This explore on your own student managed lesson explores ecosystems and how living things are interconnected.

This explore on your own student managed lesson explores ecosystems and how living things are interconnected and is presented in Spanish

This highly informative site explores five different ecosystems and the public health issues that have arisen in each. Students can explore the different ways that ecosystem services that address air quality, heat hazard mitigation, recreation and physical activity, water hazard mitigation, and water quality impact many health conditions.

This lesson is about the flow of energy in ecosystems. The setting is Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA, where students will learn about the first Thanksgiving meal in America, celebrated in 1621 by early American settlers and Wampanoag Indians. By examining this meal and comparing it to a modern day Thanksgiving celebration, students will be able to explore the way in which food energy moves and is transformed in an ecosystem. The learning goals focus on the movement of energy from one feeding level to the next within a food web, the way in which energy changes form, and the inefficiency of energy transfer, which in turn affects the availability of food energy for organisms at the highest feeding level. The lesson is directed at high school level biology students. Students should be familiar already with food webs, food chains, and trophic (feeding) levels. They should also be familiar with the general equations for photosynthesis (CO2 + H2O => C6H12O6) and cell respiration (C6H12O6 => CO2 + H2O), and understand the basic purpose of these processes in nature. This lesson can be completed during one long classroom period, or can be divided over two or more class meetings. The duration of the lesson will depend on prior knowledge of the students and on the amount of time allotted for student discussion. There are no supplies required for this lesson other than the downloadable worksheets (accessed on this BLOSSOMS site), paper and some glue or tape.

Communities are dynamic and change over time, and we can observe this process with particular clarity after a disturbance or on new land. Learn about primary and secondary succession, as well as pioneer species. Created by Sal Khan.

We will cover fundamentals of ecology, considering Earth as an integrated dynamic system. Topics include coevolution of the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and oceans; photosynthesis and respiration; the hydrologic, carbon and nitrogen cycles. We will examine the flow of energy and materials through ecosystems; regulation of the distribution and abundance of organisms; structure and function of ecosystems, including evolution and natural selection; metabolic diversity; productivity; trophic dynamics; models of population growth, competition, mutualism and predation. This course is designated as Communication-Intensive; instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Biology is a recommended prerequisite.

" We will cover fundamentals of ecology, considering Earth as an integrated dynamic system. Topics include coevolution of the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and oceans; photosynthesis and respiration; the hydrologic, carbon and nitrogen cycles. We will examine the flow of energy and materials through ecosystems; regulation of the distribution and abundance of organisms; structure and function of ecosystems, including evolution and natural selection; metabolic diversity; productivity; trophic dynamics; models of population growth, competition, mutualism and predation. This course is designated as Communication-Intensive; instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Biology is a recommended prerequisite."

This video focuses on the conifer forest in Alaska to explore the carbon cycle and how the forest responds to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Topics addressed in the video include wildfires, reflectivity, and the role of permafrost in the global carbon cycle.

This activity is an open-ended inquiry investigation in which students analyze and predict how an environmental change will affect the visitation rates of insects. Students will ask a question, develop multiple hypotheses, run a scientific investigation, and report their findings to their "colleagues".

Great way for students to explore biomes while using their creativity to show what they have learned, can be adapted for f2f, blended or online learning. Was created as part of the Bio 11 curriculum but could be adapted for lower grades.

Students will explore and create a healthy ecosystem, once established they will then introduce additional variables which may harm the ecosystem and determine which hazards should be avoided.

Are all coral reefs the same? Each regional ecosystem has its own assemblage of species and each contributes uniquely to global biodiversity. Explore why ecosystem diversity is important for conservation decisions. Video by California Academy of Sciences.

Students in this lesson will investigate the different components of an ecosystem and how food chains play a vital role in the survival of animals and plants in specific ecosystems. 

Flow of energy and matter through ecosystems. What happens if an ecosystem is disrupted. Video by California Academy of Sciences. Created by California Academy of Sciences.

Flow of energy and matter through ecosystems. What happens if an ecosystem is disrupted. Video by California Academy of Sciences. Created by California Academy of Sciences.

Students are charged with thinking about what it takes to 'do science'. They are introduced to the science of dendrochronology and learn how tree-ring science is executed.

Nitrate and phosphate are useful as fertilizers in agriculture and gardening. Nitrate and phosphate aid agricultural production by producing more abundant crops. However, since the mass production of ammonia during the 1940's by way of the Haber process, it has been noted that a phenomenon known as “nitrate pollution” may occur. This pollution can be demonstrated by conducting this simple experiment. This experiment demonstrates two main ideas. The first is a test of what levels of nitrate and phosphate allow for optimum algal growth. The second demonstrates at which levels of nitrate and phosphate algal blooms may occur, causing harm to an aquatic ecosystem (Freeman, 2002).

In this media-rich lesson, students learn how global warming is changing the Alaskan environment and examine the consequences of climate change on the region's human and wildlife inhabitants.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students play a game about fishing, write a story about what happened, and learn how climate change impacts fish populations.

SCIENTIST NOTES: In this lesson, students play the Fish Game to investigate sustainable fishing practices. This lesson passes our scientific review process.

En esta lección, los estudiantes juegan El Juego de Peces para investigar prácticas de pesca sostenible. Esta lección pasa nuestro proceso de revisión científica.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson includes hands-on, student-led communicative tasks and an authentic Spanish language listening activity.
-The fish game allows students to practice their extemporaneous speaking skills while learning about the impact of decision-making on communities.
-By playing the fish game, students encounter the economic, ecological, and social challenges of sustainable fishing.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is Lesson 1 of 3 in our Cambio Climático y la Pesca unit.
-This lesson is meant for students with an intermediate-low Spanish language proficiency level. However, novice-high level students can play the game by using the support materials in the Differentiation section below.
-Teachers can use paper clips or scraps of paper to represent the fish in the game to help students visualize their “catches” and the fish remaining in the lake.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students who need a review of basic grammatical concepts can complete the Grammar Review before playing the game.
-Students with novice-high proficiency levels can use the useful phrases included at the end of the El Juego de Peces Student Packet to help them interact in Spanish during the game.
-The tira cómica activity in the Inspire section can be modified to incorporate advanced grammar, such as the use of past tenses or the present tense subjunctive.