LS2 Ecosystems Lesson Plans

LS2 Ecosystems
Ecosystem lesson plans designed for high school, middle school, and elementary school science teachers are downloadable here. The driving questions for ecosystems are "How and why do organisms interact with their environment, and what are the effects of these interactions?" Click on the ngss units below to see a list of free lessons by standard.

  • High School LS2 Lesson Plans

    HS-LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

    • HS-LS2-1 Lesson Plans: Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.
    • HS-LS2-2 Lesson Plans: Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.

    HS-LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

    • HS-LS2-3 Lesson Plans: Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
    • HS-LS2-4 Lesson Plans: Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem.
    • HS-LS2-5 Lesson Plans: Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.

    HS-LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

    • HS-LS2-6 Lesson Plans: Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
    • HS-LS2-7 Lesson Plans: Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

    HS-LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior

    • HS-LS2-8 Lesson Plans: Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.

  • Middle School LS2 Lesson Plans

    MS-LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

    • MS-LS2-1 Lesson Plans: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
    • MS-LS2-2 Lesson Plans: Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

    MS-LS2.B: Cycle of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

    • MS-LS2-3 Lesson Plans: Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

    MS-LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

    • MS-LS2-4 Lesson Plans: Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
    • MS-LS2-5 Lesson Plans: Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

  • Elementary LS2 Lesson Plans

    • 2-LS2-2 Lesson Plans: Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
    • 5-LS2-1 Lesson Plans: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.