An active, high-energy game, where students role-play parts of the ecosystem as producers, herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers. This activity can also be used to simulate the bioaccumulation of toxins.
Students take a short field trip into the schoolyard for a scavenger hunt to reinforce understanding of terms and concepts (producer, consumer, decomposer, food chain, predator/prey, photosynthesis) used in Lesson 2.
Students become familiar with threatened and endangered plant and animal species of Michigan. Students learn what it means to be listed as threatened or endangered, common causes for being listed, and the role of government and individuals in protecting biodiversity.
Students first consider what supports all life on Earth
and are then introduced to the levels of environmental
organization (biosphere, biome, ecosystem, community,
population, and organism).
Students take a short field trip into the schoolyard for a scavenger hunt to find examples of nonliving (abiotic) and living (biotic) ecosystem components, including organisms, habitat, population, community, ecosystem, sunlight, water, temperature, nutrients, and wind. This activity can be used as an informal assessment for Lesson 1.
Students will observe and describe the communities of plants and animals they discover within mini-ecosystems found in their schoolyards. Students will use tools to survey abiotic components of the mini-ecosystems – temperature, soil, moisture, etc. In order to observe changes over time, students should repeat the same activity (in same location) several times over the course of the year.Students answer these essential questions: What type of ecosystem is our schoolyard a part of and what miniecosystems might be found within it? and How do ecosystems change over time?
Students read a series of riddles depicting the habitat requirements for specific Michigan wildlife species; they then identify the animal as well as which type of ecosystem (forest, wetland, coastal dune, or river) may offer appropriate habitat for that species.
In this activity students will identify where the ingredients in a tomato and cheese sandwich originated. They will trace a food item from its place as a sandwich ingredient to where it was originally grown. Students then suggest ways that people can minimize their impact on ecosystems and biodiversity by making informed decisions about food choices.
A read-aloud script introducing freshwater organisms and food webs
This two-part activity provides reinforcement in understanding the terms producer, consumer, decomposer, predator, prey, and food chain. In the first part, students become familiar with how these terms can be used to classify living things; they then formulate questions using the terms. In the second part, students utilize the related vocabulary to participate in a guessing game.
Students work in small groups to research, identify, and label food webs on the Michigan DNR Non-Game Wildlife posters. Students then predict the possible consequences of removing one component of the food web.
Students first consider that there is a finite amount of matter on Earth and that life here is dependent on the continuous recycling and reuse of nutrients found in the planet’s air, water, and soil. Students then focus on how water is cycled within the environment. Students are introduced to the hydrologic cycle and then participate in an investigation related to transpiration. While it is recommended that the investigation in step 3 be completed outdoors, it may alternatively be completed indoors.
An extension lesson, Water Wonders (found on the MEECS Ecosystems & Biodiversity CD) is provided as an additional resource for further exploring the water cycle.
Students look for (and document) evidence of the water cycle, photosynthesis, and decomposition in the schoolyard. Students should have prior experience with these processes before doing this activity. This activity can be used as a culminating activity for Lesson 3, Parts A-C.Students answer the essential question: What evidence of the water cycle, photosynthesis, and decomposition can we find in the schoolyard?
The water cycle is the system by which Earth's fixed amount of water is collected, purified, and distributed from the environment to living things and back to the environment. Plants pay a large part in the cycle by absorbing water with their roots and transpiring it as vapor through their leaves. This activity will introduce students to the various steps of the water cycle and to the various paths water can take. They will also make connections between the water cycle and all living things.
At a Glance : Perform simulations that demonstrate some of the important ecosystem services that biodiversity provides.Objectives : Perform a series of simulations that demonstrate ecosystem services. Identify and discuss the services illustrated in the simulations.
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 are introduced to a series of historical events that
contributed to the development of Michigan’s ecosystems of
today.
Students use a ball of twine to create a forest ecosystem “web of life,” illustrating interdependence within a natural community and the importance of diversity within it.
Students are then introduced to the concept of biodiversity and its importance.
Using events from a timeline of Michigan environmental history (also used in Lesson 5), students identify examples of five main threats to biodiversity, including habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, population growth, and overuse of resources.
Students experience first-hand the competition that a nonnative species may have on native bird species. In this simulation students role play the native birds with a narrow range of feeding capabilities, and then observe what happens when a more opportunistic non-native bird is introduced. Although the example focuses on birds, it can be easily adapted to illustrate the effects of other invasive animals. This lesson is recommended as an introduction to the topic of invasive species.