Ecology Teacher Resources

Find Ecology educational ideas and activities

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In this ecology instructional activity, students read information about ecology and the nine ecology subdivisions and answer comprehension questions. Students answer ten questions in this matching and fill in the blank instructional activity.
In this ecology worksheet, students learn about ecology and ecologists. They then use the information they learned to answer the 9 questions on the worksheet. The answers are on the last page.
Students personify ecology vocabulary and write a one-act play using their knowledge of ecology as the basis for characters, conflict, setting and plot.
Learners identify ecological elements and their factors on species, populations and food webs. They analyze ecosystems for these elements and research how these factors influence species survival rate. Predictions on conditions over time and change are documented.
Young scholars discuss and explore an ecological problem regarding rodent populations.  In this investigative lesson students work in teams, research a problem and present their findings to the class. 
Learners explore the basics of ecology through numerous hands-on and relevant activities. They participate in an online food chain demonstration, which explores food web dynamics. They dissect owl pellets, examine the prey's bones, and determine what the owl's food source was.
Knowing about the hydrologic cycle is the first step to understanding the carbon cycle. Upper graders discuss the earth's water content, polar ice caps, and the concept of the ecological cycle as it applies to carbon, nitrogen, and other ecological materials. They view a presentation, read and discuss the included handout, and then complete a diagram of the hydrologic cycle.
Introduce youngsters to the term ecological footprint. Learners identify ways in which humans affect the environment. They look at the problems associated with the use of natural resources, and focus on ways to preserve natural environments and non-renewable energy sources. Some excellent streamed video, websites, activities, and worksheets are embedded in this nicely thought-out plan.
Eighth graders discover their own ecological footprint and create a plan for reducing this figure. They extend this to the school and community to see how they are doing on this scale. They discuss the concept of the ecological footprint and why it is an important benchmark.
This lesson is designed after research done on the ecology of soil lichen in the Tucson Basin area during the summers of 1997 and 1998. Its purpose is to guide students into adopting the problem solving thinking of ecologists. The lesson encompasses all t
Students take a field trip to the neighborhood pond. In this pond ecology lesson, students participate in hands on activities and record data based on the environment around the pond.
Seventh graders review the steps of ecological succession in a hardwood forest, and they review the concept of climax community. There job is to discover how succession works in other communities of living things. Students are reminded about biotic and abiotic factors and interdependence of species. They work in groups of four to create a mini-history lesson about the life in a community of living things spanning 100 years.
Sixth graders investigate the ways in which human beings impact the environment and ecology through the calculation of their own ecological footprint, discussion questions pertaining to biodiversity and potential imbalance hazards, and group discussions. four worksheets, an assessment, and internet research is utilized so that students will come away with solid awareness of how human communities affect biodiversity and the planet at large.
Students examine the relationship between animal adaptations, habitats and community interactions.  In this ecology lesson students complete a skull detective worksheet then use their knowledge to analyze a skull. 
Keystone species of organisms define biological communities. Meet the American alligator as an example. Emerging ecologists also learn what happens is a keystone species is removed from an ecosystem: ecological release. Examples of this process include the sea urchin explosion that occurred when sea otter populations declined and a jack rabbit bombardment when ranchers killed off too many coyotes. Conclude the presentation with a discussion: Are we, as humans, undergoing an ecological release?
Students investigate beaver adaptations, life cycle, and the effects of beaver behavior on ecosystems. They compare and contrast how beavers influence the ecology of both forest and aquatic ecosystems.
Students identify how do geography and ecology influence a region's folklife. Then they investigate this question and consider how an outsider might view their own region in this lesson. Students also identify how the natural world, even in urban settings, influences how we view life, what materials are available for crafts, what occupations we choose, how our homes look.
Students investigate the physical, chemical and biological parameters necessary to establish an ecological baseline. Establishing an ecological baseline not only shows the ecological characteristics of a creek but makes the possible future environmental monitoring of the creek as human activities increase the stress on the system.
Learners collect samples of pond water, dried grass, and soil in a jar. They predict the order of ecological succession in their pond water cultures. They compare their expected results with their observed results.
Learners make connections between their daily lives and the usage of natural resources as they relate to the importance of environmental quality.  In this ecology lesson, students listen to the story The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and then discuss the impact of human actions on natural environments. Learners explore how pollution affects wildlife and how water supply is connected to urban areas.