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3.1.4.A.1: Describe the basic needs of plants and animals and explain how organisms meet their needs within an ecosystem

3.1.4.A.3: Explain how changes to an ecosystem can impact the balance of living and nonliving components.

3.5.4.A.1: Identify the characteristics of different ecosystems (e.g., forest, grassland, ocean) and their associated habitats.

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Ecosystem books build on students' prior knowledge about the environment, animals, plants, and natural processes. For example, The Great Kapok Tree enhances background knowledge about the Amazon rainforest and how different animals depend on one another. This fits into Scarborough’s Rope, as it requires students to use what they know about the world (e.g., animals, weather, plants) to understand new information.

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Lesson Plan: Introduction to Ecosystems

Grade Level: 4th Grade
Duration: 60 minutes
Materials Needed:

Whiteboard and markers

Projector and computer for visuals and videos

Chart paper and markers

Printed worksheets with food chain diagrams

Small plastic animals or cutouts for food chain activity

Small containers or jars for the ecosystem in a bottle (optional)

Videos (optional)

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Lesson Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define what an ecosystem is.

2. Identify the key components of an ecosystem (biotic and abiotic).

3. Understand the difference between different types of ecosystems.

4. Describe the basic structure of food chains and food webs.

5. Discuss the importance of biodiversity and human impact on ecosystems.

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Activity:

For the food chain activity, students will choose from a set of worksheets lined up on the teacher's desk. They would cut out each animal and place it in the empty space where they believe it should go. This activity will be done twice, once in the beginning and once at the end. This would double as an assessment to see what children have gained from the lesson.

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Students will be given glass mason jars they can seal at the end of the lesson. Since this lesson will be taking place in Pennsylvania, children will create an ecosystem with rocks, dirt, and plants. Students would likely not be able to do a desert or tundra ecosystem in the jar.

From the resources, children will obtain the information needed to make the jar and write a short, single-page paper on what they have learned about each ecosystem. Students will describe what an ecosystem is, and use the body of their essay to explain what they chose to put in their jar and how it benefits their little ecosystem. If they are comfortable, students are welcome to put small insects in their jar to further develop their ecosystem.

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"What If There Were No Bees?" by Suzanne Slade

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"What If There Were No Bees?" by Suzanne Slade

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"What If There Were No Bees?" by Suzanne Slade

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"A Walk in the Rainforest" by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini

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"A Walk in the Rainforest" by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini

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"A Walk in the Rainforest" by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini

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"National Geographic Kids" by Elizabeth Carney

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"National Geographic Kids" by Elizabeth Carney

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"National Geographic Kids: Biomes" by Elizabeth Carney

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"Our Big Home: An Earth Poem" by Linda Glaser

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"Our Big Home: An Earth Poem" by Linda Glaser

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"Our Big Home: An Earth Poem" by Linda Glaser

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Kate Messner

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Emergent Science Readers: Who Lives in the Artic?

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Emergent Science Readers: Who Lives in the Artic?

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Our Underwater World:A First Dive into Oceans, Lakes and Rivers

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Our Underwater World:A First Dive into Oceans, Lakes and Rivers

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Susan Lowel Gallion

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Our Underwater World:A First Dive into Oceans, Lakes and Rivers

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This video teaches children about each ecosystem. It highlights the important aspects of how each biome impacts the environment.

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Ecosystems for Kids | Plants, Animals, & Their Environment

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This short documentary describes the importance of animals in their natural habitat, and how they help the environment thrive. Students will be able to take notes on what they have learned, and relay the information obtained into their projects.

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Come with us to the world’s most important ecosystems — the rainforest! | Nightly News: Kids Edition