unit9 ecology

NEXT CHAPTER

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

TOP OF PAGE

  COLORING/GAMES/PUZZLES:

• Here is a great coloring worksheet to teach North American Biomes, Biome Map .  A color-coded biome map is found at Biomes of the World.  Use this Map of North America for help in locating countries.
• If you like crossword puzzles for improving vocabulary and introducing terminology, these three crosswords can help — What’s Ecology?, Ecosystems, and Human Impact on the Environment.
• Mind Puzzlers" for students are Biomes and Ecology. 
• "Food Web Kerplunk" is a neat online game students can play to learn about  species relationships. Playing as a town councilmember in suburban California, you try to preserve the wildlife in a patch of native chaparral, against the pressures of town growth.
• Another great game involves different food webs — Food Web Game

TOP OF PAGE

  WORKSHEETS/NOTES:

• Notes with diagrams on the Principles of Ecology are great for lecture or as a handout.
• A more complete set of ecology notes can be found at Ecology
• A GREAT worksheet on food chains, food webs, and energy transfer is Ecology Worksheet
• For an easier worksheet to understand how energy is transferred, use this worksheet Energy Transfer Among Organisms
• Ecological succession can be studied with this Succession Worksheet after viewing the PowerPoint on Primary & Secondary Succession.
• NOTES: Toxic Algal Blooms Website

TOP OF PAGE

  POWERPOINTS & INTERACTIVES:

• Really good PowerPoints to introduce ecological ideas, some with worksheet questions for students to answer as they view the presentation, are Ecology with Worksheet, Land Biomes with Worksheet, Water Biomes with Worksheet.
• Several other good PowerPoint presentations include What is Ecology?, Biomes, Ecosystem Energy Flow along with a Question Guide, and  Food Energy & Ecosystems
• If you have trouble finding the right PowerPoint and don’t always have time to make your own, this website will solve your Problem — VALDO.  Just change the drop-down menu to PowerPoints and then enter your topic.  You’ll have more than you can use!!! TELL YOU COLLEAGUES ABOUT THIS ONE!
• Build your own Forest Food Web
• Similar to build your own food web activity but with an Ocean Food Webs  Create An Ocean Food Web
• EXPLORE: Chemosynthesis in Hydrothermal Vents– Learn about hydrothermal vents and the ecosystems they support. 
• Watch a slide show about Coral Reef Ecosystem food webs. 
• View this video on the nitrogen cycle – How does Nitrogen move through an Ecosystem? 

TOP OF PAGE

  LABS/PROJECTS:

• A terrific way for students to actually understand food webs and energy transfer is to have them do an Owl Pellet Lab using this Bone Chart. Purchase individually, foil-wrapped owl pellets and keep them in a science-only refrigerator until use.
• If owl pellets are too expensive, use this online Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection.
• Biology Corner’s Predators and Prey is another fun lab that also includes graphing skills.
• Two good labs that simulate the work done by field biologists are Random Sampling Lab and Estimating Population Size that uses the Mark and Recapture method to determine population size.
• A neat activity that can be done indoors or outdoors is How Many Raccoons Can Live in This Woods?
• Students can work in groups constructing a food web with this activity, Food Web Lab 
• To further investigate biomes, have students do a Biome Brochure.
• An Aquatic Ecosystem I like is by NASA called "Chain or Web — Who Eats Whom?".
• Have students read and abstract one of Science Online’s Ecology News Articles provided by Prentice-Hall.  Guidelines for Abstracts can be found here along with a sample.
• To get students interested in recycling, try "Garbage — How Can My Community Reduce Waste?" interactive.

TOP OF PAGE

  TEST PREP:

• Ecology 1 , Bioman’s online Ecology Quizzes, and Ecology 2 are three online self-quizzes students can take to measure their progress.
• Ecology Fun Trivia and Quizzes allows students to choose different levels on which to test themselves.
• EXPLORE: Hydrothermal Vent Communities with a self quiz.

TOP OF PAGE

  GREAT LINKS:

• Web Quest, Living in an Alkaline Environment, is a great activity for advanced students or have them try this activity called Ecosystem Web Quest.
• The Tiger Mom and Piglets story will touch students, as well as, viewing the World Clock’s statistics.
• The best biome site, MGBnet, let’s students discover "What It is Like Where They Live"
• A list of Fact Sheets on Endangered Species
• Causes, Effects, and Solutions of Acid Rain
• Overview of the Greenhouse Gases
• EXPLORE: Use these hyperlinks to research the worlds biomes and ecosystems:
  • Biomes of the World – http://mbgnet.mobot.org/index.html
  • Habitats and Ecosystems http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/habitat.html
  • Ecosystems – http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/ecosystems.html&edu=high

  • Introduction to Biomes – http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/intro.html

  • Biomes – http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/index1.html

  • Earth Floor: Biomes – http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/biomes.html

  • Blue Planet Biomes – http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

  • The World’s Biomes – http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php

  • Earth Observatory – http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/

  • Learn About Biomes –http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/education/projects/webunits/biomes/index.html

  • Nature Works – Habitats http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep5.htm

  • Build-A-Prairie http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/prairie/

  • The Digital Desert – http://ddl.nmsu.edu/kids/

  • Biomes of the World – http://mbgnet.mobot.org/index.html

  • Habitats and Ecosystems http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/habitat.html

  • Ecosystems – http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/ecosystems.html&edu=high

  • Ocean Biome – http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/biomes/oceans.html

  • World Biomes – http://www.worldbiomes.com/default.htm

  • Kids Do Ecology – http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/nceas-web/kids/

  • Eduscapes – http://eduscapes.com/nature/index.htm

   

  Aquatic Ecosystems

  • What are the factors that govern aquatic ecosystems?

  • What are the two types of freshwater ecosystems?

  • What are the threats to Florida’s Everglade ecosystem?

• EXPLORE: Learn more about Florida’s Coral Reef Ecosystems

• EXPLORE: Mangroves-Roots of the Sea What makes mangroves so unique and so important?

TOP OF PAGE

If you find a broken hyperlink, please email me!
 

BACK