to use for nature journaling pages.
Arc 1 – Ecosystems
Essential Questions
How can I describe and compare different ecosystems?
NC Science Essential Standards – Unpacked Content

5. L.2.1 Students know that there are different types of ecosystems (terrestrial and aquatic). These ecosystems can
be divided into two types according to their characteristics:
Terrestrial
Land-based ecosystems include forests and grasslands.
Forests have many trees (with needles or with leaves), shrubs, grasses and ferns, and a variety of animals.
They usually get more rain than grasslands. Diverse types of animals can be found in forests, depending
on their type. Deciduous: black bear, deer, red fox, vole, rabbit, cardinal. Rainforest: panther, monkeys,
capybara, snakes, spiders. Temperatures in the forests may vary depending on where the forest is located.
Grasslands have fertile soil and are covered with tall grasses. They usually get a medium amount of rain,
but less than forests. Temperatures may also vary depending on where the grassland is located. Some
examples of animals that live in the grasslands are prairie dogs, bison, and grasshoppers.
Aquatic
Water-based ecosystems may be fresh water (lakes and ponds) or saltwater (oceans, estuaries and
saltwater marshes).
Lakes and ponds are bodies of freshwater that are surrounded by land. Ponds are usually shallower than
lakes and the temperature of the water usually stays the same from top to bottom. Plants and algae
usually grow along the edges where the water is shallow. Some examples of animals may be different
types of fish, amphibians, ducks, turtles, or beavers.
Oceans are large bodies of saltwater divided by continents. Oceans have many types of ecosystems
depending on the conditions (sunlight, temperature, depth, salinity) of that part of the ocean.
Most organisms live where the ocean is shallow (from the shoreline to the continental shelf) because
sunlight can reach deep and the water is warm making food abundant. Some examples of organisms that
live in the shallow ocean are drifters (jellyfish or seaweed), swimmers (fish), crawlers (crabs), and those
anchored to the ocean floor (corals).
Some organisms live in the open ocean, near the surface or down to the deep ocean bottom. Plankton
float in the upper regions of the water.
Some organisms swim to the surface to find food or for air (whales, turtles, sharks) while others live closer
to the bottom (certain fish, octopus, tubeworms).
Students know typical visual representations of the various ecosystems, as well as graphic representations
of the food chains and webs, cycles and energy pyramids that are commonly associated with ecosystems.
Lessons in this Arc
 Engaging Activity: What’s in your Ecosystem?
 Learning Activity 1: Reading About Ecosystems
 Learning Activity 2: Ecosystems Around the School
 Learning Activity 3: Exploring the Cape Fear River Basin
 Learning Activity 4: Ocean Habitats
 Learning Activity 5: Move Over Rover
 Learning Activity 6: Your School Ecosystem: Then & Now
Go Outdoors! Nature Journal Connection

 Engaging Activity: What’s in your Ecosystem?  Engaging Activity: What’s in your Ecosystem?
 Learning Activity 2: Ecosystems Around the School  Learning Activity 6: Your School Ecosystem:
 Learning Activity 6: Your School Ecosystem: Then Then & Now
& Now
Duration:
• 9 to11 days of 45 minute learning activities
Background Information
An ecosystem includes the living things interacting in an area along with the non-living environment. Abiotic
factors are the non-living components of an ecosystem, such as precipitation, oxygen and sunlight. Biotic factors
describe all the living components of an ecosystem, including various organisms. An organism is a living thing,
such as animal, plant, or micro-organism, capable of reproduction, growth and maintenance. The environment is
comprised of the abiotic and biotic influences that act upon an organism, population, or ecological community.
A biome is a distinct biological community consisting of plants and animals in a shared environment. A biome just
considers the living components in an area, while an ecosystem considers both living and non-living components
in an area. More than one ecosystem can make up a biome.
Ecosystems are classified based on their different characteristics. Terrestrial ecosystems are found on land.
Among terrestrial ecosystems, the tundra is an arctic ecosystem with permanent layers of frozen soil and lacks
trees. The taiga is a forest ecosystem with conifer trees which produce cones. It begins where the tundra ends. A
deciduous forest is characterized by trees that lose their leaves each fall. The rainforest ecosystem has high
levels of rain and many trees. The grassland ecosystem is covered with tall grass and has fertile soil. The desert
receives very little rainfall and as a result, has very few plants. Plants that exist in the desert, such as cacti, are
adapted to living in dry environments.
Aquatic ecosystems are located in water or wet environments. A wetland has saturated soil due to standing
water most of the year and includes many plants. The ocean is a large body of salty water. A river is a flowing
body of water surrounded by land on two sides. A lake is a body of freshwater surrounded by land. The
temperature difference is significant from the surface to the bottom of the lake. A pond is a body of fresh water
with a consistent temperature from the surface to the bottom. It is also surrounded by land. An estuary is the
convergence point of freshwater and saltwater, resulting in brackish water.
Vocabulary
• Abiotic factors are the non-living characteristics of an ecosystem (e.g. temperature, precipitation).
• Aquatic means growing or living in or often found in water.
• Biome is a large region of Earth that has a certain climate and certain types of living things.
• Biotic factors are living things.
• Deciduous Forest is a type of ecosystem with many trees that lose their leaves in the fall.
• Desert is a type of ecosystem with very little rainfall and few plants.
• Ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with
each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere).
• Environment is all of the biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological
community and influence its survival and development.
• Estuary is a type of aquatic ecosystem where freshwater and saltwater mix creating brackish water.
• Grassland is a type of ecosystem with fertile soil and are covered with tall grasses.
• Lake is a type of aquatic ecosystem that is a body of freshwater surrounded by land and deep enough that
the temperature changes from the top to the bottom.
• Ocean is a type of aquatic ecosystem that is a large body of salt water.
• Organism is a living thing, such as animal, plant, or micro-organism, that is capable of reproduction, growth
and maintenance.
• Pond is a type of aquatic ecosystem that is a body of freshwater surrounded by land and is shallow enough
that the temperature is the same from the top to the bottom.
• Rainforest is a type of ecosystem with many trees and abundant rainfall.
• River is a type of aquatic ecosystem in which the water is flowing in one direction and has land on two sides.
• Taiga is a type of forest ecosystem that consists mostly of cone-producing trees (as pines, spruces, and firs)
and begins where the tundra ends.
• Terrestrial means living on or growing from land.
• Tundra is a type of ecosystem in the arctic having a permanently frozen layer of soil and no trees.
• Wetland is a type of ecosystem with abundant plant life where there is standing water and the soil stays
saturated most of the year.
Literature Connections
Book sets
• Forests: Inside Out by James Bow, Mountains: Inside Out by James Bow, Wetlands: Inside Out by James Bow,
Rivers and Lakes: Inside Out by Megan Kopp, Islands: Inside Out by Megan Kopp*
• Explore the Deciduous Forest by Linda Tagliaferro, Explore the Tundra by Linda Tagliaferro, Explore the Tropical
Rain Forest by Linda Tagliaferro, Explore the Grasslands by Kay Jackson, Explore the Deserts by Kay Jackson,
Explore the Ocean by Kay Jackson*
• Habitat Survival: Grasslands by Buffy Silverman, Habitat Survival: Polar Regions by Melanie Waldron, Habitat
Survival: Wetlands by Buffy Silverman, Habitat Survival: Mountains by Melanie Waldron, Habitat Survival:
Forests by Claire Llewellyn, Habitat Survival: Rivers by Melanie Waldron, Habitat Survival: Deserts by Melanie
Waldron, Habitat Survival: Oceans by Claire Llewellyn*
*currently available in Northside Elementary’s media center
Engaging Activity
What’s in your Ecosystem?
Lesson Prep
 Find an area where students can work in their nature journals
without being disturbed.
 Make sure students have nature journaling materials or have pasted Learning Objectives:
blank paper into a page of their science notebooks ahead of time. Students will be able to identify
abiotic and biotic features of a
schoolyard ecosystem.
Vocabulary
Nutshell/Skills:
Abiotic factors, biotic factors Students can make observations
about parts of an ecosystem.
Procedure Science Essential Standards:

5.L.2.2
Independent Work:
• Take students outdoors and invite each student to find a spot where ELA Essential Standards:
L.5.6
he/she can sit and complete their nature journaling activity.
• Nature Journaling prompt: Time:
o Using your senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch, make a list 45 minutes
of everything you notice around you.
o Give students a time limit. Teacher Materials:
o Chart paper
o Instruct students to leave enough room next to each item to
label it with a letter. Student Materials:
o Nature Journals
Mini Lesson: o Pencils
o Private Eyes
• After writing in their Nature Journals, explain the terms biotic and
abiotic to the class.
• Biotic refers to anything in an ecosystem that is or once was living,
such as plants, animals, fungi, fallen logs, and leaves on the ground.
• Abiotic refers to anything in an ecosystem that is not nor ever has
been living, such as rocks, soil, sun, clouds, precipitation, and
anything else weather-related.
• Ask students to write these definitions in their journals.
• Ask students to label each item they listed in their journals with an
“a” or a “b” to indicate whether the item they observed is abiotic or
biotic.
• On chart paper, make a T-Chart. Label one side “Abiotic” & the other
side “Biotic”. Have students take turns writing their items in the
correct column.
• Ask students if they saw any of the abiotic and/or biotic factors
interacting such as a bird drinking water, etc.
• Explain that all living things (biotic) and all non-living things (abiotic)
interacting together make up an ecosystem. What the students
observed on the school grounds is an example of a small ecosystem.
• Ask students if they can think of larger ecosystems.
Assessment:
• Exit ticket: Describe the difference between “biotic” and “abiotic” and provide an example of each.
Opportunities for Extended Learning

1. Provide students with additional nature journaling opportunities where they can practice making
observations by drawing and labeling what they see around them. This will help improve their observational
skills.
Behavior Management Tips

♦ Prior to going outdoors, discuss with students the importance of respecting nature both biotic and abiotic
things. Examples include things such as:
o leave worms and other animals alone
o leave rocks, soil, and grass where you found them
♦ Define the boundary for where the students can sit and work on their nature journaling prompt.
Learning Activity 1
Reading About Ecosystems
Lesson Prep
 Make copies of the graphic organizers, 1 of each per student.
Learning Objectives:
 Preview and be prepared to show the BrainPOP videos. Students will describe the
 Gather book sets. Ideally, get books that cover 5 different characteristics of different
ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, oceans, and fresh water. ecosystems.
Nutshell/Skills:
Students can describe the
Vocabulary characteristics of different types of
ecosystems.
Ecosystem, environment, biome, terrestrial, tundra, taiga, deciduous forest,
rainforest, grassland, desert, aquatic, wetland, ocean, river, lake, pond, Science Essential Standards:
estuary, organism, biotic, abiotic 5.L.2.1
Note: The vocabulary in this lesson can be impacted by which books you
ELA Essential Standards:
choose for the class to use.
RI.5.2, RI.5.4, RF.5.4, SL.5.1, SL.5.4
Social Studies Essential Standards:

Procedure Part 1 5.G.1.2
Mini-Lesson Time:
• Show the BrainPOP video on Ecosystems (1:40) to reinforce the 1-2 sessions of 45 minutes each
Engaging Activity lesson on ecosystems and the various types of
Teacher Materials:
ecosystems. Then show Land Biomes (2:32). o BrainPOP on Ecosystems
o BrainPOP on Land Biomes
Independent Group Work o BrainPOP Login
• Choose a group of book sets that covers multiple ecosystems, such as
Student Materials:
the Ecosystems Inside Out series, Explore the Biomes series, or the o Book sets about ecosystems with
Habitat Survival series. preference to Ecosystems Inside
• Have a student pass out a copy of the Reading About Ecosystems Out series
graphic organizer to each student. o Copies of Reading About
Ecosystems and Reading About
• Divide the class into groups and allow each group to choose which Ecosystems - Jigsaw graphic
ecosystem they will read about. organizers, one set per student
o Each student in a group will receive a book about their selected
ecosystem.
• Tell the students they are going to become “experts” on their
selected ecosystem and will be responsible for teaching other
students about that ecosystem.
• Ask students to begin reading to themselves or have them take turns
reading aloud to their group.
o Groups should spend time responding to the prompts on the
Reading About Ecosystems graphic organizer including the
vocabulary section on the back of the sheet.
Procedure Part 2
Independent Group Work
• Regroup the students so that each new group will have at least one member representing each of the
featured ecosystems.
• The students will take turns teaching what they have learned about their chosen ecosystem to their new
group.
• Students will complete the Reading About Ecosystems – Jigsaw graphic organizer while learning about the
other ecosystems.
• By the end of the activity, the students will have recorded information on at least five different ecosystems.
Assessment
• Use the rubrics provided to assess the Reading About Ecosystems graphic organizer and the Reading About
Ecosystems – Jigsaw graphic organizer.

1. Show additional BrainPOP videos that focus on specific habitats: Oceans “Underwater World”, Wetlands
“Everglades”, “Tropical Rainforests”, “Taiga”, “Tundra”, “Savanna”, “Deserts”
2. Have students use the ecosystems vocabulary foldable throughout the unit to take notes or at the end of
the unit as review. It can also be used as an assessment. Students should fold it into thirds to make a
brochure of ecosystems information.
Name ___________________________________________
Reading About Ecosystems

Read the book about your assigned ecosystem and complete this worksheet. You will then share what you
learned with your classmates.
1. Identify your ecosystem. ______________________________________________________________________
2. Make a diagram to show an example of a food web or food chain in your ecosystem. Label your diagram. Draw
arrows to show the flow of energy. Remember, food webs and food chains show energy flow in an ecosystem
through what eats what, including plants and animals.
3. Describe 3 things about your ecosystem, such as the types of plants, animals, and weather conditions.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. List 2 examples of your ecosystem and tell where they are located.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What is one threat to your ecosystem?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What is one way you can protect your ecosystem? _______________________________________________
7. Determine the meaning of 4 vocabulary words by completing the chart below. Use context clues to write a definition
before using the glossary to write the book’s definition of the words.
Vocabulary Word The sentence in the book What I think the word means The context clues I used The definition from the glossary
5th Grade Ecosystems Unit

a)
b)
12
c)
d)
Northside Outdoor Wonder & Learning Initiative

Name ___________________________________________
Reading About Ecosystems - Jigsaw
Record information about each ecosystem shared with you.
Ecosystem: ____________________________________ Ecosystem: ____________________________________
Describe: _____________________________________ Describe: _____________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Examples: ____________________________________ Examples: ____________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Human impact: ________________________________ Human impact: ________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Ecosystem: ____________________________________ Ecosystem: ___________________________________

Describe: _____________________________________ Describe: _____________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Examples: ____________________________________ Examples: ____________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Human impact: ________________________________ Human impact: ________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Name ______________________________________________________ Score _________________
Rubric for Reading About Ecosystems
4—Excellent 3—Good 2—Fair 1—Needs

Improvement
Identify Ecosystem is correctly Ecosystem is Ecosystem is Ecosystem is not

your identified. identified by specific incorrectly identified. identified.
ecosystem example rather than
general type.
Food web Diagram of food chain Diagram of food Food chain or web Food chain or web
or chain or web including at chain or web missing some of the missing all labels
least 4 organisms with including at least 3 labels or otherwise OR arrows
all organisms labeled. organisms with most incomplete. incorrectly show
Arrows show the flow organisms labeled. the flow of energy
of energy from Arrows show the flow (decomposers to
producers to of energy from consumers to
consumers to producers to producers).
decomposers. consumers to
decomposers.
Describe 3 3 aspects of the 2 aspects of the 1 aspect of the 0 aspects of the

things ecosystem are ecosystem are ecosystem is ecosystem are
specific to described. described. described. described.
ecosystems
Name 2 At least 2 specific 2 specific examples of 2 specific examples of 1 specific example

examples examples of the type the type of ecosystem the type of ecosystem is listed.
of of ecosystem with but missing 1 but missing both
ecosystem location i.e. Amazon location. locations.
with Rainforest in Brazil.
location
Threat to Identifies a threat Identifies a threat to Identifies a generic Answer is not

ecosystem specific to the the ecosystem. threat to ecosystems. something that is a
ecosystem. threat to
ecosystems.
Ways to Identifies a way to Identifies a way to Identifies a generic Answer is not

protect the protect the ecosystem protect the way to protect something that
ecosystem and how they can ecosystem. ecosystems. protects
help. ecosystems.
Define 4 4 columns and rows 3 columns and/or 2 columns and/or 1 column and/or
Vocabulary are complete with rows are complete rows are complete row is complete
Terms accurate definitions with accurate with accurate with accurate
for each. definitions for each. definitions for each. definitions for each.
Comments _____________________________________________________________________________________
Name ________________________________________________________ Score _________________
Rubric for Reading About Ecosystems - Jigsaw
4—Excellent 3—Good 2—Fair 1—Needs

Improvement
Ecosystem 4 different 3 different 2 different 1 ecosystem named

ecosystems named ecosystems named ecosystems named
Describe 4 detailed 3 detailed 2 detailed 1 detailed

descriptions of the descriptions of the descriptions of the description of the
ecosystems ecosystems ecosystems ecosystems
Examples 4 examples of types 3 examples of types 2 examples of types 1 example of an

of ecosystems of ecosystems of ecosystems ecosystem
Human 4 examples of human 3 examples of 2 examples of human 1 example of human

Impact impact, one per human impact, one impact, one per impact
ecosystem per ecosystem ecosystem
Comments
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
If the number of squirrels decreases, what likely will
happen to 2 other organisms in the above food web?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
or
Learning Activity 2
Ecosystems Around the School
Lesson Prep
 Prior to this activity, identify at least three local ecosystems that the
students can access safely. Learning Objectives:
 Make copies of the Ecosystem Around the School Datasheet and Students will compare and contrast
Questions, 1 per group of 3 or 4 students. local ecosystems found on their
school grounds and make inferences
 Gather field guides and other reference materials students can use to as to why they are classified
identify plants and animals. The Northside Media Center has several, differently.
along with classroom collections.
 Obtain iPads or other electronic devices to take photos if desired. Nutshell/Skills:
 This activity benefits from having extra adult helpers. Check to see if Students can compare and contrast
the ecosystems found at their school.
parent volunteers or other staff are available on the day you plan to
conduct this activity. Science Essential Standards:
5.L.2.1
Vocabulary Social Studies Essential Standards:

5.G.1.2
Ecosystem, abiotic factor, biotic factor, ecologist, ecology
Time:
Procedure 2 -3 sessions of 45 minutes
(data collection: 20-30 minutes per
Mini-Lesson ecosystem; travel time between
• Review the characteristics of ecosystems as well as abiotic and biotic ecosystems; analyzing and answering
questions about data)
factors.
• Discuss with students how learning about ecosystems is not just Student Materials:
about science, it is about understanding where we live as humans o Ecosystems Around the School
and how we impact our environment in both positive and negative Datasheet
o Ecosystems Around the School
ways.
Questions
o We are still learning about interactions that happen within o Thermometer
ecosystems, and also how human activity impacts these o Field guides relevant to the
interactions in different ways. ecosystems being studied
o Careful observations and data collection are important skills o iPads or other electronic device
to take photos (optional)
needed by ecologists in order to gain new understanding about
ecosystems and our role in the environment.
• Share the video “How Wolves Change Rivers” with your students to
illustrate this point and spark discussion about how data can be used
to understand ecosystem changes.
• Tell students that they are going to work in groups to investigate
features of local ecosystems. They are going to record information
about the biotic and abiotic factors in several different ecosystems
around the school. They will then have an opportunity to compare
and contrast those ecosystems to infer why they are classified as
different ecosystems.
• Review the Ecosystem Datasheet with the students and procedures
for collecting data.
Independent Group Work
• Before heading outside, divide the class into groups of 3 or 4. Assign one student to record data and the
others to collect data. At each ecosystem, students can rotate roles.
• Have students write the name of the first ecosystem they will study in the first row/first column of the
Ecosystem Datasheet (e.g. stream, forest, grassland). Explain that they will collect the data described in the
first column and record the results in the column under the name of the ecosystem.
• If visiting multiple ecosystems in one session, give each group one ecosystem to start and allow 20-30
minutes for data collection. Then have the groups rotate to the next ecosystem. Otherwise, if doing this
activity over the course of several field experiences, allow about 20-30 minutes for data collection at each
ecosystem that students visit.
o Note: students can also use iPads or other devices to take photos of the various ecosystems and the
abiotic/biotic factors encountered.
• Head outside with students to the selected ecosystem(s).
• Before breaking up into groups to complete the datasheet, discuss with students the importance of
respecting nature, both biotic and abiotic factors. Examples include things such as:
o Leave worms and other animals alone.
o Leave rocks, soil, and grass where you found them.
o If collecting items to bring back to the classroom for further study, give students parameters for how
many items they can collect (e.g. 2 leaves).
• Model how to use any equipment students will be using and give specific guidelines for proper use. For
example, demonstrate how a net can be used to investigate the biotic factors in the creek and explain that
putting rocks in the nets will break the nets.
• After data has been collected for all ecosystems, have students use their datasheet to answer the Ecosystems
Around the School Questions.
Assessment
• Bring the group back together for discussion. If students studied more than one ecosystem in a session,
have them share with a partner and then the group their ideas of what makes ecosystems different from
one another. Ask them to provide evidence from their datasheets to back up their statements.
o If studying only one ecosystem in a given session, you could also have this discussion later, after
students have had an opportunity to study at least two ecosystems around the school.
• Use the answers from student discussion and their Ecosystems Around the School Datasheet and Ecosystems
Around the School Questions to assess student learning.

1. Take a field trip to visit a Piedmont prairie and other local ecosystems at locations such as the NC Botanical
Garden, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, or Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Behavior & Materials Management Tips

♦ In each ecosystem, make sure you give students clear boundaries where they can go, but allow room for
groups to explore and be somewhat separated from each other.
♦ Between studying each ecosystem, have students debrief through a +/Δ conversation, discussing what went
well in their investigation and what they would change for the next exploration.
♦ Set a timer for a little less than how long you want to spend studying an ecosystem. This allows you to give
students a warning that time is almost up and time to clean up materials.
♦ Have students check the area for any forgotten materials.
♦ Remind students that they must wear shoes for their safety as there may be broken glass on the ground.
♦ Ask students to remind you of the learning goal.
Team Members: _______________________________________________________________________________
Ecosystems Around the School Datasheet

Ecosystem Type
Topography
(flat, hills,
mountains)
Soil Moisture
(wet, moist,
dry)
Temperature 3 feet above
ground
Water Temperature
(if water is in this
ecosystem) Flow:
Fast
Slow
Not Moving
Aquatic Plants
algae
plants under water
plants growing out of the water
Terrestrial Plants
grass, plants
shrubs, trees: how many
Animal Life
Animals seen or signs of life (scat,
tracks, chewed twigs, etc.)
Positive Impacts on Ecosystem

by Humans
Negative Impacts on Ecosystem

by Humans
Other Observations
Team Members: _______________________________________________________________________________
Ecosystems Around the School Questions
1. What data was easiest to collect? ___________________________________________________
2. What data was hardest to collect? ___________________________________________________
3. Compare the plant life you found in each ecosystem. Why do you think there are differences? (think about
the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors) ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. What data results did you find interesting? _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. What did you observe something you perhaps would not have observed if you were just walking by?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Learning Activity 3
Ecosystems of the
Cape Fear River Basin
Lesson Prep
 Review the following interactive maps from the NC Office of
Environmental Education website to learn more about NC’s River Learning Objectives:
Basins: Students will identify and label
ecosystems of the Cape Fear River
 Discover North Carolina’s River Basins Basin.
 North Carolina River Basins
These maps are in the same format as the Ecosystems of the Cape Fear Nutshell/Skills:
River Basin story map that students will use in this activity. Students can identify ecosystems
 Preview and be prepared to show the video Cape Fear River Basin. found in the Cape Fear River Basin.
 Review and be prepared to demonstrate how to navigate the Science Essential Standards:
Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin story map. 5.l.2.1, 5.L.2.2, 5L.2.3
ELA Essential Standards:

RI.5.1, RI.5.4
Vocabulary
Ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, saltwater, brackish, freshwater, estuary, Time:
45 minutes
wetlands, ponds, lakes, oceans, terrestrial ecosystems, deciduous forest,
food chains, food webs, consumers, producers, decomposers, biotic, Teacher Materials:
abiotic, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, population o Ecosystems of the Cape Fear
River Basin Graphic Organizer
Answer Key
o Questions: Ecosystems of the
Procedure: Cape Fear River Basin Answer Key
o Video Cape Fear River Basin (3:16)
Mini-Lesson
• Ask students to name different types of water bodies. Student Materials:
• Introduce the vocabulary term aquatic ecosystems. o Computers
• Show students a map of NC’s River Basins and point out the Cape o Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River
Basin Story Map (bit.ly/ECFRB)
Fear River Basin and show the video Cape Fear River Basin. o Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River
• Ask students “what other activities can you do in the Cape Fear River Basin Graphic Organizer
Basin besides fishing and canoeing?” One possible answer: Hiking in o Questions: Understanding the
the forests. Introduce the vocabulary term terrestrial ecosystem. Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River
Basin
Guided Practice
• Demonstrate for students how to navigate the Ecosystems of the Cape
Fear River Basin Story Map.
Group Work/Independent Work

• Students will use the story map to complete the graphic organizers
and answer questions about the ecosystems of the Cape Fear River
Basin.
Assessment
• Completed graphic organizers can serve as assessments.
The following resources can be used to enhance instruction:
• Interactive Wetlands Map provides locations of public wetlands.
• The NC Wetlands website provides free, downloadable material to use in class. NC Wetlands Factsheets
• Another regional terrestrial ecosystem is a type of grassland known as the Piedmont Prairie.
o Story of Sarah P. Duke Gardens and Hoffman Nursery creating a Piedmont prairie:
http://hoffmannursery.com/blog/article/growing-a-piedmont-prairie
o Controlled burn of Duke Garden’s Piedmont prairie (note: weeding can be used in place of controlled
burns): http://gardens.duke.edu/controlled-burn
o Information on Prairie Ridge Ecostation including plant list: https://naturalsciences.org/prairie-
ridge/ecosystem
• Although not about grasslands specific to NC, this game about Great Plains prairie does help students learn
about choosing the right plants and animals for an ecosystem:
http://games.bellmuseum.umn.edu/prairie/index.html
Name: _______________________________ Date: _____________________________
Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin

Use the Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin Story Map to complete the chart below:
Type of water:
Aquatic Freshwater, Saltwater
Ecosystems or Brackish Characteristics
River
Pond
Lake
Ocean
Estuary
Wetlands
Terrestrial
Ecosystems Characteristics Plants Animals
Deciduous Forest
Longleaf Pine
Forest
Maritime Forest
Name: ___________________________________ Date: ________________________
Understanding the Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin

Use the Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River story map to answer the following questions.
1. What is a river basin? _______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Where is the Cape Fear River Basin located? ____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
3. What two rivers join to form the Cape Fear River? ________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Where does the Cape Fear River empty? _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. What is an estuary? ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. What are the main rivers in the Cape Fear River Basin? ___________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. What is an ecosystem? _______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
8. What is an aquatic ecosystem? ________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
9. What is a terrestrial ecosystem? _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
10. What is a food chain? ________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
11. What is a food web? __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
12. What organism makes its own food? _______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
13. What is the source of energy for producers? _________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
14. Use the Freshwater Pond Food Web diagram in the story map to answer the following question:
a. What would happen to the Heron population if the fish population decreased?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
15. Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast a pond and a lake.
16. Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast an estuary and an ocean.
17. Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast a longleaf pine ecosystem to a maritime forest ecosystem.
Answer Key: Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin
Use the Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin Story Map to complete the chart below:
Type of water:
Freshwater, Saltwater,
Aquatic Ecosystems Characteristics
or Brackish
River fresh ● flow in one direction.

● many important habitats for many land and water
animals.
Pond fresh ● shallow bodies of water

● surrounded by land on all sides
● plants can grow across ponds
● plants that grow along the edges.
● The temperature of a pond is usually the same
from top to bottom.
Lake fresh ● deeper and bigger than ponds

● plants grow along the edges of lakes
● plants cannot grow across them.
● surrounded by land on all sides.
● temperature changes from top to bottom
● The bottom of the lake is much colder than the
top of the lake.
Ocean salt ● The Atlantic Ocean covers 41.1 million square miles
● which makes it the second largest ocean
● saltiest ocean
● many types of ecosystems depending on
conditions such as sunlight, temperature, depth,
and salinity (the amount of salt in the water) of that
part of the ocean
● Phytoplankton are producers that float in the
upper part of the ocean where they will get
sunlight to produce their energy.
● Most organisms live where the ocean is shallow,
and the water is warm so food is abundant.
Estuary brackish ● Cape Fear River Estuary is a 35-mile section of the

river that is brackish
● It is an important nursery area for juvenile fish,
crabs, and shrimp.
Wetlands Freshwater ● Wetlands are regions where there is standing water

● soil stays saturated most of the year
Brackish water ● located along rivers and coastal areas
Saltwater ● along the banks of rivers, swamps
● Salt Marshes are coastal wetlands that are regularly
flooded by the tides of the ocean.
Terrestrial
Ecosystems Characteristics Plants/Trees Animals
Deciduous Forest ● cold winters and hot, wet ● hickory ● white-tailed deer
summers ● oak ● bears
● 30-60 inches of rain
● short-leaf ● squirrels
● fertile soil ● wild turkeys
pine
● four distinct seasons: summer,
● loblolly pine ● woodpeckers
fall, winter, and spring.
● In the fall the trees drop their
● owls
leaves. ● hawks
● salamanders
● frogs
● eastern box
turtles
● snakes
● butterflies
● ants
Longleaf Pine ● diverse ecosystems ● longleaf pine ● southeastern fox

Forest ● grow in dry soils. ● roughleaf squirrel
● do not grow well in shaded loosestrife ● gopher tortoise
areas or places where there are
● Venus fly-trap ● red-cockaded
several other plants like grasses
and weeds
● pitcher plants woodpecker
(endangered)
● nearly 900 plant species
● Several types of the animals
● northern pine
snake
that live here are either
endangered. ● quail
● turkey
● deer
● blue birds
Maritime Forest ● found along the dunes of ● live oak ● green tree frogs
coastal areas. ● sand laurel ● eastern grass
● can survive the salty winds that oak lizards
come from the ocean
● wax myrtle ● white footed
● plants can also live in sandy soil
● yaupon mouse
hollow ● southern hog
nosed snake
● birds such as the
eastern painted
bunting.
Answer Key: Understanding the Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin?
Use the Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin story map to answer the following questions.
1. What is a river basin? A river basin is an area of land where the run-off water empties into a river or its
tributaries (small streams & creeks).
2. Where is the Cape Fear River Basin located? Completely in North Carolina’s border
3. What two rivers join to form the Cape Fear River? Deep River and Haw River
4. Where does the Cape Fear River empty? The Atlantic Ocean
5. What is an estuary? Mixture of salt and fresh water. Habitats for various aquatic life such as shrimp, clams,
mussels, fish, etc.
6. What are some of the main rivers in the Cape Fear River Basin? Deep River, Haw River, Cape Fear River,
Northeast Cape Fear River, Black River, Reedy Fork River
7. What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals, and organisms) in a
given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun,
soil, climate, atmosphere).
8. What is an aquatic ecosystem? Aquatic ecosystems are water based ecosystems such as rivers, lakes,
ponds, estuaries, wetlands, saltwater marshes, and oceans. These ecosystems can be freshwater, brackish
(mixture of salt and freshwater), or saltwater.
9. What is a terrestrial ecosystem? Terrestrial ecosystems are land based ecosystems. Examples of terrestrial
ecosystems in the Cape Fear River Basin include deciduous forests and maritime forests.
10. What is a food chain? Food chains show how energy flows from one organism to another.
11. What is a food web? shows how energy flows through several connected food chains.
12. What organism makes its own food? producers
13. What is the source of energy for producers? sun
14. Use the Freshwater Pond Food Web diagram in the story map to answer the following question:
a. What would happen to the Heron population if the fish population decreased?
The heron population would decrease.
15. Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast a pond and a lake.
Pond Lake
Deeper and bigger

than ponds
Shallow Surrounded by Plants can’t grow
land on all sides across lakes
Plants can grow
across ponds Have plants that The temperature of a
grow along the lake changes from top
The temperature
edges to bottom. The
of a pond is
bottom of the lake is
usually the same Aquatic
much colder than the
from top to
Freshwater top of the lake
bottom
16. Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast an estuary and an ocean.
Estuary Ocean
Mixture of salt and Oceans contain many

fresh water. (brackish) types of ecosystems
Habitats for various depending on
aquatic life such as conditions such as
shrimp, clams, sunlight, temperature,
mussels, fish, etc. Aquatic
ecosystem depth, and salinity
(the amount of salt in
the water).
17. Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast a longleaf pine ecosystem to a maritime forest ecosystem.
Longleaf Pine Forest Maritime Forest
Dry soils; do not like

flooded soils Found along the dunes of
coastal areas
Do not grow well in
shaded areas or places The trees can survive the
where there are several salty winds that come
other plants like grasses from the ocean.
and weeds
The plants can also live in
One of the most diverse sandy soil that does not
ecosystems have a lot nutrients to help
Terrestrial them grow.
900 plant species that
are found in the longleaf Live oak, sand laurel oak,
pine forest that are not wax myrtle, yaupon
found anywhere else hollow
Endangered species like
red-cockaded
woodpecker, longleaf
pine, roughleaf
loosestrife, Venus fly-
trap, pitcher plants
✓
o
✓
✓
o
• o
o
o
•
✓
✓
✓
•
•
•
•
•
• •
•
•
•
•
•
o
•
•
Learning Activity 6
Your School Ecosystem:
Then & Now
Lesson Prep
 Note: this lesson is offered as an optional activity to integrate
Science and Social Studies lessons. It can be conducted during Social Learning Objectives:
Studies in conjunction with studying the Revolutionary War period. It Students will compare and contrast
may also be conducted within the Science unit, but students should local ecosystems currently found on
have covered the Revolutionary War period in class at some time their school grounds and historic
ecosystems from 250 years ago.
prior to completing this activity. NOTE: Social Studies connection
 Identify an outdoor area where students can sit quietly to write in
their Nature Journals, i.e. the green roof or the school garden. Nutshell/Skills:
Students can apply what they know
about the ecosystems around the
Vocabulary school to predict what the ecosystems
might have been in the past.
Ecosystems, biotic, abiotic, terrestrial, aquatic, forest, stream
Science Essential Standards:
Procedure
5.L.2.1
Mini-Lesson Social Studies Essential Standards:

5.G.1.1, 5.G.1.2
• Review the characteristics of ecosystems as well as abiotic and biotic
factors. Time:
• Ask students, “What type of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems do 45 minutes
you think would have been here during the Revolutionary War?”
Student Materials:
• Tell students that Orange County was founded in 1752, UNC was o Nature Journals
founded in 1789, Chapel Hill was founded in 1793. Carrboro was not o Pencils
founded until 1911.
• Ask students, “Why do you think settlers picked this area to build
towns and homes?” “What could the ecosystems that were here
provide the settlers to aid in their survival?”
• Take students to an outdoor area where they can sit quietly to write
in their Nature Journals, i.e. the green roof or the school garden.
Independent Work
• Have students copy the Nature Journal prompt into their journals:
o Observe the ecosystem around you. How do you think the
ecosystem you are observing is different from the one that
would have been here in the late 1700s? Why?
Assessment:
• Exit Ticket: Why do you think the ecosystem looks different now?

♦ Ask students to remind you of the expectations for outdoor learning.
♦ Discuss with students the importance of respecting nature both biotic and abiotic factors.
Arc 2 – Flow of Energy &
Interdependence in Ecosystems
Essential Questions
How is energy transferred through an ecosystem?
How can I explain the interconnected relationships between organisms and their environments?
NC Science Essential Standards – Unpacked Content

5.L.2.2 Students know that organisms in an ecosystem can be producers, consumers, or decomposers. Students
know that producers convert energy from the sun into organic matter through the process of
photosynthesis. This organic matter is used by producers and consumers as food which provides the
energy that fuels basic life processes. Consumers sometimes consume only or mostly other consumers as
a food source. Producers and consumers produce wastes as they perform their life processes and become
waste organic matter when they die. Decomposers use these waste materials and other non-living organic
matter to fuel their life processes and recycle nutrients that are necessary for producers to carry out their
life processes.
5.L.2.3 Students know that all the organisms in an ecosystem have interconnected relationships. Students know
that because of this, factors that impact one population within an ecosystem may impact other
populations within that ecosystem.
Lessons in this Arc

 Learning Activity 7: Ecology
 Learning Activity 8: Who Lives Here?
 Learning Activity 9: Rainforest Food Chains
 Learning Activity 10: Food Web Connections Card Game
 Learning Activity 11: Predator/Prey
 Learning Activity 12: The Forest of S.T. Shrew-Project Learning Tree
 Learning Activity 13: Decomposition and the FBI (Fungi, Bacteria, and Invertebrates)
 Learning Activity 14: Turtle Hurdle-Project WILD
 Learning Activity 15: Web of Life
Go Outdoors! Nature Journal Connection

 Learning Activity 7: Ecology  Learning Activity 7: Ecology
 Learning Activity 8: Who Lives Here?  Learning Activity 8: Who Lives Here?
 Learning Activity 11: Predator/Prey  Learning Activity 12: The Forest of S.T. Shrew
 Learning Activity 12: The Forest of S.T. Shrew
 Learning Activity 13: Decomposition and the
FBI (Fungi, Bacteria, and Invertebrates)
 Learning Activity 14: Turtle Hurdles
Duration:
• 11 to 13 days of 45 minute learning activities
Background Information
Organisms interact with one another in their ecosystem in order to receive the resources they need to survive.
The flow of energy through the ecosystem originates from the sun. Producers utilize sunlight to make their own
energy through the process of photosynthesis. A consumer must eat other organisms in order to obtain its
energy. Consumers are grouped based on the other organisms they eat. A carnivore eats other animals while an
herbivore eats only plants. An omnivore eats a combination of plants and animals. Scavengers eat dead plants
and animals. The prey is the animal being eaten by the predator, which is also another animal. Decomposers
return materials to the ecosystem by breaking down dead organisms. They receive energy from these other
organisms and create organic matter from previously living things. The food chain outlines the flow of energy
from producers to consumers to decomposers. In most ecosystems, a food web is more accurate because it links
different food chains together in an ecosystem.
All organisms in an ecosystem are interdependent. Interdependence is the reliance of every life form on other
organisms and the environment. Limiting factors are in place to ensure the population in an ecosystem remains
balanced due to limited resources. Competition occurs among organisms in an ecosystem for resources. This
could be food, water, sunlight, nutrients, habitat or any other resource an organism needs to be able to survive.
The population of a species is all members of the group in close enough proximity to be able to breed.
Interacting populations belong to an ecological community.
Changes in the environment can disrupt the natural balance of an ecosystem. Human interaction has been the
cause of many changes in environment. Because of this, humans have a role in trying to conserve environments
to protect the biodiversity of species. Life forms are adapted to the climate they live in but that is changing, in
part due to humans. The climate is the average weather in a certain area over a period of time.
Vocabulary
• Biodiversity is the different types of life in an ecosystem.
• Carnivore is an animal that eats other animals.
• Climate is the average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.
• Community is an association of interacting populations.
• Competition is the contest among organisms for the limited resources of an ecosystem.
• Conservation is careful preservation and protection of ecological processes and biodiversity of the
environment.
• Consumer is an organism that eats other organisms to obtain energy.
• Decomposer is an organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, thus making
organic nutrients available to the ecosystem.
• Food Chain is a representation of the flow of energy between producers, consumers, and decomposers.
• Food Web is a representation of the linkages between food chains in a community.
• Herbivore is an animal that eats plants.
• Interdependence is the dependence of every form of life on other living things and on the natural
resources in its environment, such as air, soil, and water.
• Limiting factor is an environmental factor that limits the size of a population in an ecosystem.
• Omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals.
• Organic is relating to or obtained from living things.
• Photosynthesis is the process through which plants use water and carbon dioxide to create their food,
grow, and release excess oxygen into the air.
• Population is a group of organisms of the same species that are in close enough proximity to allow them
to interbreed.
• Predator is an animal that obtains its food by killing and eating other animals.
• Prey is an animal that is eaten by another animal for food.
• Producer is an organism that creates its own energy from sunlight through photosynthesis.
• Scavenger is an animal that eats dead animals or plants.
Literature Connections
Books
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry (E CHE)*
Book Sets
Explore the Tropical Rain Forest by Linda Tagliaferro*
Protecting Food Chains: Rain Forest Food Chains by Heidi Moore*
*currently available in Northside Elementary’s media center
Learning Activity 7
Ecology
Lesson Prep
 Determine the areas where students will be allowed to complete
their nature journals. In this engaging activity, students will
be introduced to the concept of
Vocabulary interdependence and describe how

ecosystems rely on these connections.
Ecosystems, abiotic, biotic, ecologist, interdependence
Nutshell/Skills:
Students will observe interactions
between plants and animals on their
Procedure school grounds.
Mini-Lesson Science Essential Standards:

• Review the components of an ecosystem with students. 5.L.2.1, 5.L.2.2, 5.L.2.3
• Now that students have an understanding of what an ecosystem is,
Time:
we are going to start examining how an ecosystem functions.
45 minutes
Questions we will examine though this arc include:
o How do the biotic and abiotic factors within an ecosystem Student Materials:
interact? o Nature Journals
o How do they depend on one another? o Pencils
o Private Eyes
o How are humans a part of an ecosystem and what impacts do we
have?
• Tell students they are going to head outside to look for interactions
between different components of an ecosystem.
Independent Work
• Students will go outside and record their observations in their nature
journals. Give students approximately 15-20 minutes to make their
observations and describe the interactions they see.
• Nature Journal prompt:
o Observe two plant-animal interactions. Draw what you see and
describe their interaction – is the animal eating the plant,
seeking shade/protection within the plant, etc.
o If students do not see any interactions, have them write about an
interaction they could see, such as watching a squirrel climb a
tree to look for food or seek protection from a predator.
Guided Practice
• Ask students to share their observations aloud.
• Ask students what they think “interdependence” means? Use examples from their journals to help them
understand the term.
• Ask students what they think ecology is and what they think an ecologist studies. Ecology is the study of the
relationships between plants, animals, people, and their environment. It is the study of ecosystems and their
interdependence. An ecologist is a person who studies ecosystems.
1. Invite an ecologist to come speak to the class.

♦ Give students clear boundaries where they can go, but allow room for groups to explore and be somewhat
separate from each other
♦ Discuss with students the importance of respecting nature, including both biotic and abiotic things.
Examples include things such as:
♦ Define the boundary for where the students can sit and work on their nature journaling prompt.
Learning Activity 8
Who Lives Here?
Exploring Local Food Chains
Lesson Prep
 Review Flow of Energy PowerPoint.
 Preview and be prepared to show the Brain POP video. Learning Objectives:
 Determine where students will sit for the Nature Journaling activity. Students will be able to describe a
food chain found in their schoolyard
and the flow of energy through the
Vocabulary food chain.
Deciduous forest, food chain, producers, consumers, decomposers, Nutshell/Skills:

scavengers Students can create a food chain.

Procedure 5. L.2.1, 5.L.2.2, 5.L.2.3
Mini-Lesson Time:
• Show the BrainPOP video “Food Chains” to introduce students to 45 minutes
food chains and food webs.
• Use the Flow of Energy PowerPoint to delve further into the concepts Teacher Materials:
o Flow of Energy PowerPoint
including descriptions of producers, consumers, and decomposers. o Pictures of organisms found in
schoolyard
Independent Work o BrainPOP video “Food Chains”
• Take students outside and invite them to hypothesize about food (3:19)
chains on the school grounds. Student Materials:
• Have students copy the Nature Journal prompt below into their o Nature Journals
journals: o Pencils
o Choose a plant or animal at school. Look around and consider o Computers with Internet
connection
the food chain that includes this plant or animal. Draw and label
a possible food chain.
• Have students conduct research using the following websites in
order to check the accurateness of the food chains they completed
while observing their schoolyard.
o http://www.whateats.com/
o http://www.kidrex.org/
Option
• Assign each student a different plant or animal from the list of schoolyard organisms and ask them to make
a list describing what eats it, what it eats and then diagram a food chain that includes the animal or plant.
(See Pictures of organisms that can be found in a schoolyard.)
o Note: these are the same organisms used for Learning Activity 15: Web of Life.
• Local and schoolyard organisms likely include:
Oak tree, maple tree, pine tree, grass, zinnia , milkweed, dandelion, clover, monarch butterfly, honey bees, squirrel,
chipmunk, mouse, cardinal, rabbit, grasshopper, deer, robin, red shouldered hawk, red fox, raccoon, spider, snake,
frog, barred owl, skunk, earthworm, mushroom
Assessment
• Completed Nature Journal prompts and/or research lists can serve as an assessment.

1. Watch Crash Course Kids video “Feed me: Classifying Organisms” about herbivores, carnivores, and
omnivores (3:13)
2. Watch Crash Course Kids video “Fabulous Food Chains” explains food chains and webs (3:24)

♦ In each ecosystem, make sure you give students clear boundaries where they can go, but allow room for
groups to explore and be somewhat separate from each other.
♦ Discuss with students the importance of respecting nature both biotic and abiotic factors. Examples include:
Learning Activity 9
Rainforest Food Webs
Lesson Prep
 Make copies of the rainforest food chain cards, 1 set per student or
small group. Learning Objectives:
Students will apply their knowledge
 Make copies of the Rainforests 101 National Geographic Graphic of food chains and food webs to
Organizer, 1 per student. create a food web for a rainforest
 Preview and be prepared to show the video. ecosystem.
Nutshell/Skills:
Students can create a food chain and
Vocabulary food web for an ecosystem different
from the one in which they live
Food chain, food web, rainforest, biodiversity, producer, consumer,
decomposer Science Essential Standards:
5.L.2.2, 5..L.2.3
Procedure Time:
45-60 minutes
Mini-Lesson
Teacher Materials:
• Give students a few minutes to describe the relationship between a o Rainforest Food Chains (Creative
food chain and a food web in their science notebooks. Commons)
• Ask for volunteers to share their descriptions. o Video Rainforests 101 by National
• Tell students that they will watch a video called, “Rainforests 101 by Geographic (3:40)
o Rainforests 101 National
National Geographic.” Geographic Graphic Organizer
• Tell students to complete questions 1-7 on the graphic organizer as Answer Key
they are watching the video.
• Discuss student answers to these questions. Student Materials:
• Give students a few minutes to work on questions 8-10 and then o Rainforests 101 National
Geographic Graphic Organizer
discuss their answers to these questions. o Rainforest Food Chain Cards
• Use question 10 as a springboard to review food chains and food o Science notebooks
webs using the first page of the Rainforest Food Chains.
• Explain to students that the diagrams show animals from the
Australian Rainforest.
Independent Work
• Ask students to create a food chain using the rainforest food chain
cards. The cards have information about the organisms.
• If black and white copies of the cards are made, have the students
circle the organism’s name with the color that corresponds to its
trophic level.
• Check students’ work to ensure that the food chain is correct.
• Tell students to use the rest of the cards to create a food web.
• After creating the web, the cards can be pasted into students’ science notebooks.
• Students need to leave enough room in between cards so they can draw the arrows to show the transfer of
energy. (The cards can be laminated so they can be used more than once. Then students would write the
names of the animals in their notebooks rather than pasting the cards).
Assessment
• Exit ticket: Pick one of the animals and describe how the food web would be affected if that animal
population increased or decreased.

1. Read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
• Students will research the kapok tree and how its role in the rainforest is vital to the survival of the
animals. Then they will write a letter to the man in the story asking him not to cut down the Kapok tree
citing evidence from their research.
2. Listen to a song about the tropical rainforest: “Tropical in the First” by Lodge McCammon.
Name: _______________________________ Date: _______________________
Rainforests 101 National Geographic

Graphic Organizer
1. Place a tally mark in the box every time you see an animal. (Use 1 tally mark for each population of insects.)
2. Do rainforests grow on every continent? ______________________________________________________

3. Circle the type of rainforest that grows in between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer:
temperate tropical
4. How much rainfall does a rainforest receive per year? ___________________________________________
5. The rainforest covers ___________% of the Earth’s surface area.
6. The rainforest is home to _____________% of the earth’s plants and animals.
7. Plants and trees provide ___________________________ and ______________________.
Complete this section after watching the video.

8. In your own words, describe a rainforest ecosystem. __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
9. Biodiversity refers to the many different types of life in an ecosystem. Explain how a rainforest is an
ecosystem that has biodiversity. Use evidence from your graphic organizer to help with your explanation.
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
10. Human development and the need for natural resources cause deforestation (removal of trees). What
effect does this have on the animals of the rainforests? _______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Name: _______________________________ Date: _______________________
Rainforests 101 National Geographic

Graphic Organizer – Answer Key
1. Place a tally mark in the box every time you see an animal. (Use 1 tally mark for each population of insects.)
Answers will vary
2. Do rainforests grow on every continent? No __________________________________________________

3. Circle the type of rainforest that grows in between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer:
temperate and tropical
4. How much rainfall does a rainforest receive per year? 33 feet__________________
5. The rainforest covers 6% of the Earth’s surface area.
6. The rainforest is home to ____50%__ of the earth’s plants and animals.
7. Plants and trees provide ________medicine___________________ and _______food_______________.
Do this section after watching the video.

8. In your own words, describe a rainforest ecosystem. __ Answers will vary________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
9. Biodiversity refers to the many different types of life in an ecosystem. Explain how a rainforest is an
ecosystem that has biodiversity. Use evidence from your graphic organizer to help with your explanation.
_____ Answers will vary__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
10. Human Development and the need for natural resources cause deforestation (removal of trees). What
effect does this have on the animals of the rainforests?
The animals will lose their habitats and food sources.
RAINFOREST
FOOD CHAINS
ENERGY FROM
SUN, SOIL &
WATER ]PRODUCER ]IST ]2ND ]3ND ]DECOMPOSER
Plants make CONSUMER CONSUMER CONSUMER
]
food - leaves,
]
flowers,
nectar, fruit
]
and litter
EXAMPLES:
]
]
]
]
FLOWERS ]Moth eats ]Spider eats ]Grey Shrike ]Shrike Thrush
nectar at night moth Thrush eats dies and is
spider eaten by
]
decomposers
]
]
]
]
]Hawk Moth ]Tawny ]Lace Monitor ]Lace Monitor
]
LEAVES
caterpillar eats Frogmouth eats eggs of dies and is
leaves eats Hawk Tawny eaten by
Moth Frogmouth decomposers
]
]
]
]
FRUIT ]Wonga Pigeon ]Diamond ]Diamond

]
eats fallen fruit Python eats Python dies

and seeds Wonga Pigeon and is eaten by
decomposers
]
]
]
]Fungi lives on ]Snail eats fungi ]Noisy Pitta eats ]Noisy Pitta dies
LITTER dead wood snail and is eaten by
]
decomposers
]
]
] ] ] ] ] ]
Discovery for schools program, North Coast, DECCW 2010/157

RAINFOREST FOOD CHAINS
Copy this page and cut out each of the cards.
Read the information on each, and arrange them to make your own rainforest food web.
Colour code : Energy ] Producer ] 1st Consumer ] 2nd & 3rd Consumer ] Decomposer
] indicates a transfer of energy between trophic levels of photosynthesis and eating
Wanderer Butterfly Booyong Lyrebird Lace Monitor

sips nectar leaves are edible scratches in eats insects, reptiles,
the leaf litter eggs, birds, mammals
for worms and & carrion
insects
Looper Caterpillar Forest Owl Ants Echidna

eats leaves nocturnal eat remains of dead digs for ants and
predator of animals termites
rats, possums,
birds and
bats
Green Tree Frog Maggots SUN, SOIL Worms

eats insects live on dead animals & WATER eat dead plant material
in the soil
Ring-tailed Red-necked Pademelon Rainforest tree Fruit dove

possum eats leaves and fruit makes nectar in eats fruit and
eats flowers, flowers seeds
leaves from the
and fruit sun’s energy
SUN, SOIL Diamond Python Grey-headed Fruit Bat Strangler Fig

& WATER hunts for possums, feeds on rainforest produces plentiful figs
birds, and frogs fruits
and nectar
Domestic cat Huntsman Spider Termites Noisy Pitta

eats small hunts for insects in bark Insect colony eats wood eats snails and insects
birds,
mammals
and lizards
Discovery for schools program, North Coast, DECCW 2010/157

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Learning Activity 11
Decomposition & the FBI
Lesson Prep
 Make copies of the datasheet, 1 per student.
 Have at least one field guide or identifying key available per group. Learning Objectives:
 Identify where students will be observing fallen logs and what Students will be able to describe
examples of organisms and their roles
boundaries you will set. in a fallen log ecosystem.
Nutshell/Skills:
Vocabulary Students can make observations
about decomposition and a fallen log
Decomposers, fungi, bacteria ecosystem.

5.L.2.2, 5.E.1.1
Procedure
Time:
Mini-Lesson 45 minutes
• Clearly explain what decomposition is - the breakdown of organic
matter into smaller pieces and simpler parts. Both a physical and Teacher Materials:
chemical changes take place during decomposition. You can use the o Slides on decomposers and
decomposition from Flow of
slides from the Flow of Energy PowerPoint for this. Energy PowerPoint from Arc 2:
• Ask students to name different decomposers. Explain they will be Learning Activity 1: Who Lives
learning about these decomposers or FBI (fungi, bacteria, Here?
invertebrates) today.
Student Materials:
• Show students one of the keys or field guides they will be using.
o Private Eyes
Explain how the animals that are decomposers are invertebrates and o Copies of “Fallen Logs and FBI”
what invertebrate means (no backbone). Ask why bacteria are not on datasheet
the keys. (too small) Discuss the variety of fungi that they might see. o Field guides or copies of keys for
• Ask students “What would happen if there were no decomposers in identifying possible organisms
o Trays, cups, bowls, or other
the forest?”. Prompt students as needed to get them to think about containers that can be used to
fallen trees and leaves over hundreds of years as well as the remains temporarily hold organisms for
of dead animals. closer examination
• If you look around a forest, there are signs and evidence of o Thermometer per group
decomposition everywhere.
• We are going to go outside to observe fallen logs as an ecosystem
and as a place we can observe decomposition in action.
Guided Practice
• Before going outside, remind students of the rules for learning
outside and create groups of about four students per group.
• Once outside model what you expect the students to do as they
observe fallen logs as an ecosystem.
• Show them how to roll a log towards them so that animals
underneath can escape safely. Ask students why this is important.
This is also to keep them safe so that if there is animal that could be
dangerous to them, such as a copperhead, that animal has the choice to leave and feels less threatened.
• Model how to gently pick up and examine animals such as ants, millipedes, or beetles found on the logs.
• Model how they can pull off and break off parts of the log to look for more evidence. Remind them to be
gentle as their log is an ecosystem and home to the organisms they find.
• Students record their observations on a datasheet. Students may want to use clipboards, binders, or
something else to create a writing surface while outdoors.
• If available, students could use iPads to photograph the organisms and the evidence of decomposition that
they see.
• When a group finds something they want to share with others, choose one student from the group to
carefully take the organism to the other groups or have them continue working while you take the organism
around.
• Allow for a few minutes for each group to share something from the activity. You may choose to do this
back in the classroom.
• Clean up – Have students gently return all living things back to their log ecosystem. Remind them to leave
all nature in nature. Have one student per group confirm that all materials have been collected to take back
inside.

1. Create a worm column or bin.
2. Observe decomposition in the compost pile in the garden. Students could make observations of the
compost pile various times throughout the unit, noting signs of decomposition. Students could make
temperature recordings of the compost pile. Students could add clippings (leaves) or vegetables (lettuce,
kale, spinach) from the garden to observe the rate of decomposition.
3. Nature Journal prompt: Describe and draw one item in the compost pile. What evidence of decomposition
do you observe?
4. Crash Course Kids video “The Dirt on Decomposers” (3:18)
5. Students could compare their data. What factors may have been causes for differences? Are all the logs from
the same type of tree?
6. Students could do a separate leaf litter exploration and compare what they find in the leaf litter to what is
found on the fallen log. Leaf Litter exploration lesson.
7. Time lapse video of decomposition in a compost pile. (Shows a minute and a half overview and then parts of it
slower with more detail.) Time lapse of a pear decaying. (1:27)

♦ Make sure you give students clear boundaries where they can go, allowing room for some exploration.
♦ Circulate between groups asking questions as well as using the opportunity to remind students to stay on
task.
Name: _______________________
Fallen Logs and FBI
Date: _____________ Time: ___________________ Place: ______________________
Temperature: ____________ Weather Conditions: ____________________________________________
Record your observations of the fallen log.
On the log Under the bark In the log Under the log Near the log
Evidence of how
the tree died?
Evidence of when
the tree died?
Describe and
sketch any plants.
Describe and
sketch any fungi.
Evidence of
animal activity?
Draw a sketch of
an animal.
What color is the

animal?
How many legs

does the animal
have?
How might the
animal move?
What kind of
animal is it?
What else do you

observe?
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Predator/Prey
This activity adapted from Predator & Prey developed by the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station.
Lesson Prep
 This game is best played outside in a large open area so that Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to describe
students have room to move. Determine where you will play the predator and prey, how they interact,
game and how you will mark the boundaries. and how populations can fluctuate
 Gather bandanas to use as squirrel “tails.” with changes to the environment.
 Make copies of the Predator and Prey Populations Graphs.
 Have a copy of the Population Changes Data table with a clipboard Nutshell/Skills:
Students can describe how
and pencil. interactions between predators and
 Have a copy of the Predator Prey Interaction Activity Rules. prey and environmental changes can
affect population size.
Vocabulary Science Essential Standards:

5.L.2.2
Predator, prey, food chains, population
Math Essential Standards:
5.MD.2
Procedure
Mini-Lesson Time:
1-2 sessions of 45 minute each
• Ask the class to explain what a food chain is and how energy is
moving through the food chain. Teacher Materials:
• Give them the example of clover providing energy for rabbits which o Large area to play game
provides energy for foxes. (preferably outdoors)
o Predator Prey Interaction Activity
o Ask, “Which organism is the predator?” (fox)
Rules
o Ask the student who answers correctly to define what a predator o Population Changes Data table
is. o Bandanas or flags for squirrel
o Ask, “Which organism is the prey?” (rabbit) “tails.”
o Ask for a definition of prey. If needed, clarify that the clover is a
Student Materials:
producer. o Large area to play game
• Tell students they will be learning more about the effects which (preferably outdoors)
predator, prey, and producer populations have on an ecosystem. o Predator and Prey Populations
• Ask, “When we are talking about populations within an ecosystem, Graphs
what do we mean?” (A population is group of organisms of the same
species living in the same area.)
• Ask for predictions about how predators and prey affect populations
of predators, prey, and producers.
• Briefly explain the game before rearranging the room or going
outside to play.
• Write the food chain of acorns -> squirrels -> hawks on the board.
This is a food chain found at your school. Students will be acorns,
squirrels, and hawks trying to survive.
• Show the students the rules of the game and read aloud. (Rules also
on a separate full page below to show students.)
Predator Prey Interaction Activity Rules
1. Each squirrel gets a tail. The squirrel’s tail must be visible (tucked in a pocket or waistband) and cannot be
tied on.
2. If a hawk grabs a squirrel’s tail, the squirrel has been eaten by the hawk and dies on the spot. The squirrel
returns to the hawk’s roost with the hawk.
3. If a squirrel is caught, any acorn they have with them must go back to the oak tree, because they have not
been “eaten” yet by the squirrel.
4. The squirrels are safe only in their tree and the oak tree with the acorns.
5. Any squirrel not in its tree with an acorn when the “day” ends becomes an acorn the next day.
6. Any squirrel who does not get an acorn or any hawk who does not get a squirrel, dies, decomposes, and
becomes an acorn on the next day.
7. Acorns who are safely taken back to the squirrels’ tree turn into squirrels on the next day.
8. Squirrels who are caught change into hawks on the next day.
9. Each day a squirrel can only “eat” one acorn and a hawk can only “eat” one squirrel.
10. When I say “freeze”, the “day” ends, and everyone stands still.
Guided Practice
The game is played in a series of rounds with each round representing one day. A round should last only 1-5
minutes. You can choose to have each round last the same amount of time or wait for several squirrels and hawks
to have captured their food to end a round. The object of the game is to eat or die.
Playing field:
If possible, set the “oak tree” full of “acorns” 100 feet from the “hickory tree” where the “squirrels” live. Make the
field about 50 feet wide. The “hawks” will “fly” in the field between the two “trees” attempting to catch their prey.
The “hawks” roost (rest and sleep) in a “sycamore tree” along the edge of the playing field in between the “oak
and hickory trees”. Mark the boundaries of the playing field (chalk, chairs, cones, flags, etc.).
All squirrels start in their hickory tree. All acorns start in their oak tree. All hawks begin in their sycamore tree.
Squirrels must run to the oak tree, grab an acorn gently by the hand and get back to the safety of their hickory
tree without a hawk grabbing their tail. If a hawk grabs a squirrel’s tail, the squirrel immediately dies. The hawk
then takes the squirrel back to the sycamore tree to “eat” it. Ask students what type of ecosystem this is.
(deciduous forest)
Assign students to be acorns, squirrels, and hawks. You want to start off with a ratio of 3 acorns to 2 squirrels to 1
hawk (3:2:1) (somewhat realistic to nature). For example, if you have 24 students, you will start with 12 acorns, 8
squirrels, and 4 hawks.
• If you have students count off by 6’s, the ones, twos, and threes will be acorns. The fours and fives will be
squirrels. The sixes will be hawks.
• You can also have the students line up and count them off as acorn, acorn, acorn, squirrel, squirrel, hawk,
acorn, acorn, acorn, squirrel, squirrel, hawk, etc.
Be sure to record the initial numbers of each before you begin. Record the numbers of acorns, squirrels, and
hawks in the Data of Population Changes Table on the separate page below. Once students are in place, ask an
acorn, squirrel, and hawk to model what to do. Have them do it twice so that in one version the squirrel gets eaten
and one version the squirrel safely returns to the hickory tree. Include in the modeling you are beginning and
ending each round with words such as “sunrise” or “begin” and “freeze” or “pause”.
At the end of each round, record the number of acorns, squirrels, and hawks. Record these numbers in the Data of
Population Changes Table on the separate page below.
To begin a new round/day, collect the squirrel tails from the hawks.
• The squirrels that were eaten become new hawks, as the hawks that eat can reproduce.
• Hawks and squirrels that did not eat that round die and become acorns. Explain that as they decompose
their nutrients would be used by the oak tree allowing it to produce more acorns.
• Acorns that are eaten by squirrels become new squirrels as the squirrels that eat can reproduce.
After a few rounds, pause to discuss how the populations have changed. Ask for predictions of what will happen
to the populations next. If one species is eliminated from the ecosystem, ask students what they think would
happen in a real ecosystem if this happens. Ask about ways humans could intervene to help rebalance the
ecosystem.
Variations:
• A drought occurs. The oak tree produces less acorns. (Redistribute some of the acorns to the squirrel and
hawk populations.)
• The boundary opposite the hawk’s roost becomes a highway. Any animal that crosses it is hit by a truck,
dies, and becomes an acorn.
• Mange (a mammalian skin disease) strikes, killing a fourth of the squirrel population.
• Additional squirrels and/or hawks have moved into the area, increasing the population. (Redistribute some
of the acorns.)
• Have a hunter remove squirrels during a round. Give the hunter a limited area in which they can tag
squirrels. The squirrels caught by the hunter would be removed from the game as the hunter would remove
them from that ecosystem.
• A house is built in part of the field, altering the animals’ routes. (Block or mark off part of the playing field.)
Independent Work
Take the class back inside for them to complete the assessment worksheet and to discuss the activity.
• Students will use the information recorded during the game in the Population Changes Data Table to create
four line graphs. The fourth graph combines the first three graphs into one graph for easier analysis of the
data. Students will then answer the question based on their analysis.
• While the students are working on the Predator and Prey Populations Graphs worksheet, graph the data
yourself.
After collecting the students’ worksheets, use your graphs to discuss the activity. Prompt a discussion of
population dynamics with questions like:
• What relationships between populations can you see illustrate on the graphs?
• Are there upper limits to the sizes of these populations?
• Is one population of organisms always directly affected by decreases in another population? Why not? What
is the lapse time? Why?
• Was our activity an accurate representation of nature? How does nature differ? (Talk about food chains
versus food webs. In nature, hawks eat more than just squirrels (songbirds, mice, snakes, lizards) and
squirrels are more than just acorns (nuts, berries, fruits, vegetables, fungi). Most animals eat more than one
type of food so if something happens to one food source, they still have other options.)
• How would you describe the relationship between the hawk population and the acorn population?
• What are some adaptations of the hawks? Of squirrels?
Assessment
• The completed Predator and Prey Populations Graphs can be used as an assessment.

1. Divide the class into small groups of 3 or 4 students. Assign each group a “controversial” predator such as
mountain lion, black bear, red wolf, coyote, snake, and fox. Have the group research the animal and design
an ad campaign promoting the importance of their animal. They will then present the ad campaign to the
class. Give options such as a poster/billboard, tv ad, radio ad, or flyer.

♦ Discuss with students the importance of respecting nature both biotic and abiotic things. Examples include
things such as:
♦ Ask for parent volunteers to assist with outdoor activities. An extra set of hands and eyes can make an
outdoor learning experience much more manageable, especially when students are still learning the
outdoor classroom rules or when doing lessons around water
Predator Prey Interaction Activity Rules
1. Each squirrel gets a tail. The squirrel’s tail must be visible

(tucked in a pocket or waistband) and cannot be tied on.
2. If a hawk grabs a squirrel’s tail, the squirrel has been eaten by
the hawk and dies on the spot. The squirrel returns to the
hawk’s roost with the hawk.
3. If a squirrel is caught, any acorn they have with them must go
back to the oak tree, because they have not been “eaten” yet
by the squirrel.
4. The squirrels are safe only in their tree and the oak tree with
the acorns.
5. Any squirrel not in its tree with an acorn when the “day” ends
becomes an acorn the next day.
6. Any squirrel who does not get an acorn or any hawk who
does not get a squirrel, dies, decomposes, and becomes a
acorn on the next day.
7. Acorns who are safely taken back to the squirrels’ tree turn
into squirrels on the next day.
8. Squirrels who are caught change into hawks on the next day.
9. Each day a squirrel can only “eat” one acorn and a hawk can
only “eat” one squirrel.
10. When I say “freeze”, the “day” ends, and everyone stands
still.
Population Changes Data
# of Acorns # of Squirrels # of Hawks

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Use this data for your Predator and Prey Population Graphs.
Name: ________________________ Date: ________________
Predator and Prey Population Graphs

Using the data from our activity, make a line graph of each population. Then make a line graph with all
three populations on one graph for number 4 to help us analyze our data. Use the key to draw thee lines
on one graph for number 4.
5. What can you infer from graph number 4? ______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Web of Life
Lesson Prep
 Make copies of the Characteristics of Ecosystems A and D Statements.
 Make copies of the signs you will use for the plants and animals. Students will understand that
 Note: this activity can be done either in the classroom or in a large ecosystems are made up of
outdoor area. interdependent biotic and abiotic
factors.
Nutshell/Skills:
Vocabulary Students can describe how changes
to one population in an ecosystem
Food web, food chain, abiotic, biotic, producer, consumer, decomposer can impact many species.

Procedure 5.L.2.1, 5.L.2.2, 5.L.2.3
Guided Practice Time:

• Students will physically create a food web using yarn while holding 45 minutes
pictures of plants and animals. Teacher Materials:
o Use the food chains students researched in Learning Activity 1: o Skein of yarn
Who Lives Here? and the pictures of organisms that can be found o Pictures of plants and animals
in a schoolyard.
Student Materials
• Have students stand in a circle. Give each student a sign to wear. o Characteristics of Ecosystems A
o To start, use the sun and a variety of plants and animals. and D Statements
(The other abiotic factors are for later in the activity.)
• Explain to students that the class is going to make a food web to
learn more about how an ecosystem is interconnected and
interdependent.
o Ask “What does interconnected mean?” Interconnected is how
all aspects of an ecosystem are connected to each other.
o “What about interdependence?” Interdependence refers to the
fact that every form of life is dependent on other living things and
natural resources in its environment, such as air, soil, and water.
• Give the yarn to the student wearing the sun, because all life on
earth starts with the sun. Have that student hold one end of the yarn
and then pass the rest to a producer.
• The producer holding the yarn then should pass the yarn to a
consumer connected to it. That consumer can pass the yarn to a
producer or consumer connected to it.
• If a student is struggling to find a food web connection for their
organism, you can add the option of using a different connection,
such as “I am a barred owl. I find shelter in the oak tree.”
• Continue having students pass the yarn until everyone is holding a
piece of it. Some students may end up holding more than one piece
of yarn.
• Have students move backwards until the yarn is taut.
• Explain that they will be using the yarn to see connections within the food web and ecosystem using the
web of life they have created. If they feel a tug on the yarn, then they should gently tug in response. When
they hear “pause”, they should stop tugging but still hold onto the yarn. Model this for students. Reinforce
that everyone is gentle and still holding onto the yarn. Start by having the sun tug on the yarn and keep
gently tugging until the whole web is moving. Point out that the whole web is connected. Once the whole
web has been moving for a few seconds, ask the students to “pause.”
• Ask “How does this illustrate the interconnectedness of an ecosystem?” (When one piece of the web pulls on
the yarn, the rest of the web feels the effect.)
• Go through several scenarios (see below) in which one or more organisms is initially affected, pulling on the
yarn. Have students again tug on the yarn if they feel a tug. The whole web should be vibrating at the end of
each scenario. You can ask students for scenarios suggestions, come up with your own, or use some of the
suggestions below.
• After a few rounds swap out some organisms for some of the abiotic factors. Ask what is missing from our
ecosystem? (abiotic factors)
• Scenario ideas:
o The winds from a hurricane (or tornado) knock down all the trees.
o A bird drops a kudzu (or wisteria or other invasive species) seed. The kudzu quickly blocks the sunlight
and crowds out the milkweed and zinnias.
o People harvest the pine trees for wood.
o Lightning strikes the maple tree, knocking it down.
o A rainstorm causes flooding. The earthworm drowns.
o Drought causes all the plants, except the trees, to die.
o A road is built through the area. The squirrel, deer, and fox are hit and killed by cars.
o The raccoon eats a granola bar wrapper and chip bag dropped by humans. The raccoon gets sick and
dies.
o Part of the land is cleared to build a house. The milkweed only grew where the land was cleared.
o To reduce mosquitoes, pesticides are sprayed in the area killing all the insects (honeybees, butterfly,
grasshopper).
o A nearby restaurant starts using the land as a place to dump their used cooking oil. This kills the clover
and snake that were living where the oil is dumped.
• With at least one scenario, talk through what would happen in more detail. What organism would be
affected next? Would it be a negative effect on all the organisms? Which organisms might benefit? How? For
example, if the raccoon dies from eating trash the animals it eats like the frog and grasshopper would
increase in numbers which in turn causes what they eat to decrease, like the dandelions and clover.
• Ask the students which piece of the ecosystem is the least important. Once they decide on one organism or
abiotic factor, explain that this time instead of tugging on the yarn to see the connections that student will
drop their piece of the yarn and step back from the circle. How does this affect our web of life?
• You may want to briefly talk about positive impacts that people could have on this ecosystem. Ask the
students for ideas. Ideas might include planting more native plants such as more milkweed to help the
monarch butterfly and honeybees, picking up litter, and planting new trees.
• Clean up: To undo the web, you can see if the students can remember the connections they made and pass
the yarn in the opposite direction with each student winding back up the yarn into a ball. Another option is
to have everyone drop their piece of yarn and have two students carefully wind up and untangle the yarn.
To help keep the signs from getting tangled, you can store them on a coat hanger.
Independent Work
• Have students complete the Characteristics of Ecosystems A and D Statements.
Assessment
• Use the Characteristics of Ecosystems A and D Statements as an assessment to check for student
understanding of food webs and the role organisms play in the food web.
1. Activity: Have students stay in a circle with their signs but put away the yarn. If any students have abiotic
factors currently, trade for a biotic factor. Have students think about yes or no questions about their food
web. Give some examples such as “Do you eat plants? Are you a carnivore? Are you a decomposer? Do you
eat small mammals?” If the answer to the question is yes for the picture you have, move to a new spot in the
circle. Remind students about how to move safely. To determine the leader for each round, you can mark a
spot in the circle as the leader’s spot, so that whoever is standing there asks the next question.
2. Activity: Take the Web of Life one step further to help students understand the connections between
ecosystems, ecosystem services they provide to humans (air quality, water quality, etc.), and human health
by conducting the Connecting Ecosystems and Human Health activity from the US EPA.
3. Videos:
o Crash Course Kids video “Home Sweet Habitat” (introduction to food webs including decomposers) (4:41)
o Crash Course Kids video “Food Webs” (how a change to one species affects whole web) (3:51)

♦ You can do the activity sitting or standing. You may choose to start standing up and once the web is
complete challenge students to sit in unison so that the web is not changed or vice versa.
♦ Make sure to model behavior for passing, holding, and tugging on the yarn. Be sure to remind them of this
throughout the activity.
Name____________________________________ Date__________________________
Characteristics of Ecosystems A and D Statements
Directions: Read the following statements and place a checkmark next to the agree, disagree, or it depends. In the “My Thoughts” column, you must state why
you place the checkmark next to the agree, disagree, it depends.
Statement My Thoughts Statement My Thoughts

1. If the number of kinkajoos increases, the 2. If the trees were cut down in this food chain, the
number of Jaguars will increase, too. caterpillar population will increase.
_____ agree _____ agree

_____ disagree _____ disagree
_____ it depends _____ it depends
3. When an earthworm feeds upon the remains 4. Plants make food through the process of
of a dead raccoon, it is acting as a decomposer. photosynthesis.
_____ agree _____ agree
_____ disagree _____ disagree
_____ it depends _____ it depends
5. If the water plant population decreases, the 6. After an organism in an ecosystem dies, the
tadpole population will increase. body of the organism decays and is recycled back
into the ecosystem.
_____ agree
_____ agree _____ disagree
_____ disagree _____ it depends
_____ it depends
7. Tadpoles are a producer in the following 8. In the following food chain, frogs eat snakes.
food chain:
_____ agree
_____ agree _____ disagree
_____ disagree _____ it depends
_____ it depends
9. Plants depend on decomposers to release the 10. If worms were removed from the food web
nutrients they needs into the soil. below, there would be more energy for
_____ agree grasshoppers.
_____ disagree
_____ it depends
_____ agree
_____ disagree
_____ it depends
11. Consumers feed upon other organisms. 12. In the following food web, some animals eat
_____ agree plants and some eat animals.
_____ disagree
_____ it depends
_____ agree
_____ disagree
_____ it depends
5th Grade Ecosystems
Unit References
Unless otherwise noted, activities written by Lauren Green, Dana Haine, Toni Stadelman, and Sarah Yelton
Center for Public Engagement with Science, Institute for the Environment, UNC-Chapel Hill
For more information, contact:

Sarah Yelton, Environmental Education & Citizen Science Program Manager
UNC Institute for the Environment Center for Public Engagement with Science
[email protected]
Learning Activity 1: Reading About Ecosystems

Ecosystems Inside Out Series. (2015). New York: Crabtree Publishing.
Explore the Biome Series. (2007). Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.
Habitat Survival Series. (2012). Chicago, IL: Heinemann-Raintree.
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Deserts. Retrieved from https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/deserts/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Ecosystems. Retrieved from
https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/ecosystems/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Everglades. Retrieved from https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/everglades/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Land Biomes. Retrieved from
https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/landbiomes/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Savanna. Retrieved from https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/savanna/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Taiga. Retrieved from https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/taiga/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Tropical Rainforests. Retrieved from
https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/tropicalrainforests/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Tundra. Retrieved from https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/tundra/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Underwater World. Retrieved from
https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/underwaterworld/
Learning Activity 2: Ecosystems Around the School

M. Drostin & S. Yelton. (2015). Exploring the Ecosystems of Eastern North Carolina. Retrieved from
https://ie.unc.edu/files/2014/12/FINAL-EGRET-Exploring-the-Ecosystems-in-Eastern-North-Carolina_7-17.pdf
North Carolina Botanical Garden. (2017, February 10). School Programs. Retrieved from
http://ncbg.unc.edu/school-programs/
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. (n.d.). Prairie Ridge Ecosystems. Retrieved from
https://naturalsciences.org/prairie-ridge
Sarah P. Duke Gardens. (n.d.). School & Group Programs. Retrieved from http://gardens.duke.edu/learn/school-
group-programs
Sustainable Human. (2014, February 11). How Wolves Change Rivers. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/86466357
University of Wisconsin-Extension. (n.d.). Key to Macroinvertebrate Life in the River. Retrieved from http://clean-
water.uwex.edu/pubs/pdf/riverkey.pdf.
Learning Activity 3: Ecosystems of the Cape Fear River Basin

Hoffman Nursery Inc. (2015, July 31). Growing a Piedmont Prairie. Retrieved from
http://hoffmannursery.com/blog/article/growing-a-piedmont-prairie
NC Division of Water Resources. (2018). Downloadable Materials. Retrieved from
http://www.ncwetlands.org/learn/downloadable-materials/
NC Division of Water Resources. (2018, September 18). Interactive Map. Retrieved from
http://www.ncwetlands.org/findpublicwetland/interactive-map/
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, & Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs.
(n.d.). Discover North Carolina's River Basins. Retrieved from
https://ncdenr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=fa21039c496a4f598833e6251eddd0db
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. (n.d.). Prairie Ridge Ecosystem. Retrieved from
https://naturalsciences.org/prairie-ridge/ecosystem
Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. (n.d.). North Carolina River Basins. Retrieved from
https://ncdenr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/PublicInformation/index.html?appid=f82f583438e74bf29adcc76247381
eee
Sarah P. Duke Gardens. (2018, June 20). Controlled Burn. Retrieved from https://gardens.duke.edu/controlled-burn
University of Minnesota. (2018, July 20). On the Prairie. Retrieved from
http://games.bellmuseum.umn.edu/prairie/index.html
Welch, M. (2014, January 15). Cape Fear River Basin Project. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKyjAvBDWZU
Learning Activity 4: Ocean Habitats

Project WET Foundation, & Council for Environmental Education. (2011). Ocean Habitats. In Project WET(pp. 73-94).
Bozeman, MT: Project WET Foundation.
200 Meters Down. (n.d.). Lodge McCammon. Retrieved from
http://www.lodgemccammon.com/music/education/5.3 5.4 200 meters down.mp3
NOAA. (n.d.). Home: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Retrieved from
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/
North Carolina Environmental Quality. (n.d.). Water Resources. Retrieved from
https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/
Learning Activity 5: Move Over Rover

Project WILD, & Council for Environmental Education. (2005). Move Over Rover. In Project WILD K-12 Curriculum &
Activity Guide (pp. 144-151). Houston, TX: Council for Environmental Education.
Ecosystems Inside Out Series. (2015). New York: Crabtree Publishing.
NCEAS. (2004). World Biomes. Retrieved from http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/index.html
Learning Activity 8: Who Lives Here? Exploring Local Food Chains

Alarms.org. (2019). KidRex-Kid Safe Search Engine. Retrieved from https://www.alarms.org/kidrex/
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Food Chains. Retrieved from
https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/foodchains/
Crash Course Kids. (2015, April 21). Fabulous Food Chains: Crash Course Kids #7.1. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuKs9o1s8h8&index=3&list=PLhz12vamHOnZv8kM6Xo6AbluwIIVpulio
Crash Course Kids. (2015, March 05). Feed Me: Classifying Organisms - Crash Course Kids #1.2. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHCOzc143Ec&index=2&list=PLhz12vamHOnZv8kM6Xo6AbluwIIVpulio
Guernsey, P. (2016, January 11). What Eats? Retrieved from http://www.whateats.com/
Learning Activity 9: Rainforest Food Webs

National Geographic. (2019, March 29). Rainforests 101 | National Geographic. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vijLre760w
Tropical in the First. (n.d.). Lodge McCammon. Retrieved from
http://www.lodgemccammon.com/music/education/tropical.mp3
Learning Activity 10: The Forest of S.T. Shrew

The Forest of S.T. Shrew. (2015). In Project Learning Tree Pre K-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide (Vol. 9, pp.
40-44). Washington, D.C: American Forest Foundation
Sustainable Forestry Initiative. (n.d.). Project Learning Tree. Retrieved from https://www.plt.org/
Learning Activity 11: Decomposition & the FBI
Crash Course Kids. (2015, April 23). The Dirt on Decomposers: Crash Course Kids #7.2. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB61rfeeAsM&index=4&list=PLhz12vamHOnZv8kM6Xo6AbluwIIVpulio
Lin, K. (2012, October 18). Seasonal Science: What Lurks in the Leaf Litter? Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-leaf-litter-biodiversity/
Time lapse of decay. (2016, October 30). Time lapse of a pear decaying. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZBVN3Aqono
Trees woods & forest gardens - agroforestry arboriculture. (2017, March 23). Composting time lapse from inside a
compost bin. Soil Cam - worms woodlice & roots growing. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4wS1qW3q9s
Learning Activity 12: Food Web Connections

Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2002). Understanding of Consequences Project. Retrieved from
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smg/Website/UCP/pdfs/CausalPatternsInEcosystems.pdf
Learning Activity 13: Predator/Prey

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. (n.d.). Central Wisconsin Environmental Station. Retrieved from
https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/cwes/Pages/default.aspx
Learning Activity 14: Turtle Hurdles

Project WILD. (2005). Turtle Hurdles. In Project WILD Aquatic K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide(pp. 158-162). Houston,
TX: Council for Environmental Education.
NOAA. (2016, June 27). Plastics in the Ocean Infographic: OR&R's Marine Debris Program. Retrieved from
https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/images/plastics-ocean-infographic
Sea Turtle Conservancy. (n.d.). Information About Sea Turtles: An Introduction. Retrieved from
https://conserveturtles.org/information-about-sea-turtles-an-introduction/
Learning Activity 15: Web of Life

Crash Course Kids. (2015, August 06). Food Webs: Crash Course Kids #21.2. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtb3I8Vzlfg&list=PLhz12vamHOnZv8kM6Xo6AbluwIIVpulio&index=9
Crash Course Kids. (2015, August 04). Home Sweet Habitat: Crash Course Kids #21.1. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15IrEuhYmo&index=8&list=PLhz12vamHOnZv8kM6Xo6AbluwIIVpulio
EPA. (2018, December 18). Connecting Ecosystems and Human Health. Retrieved from
https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/connecting-ecosystems-and-human-health

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What are the overarching and essential questions of the unit?

What are the overarching and essential questions of the unit?

What are some of the enduring understandings of ecosystems according to the text?

What are some of the enduring understandings of ecosystems according to the text?

5th Grade Life Science:

Developed for Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools

Unless otherwise noted, activities written by:

In collaboration with 5th grade teachers at Northside Elementary School:

Curriculum developed June 2018 – July 2019

For more information, contact:

Enduring Understandings (Science)

Target Science Essential Standards

Secondary Target Standards (ELA, Math, Social Studies)

Before You Go Outside

While You Are Outside

A Note on Nature Journaling

NC Science Essential Standards – Unpacked Content

Go Outdoors! Nature Journal Connection

Procedure Science Essential Standards:

Opportunities for Extended Learning

Behavior Management Tips

Social Studies Essential Standards:

Opportunities for Extended Learning

Reading About Ecosystems

1. Identify your ecosystem. ______________________________________________________________________

5. What is one threat to your ecosystem?

6. What is one way you can protect your ecosystem? _______________________________________________

5th Grade Ecosystems Unit

Northside Outdoor Wonder & Learning Initiative

Reading About Ecosystems - Jigsaw

Record information about each ecosystem shared with you.

Ecosystem: ____________________________________ Ecosystem: ____________________________________

Describe: _____________________________________ Describe: _____________________________________

Examples: ____________________________________ Examples: ____________________________________

Human impact: ________________________________ Human impact: ________________________________

Ecosystem: ____________________________________ Ecosystem: ___________________________________

Rubric for Reading About Ecosystems

4—Excellent 3—Good 2—Fair 1—Needs

Identify Ecosystem is correctly Ecosystem is Ecosystem is Ecosystem is not

Describe 3 3 aspects of the 2 aspects of the 1 aspect of the 0 aspects of the

Name 2 At least 2 specific 2 specific examples of 2 specific examples of 1 specific example

Threat to Identifies a threat Identifies a threat to Identifies a generic Answer is not

Ways to Identifies a way to Identifies a way to Identifies a generic Answer is not

Rubric for Reading About Ecosystems - Jigsaw

4—Excellent 3—Good 2—Fair 1—Needs

Ecosystem 4 different 3 different 2 different 1 ecosystem named

Describe 4 detailed 3 detailed 2 detailed 1 detailed

Examples 4 examples of types 3 examples of types 2 examples of types 1 example of an

Human 4 examples of human 3 examples of 2 examples of human 1 example of human

Vocabulary Social Studies Essential Standards:

Opportunities for Extended Learning

Behavior & Materials Management Tips

Ecosystems Around the School Datasheet

Positive Impacts on Ecosystem

Negative Impacts on Ecosystem

Ecosystems Around the School Questions

1. What data was easiest to collect? ___________________________________________________

2. What data was hardest to collect? ___________________________________________________

4. What data results did you find interesting? _________________________________________________

Ecosystem: Ecosystem:

Describe: _ Describe: _

Examples: Examples:

Human impact: Human impact:

Ecosystem: __ Ecosystem: _

Date: ___ Time: _ Place: ______________

Temperature: Weather Conditions: ________________________________