Activity adapted, with permission, from the “Biodiversity Performs” activity in Biodiversity Basics, ©1999, 2003, a resource of the World Wildlife Fund’s Windows on the Wild biodiversity education program. For more information on WOW, please visit www.biodiversity911.org

People everywhere often take for granted the countless ways that ecosystems help make human life possible and more livable. Much of the work done by ecosystems is difficult to watch or see, so people often take these “secret services” for granted. Just remember, while you are eating, sleeping, working, driving, or watching TV, forests are helping to clean the air, far-away oceans are regulating the climate, and wetlands are helping to purify water, minimize storm damage, and perform flood control. In this activity, students participate in a charades-like activity to learn about some of the secret services provided by ecosystems and the species within them. Later, students apply understanding of the terms ecological, economic, and social to categorize ecosystem benefits. Finally, students review the lesson concepts in a bingo game.

Students answer this essential question: How do people benefit from Michigan’s ecosystems?

Subject/Target Grade

Science and Social Studies/

Upper Elementary & Middle School (4-6)

Duration

60 minutes – Classroom setting

Materials

per class

• Michigan Ecosystems: What Have They Done for You Lately? poster

• One set of Ecosystem Services Charade Cards cut apart

• Michigan Ecosystem B-I-N-G-O Clue Sheet (teacher resource)

per student

• 16 tokens for bingo (i.e., beans or poker chips)

• Ecosystem Benefits (student activity)

• Ecosystem Benefits B-I-N-G-O (student activity)

Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations

Science:

• Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performance models, exhibits, and activities. S.RS.04.11

• List examples of populations, communities, and ecosystems including the Great Lakes region. L.EC.06.11

Social Studies:

• Identify ecosystems and explain why some are more attractive for humans to use than are others. 6 – G3.2.2