Ecosystem Action Project

Overview

Students will synthesize unit learning by collaboratively creating and presenting an ecosystem action project that answers: How can humans help protect and improve ecosystems? The lesson culminates with group presentations and an individual reflection.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to explain how organisms in an ecosystem depend on one another.
• Students will be able to describe how energy flows through an ecosystem using a food chain or food web.
• Students will be able to identify biotic and abiotic components and connect them to ecosystem relationships.
• Students will be able to use evidence to propose a realistic human impact and solution.
• Students will be able to participate effectively in collaborative discussions and present ideas clearly.

Success criteria

• I can clearly identify biotic and abiotic components of my chosen ecosystem.
• I can explain relationships among organisms and show a food chain or food web.
• I can describe a human impact on the ecosystem and propose a solution supported by evidence.
• I can contribute to my group, listen to others, and communicate my part during the presentation.

Curriculum links

• Speaking and Listening: Engage effectively in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing ideas clearly.
• Reading Informational Text: Read and comprehend informational texts independently and proficiently to gather evidence for impacts and solutions.
• Writing: Introduce a topic clearly and organize ideas to support purpose (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1a) for project presentation content.
• Writing: Produce writing over both short time frames (a day or two/single sitting) and extended time frames as needed for revision.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Opening: Essential question review. Teacher greets students and briefly revisits the essential question: How can humans help protect and improve ecosystems? Students do a quick turn-and-talk: “One way humans can help is…”

2. 5–10 min · Project requirements and rubric. Teacher reviews the project requirements and the rubric, and shares an example of a completed ecosystem action project (including a diagram/food web, human impact, and solution). Students listen, then identify one rubric category they will focus on for their group.

3. 10–15 min · Plan with roles (guided practice). Teacher models how to pick an ecosystem and map biotic/abiotic components and energy flow onto a simple planning sheet. Students form groups and assign roles (e.g., researcher, diagram artist, evidence checker, presenter).

4. 15–30 min · Group work: Build the project. Teacher circulates, prompts collaboration, and checks that students are using scientific evidence (from notes/articles the class previously collected). Students collaboratively complete:

• Choose an ecosystem.
• Identify biotic and abiotic components.
• Explain organism relationships.
• Create a food chain or food web.
• Identify human impact and propose a solution.

5. 30–40 min · Rehearse and prepare visuals. Teacher gives a brief “presentation checklist” reminder (clear explanation, evidence, diagrams labeled, everyone speaks or is accountable). Students rehearse their sections, ensuring each role contributes and the group can explain the food web and solution clearly.

6. 40–45 min · Present and reflect (quick cycle). Teacher conducts rapid “gallery-share” (each group presents for about 2 minutes) or quick oral check-ins if time is tight. Students complete a short individual reflection:

• What did you contribute to your group?
• What did you learn about ecosystems?
• How did working with others help you complete the project?

Resources

• Ecosystem Action Project rubric
• Project planning sheet
• Research organizer (evidence notes)
• Presentation checklist
• Ecosystem diagram/food web templates
• Labeled chart paper or digital slide template
• Markers, colored pencils, sticky notes
• Student science notebooks from the unit
• Optional: access to printed informational sources provided by the teacher

Assessment

• Rubric-based evaluation of the Ecosystem Action Project (content accuracy, evidence use, and connections: interconnected systems, energy flow, human impact, solution).
• Teacher observation checklist for participation, collaboration, communication, engagement, and group contribution during work time.
• Formative check during circulation: confirm food chain/food web links, labeled biotic/abiotic components, and at least one evidence-supported human solution.
• Individual reflection collected at the end to confirm learning and collaboration impact.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters for presentation and evidence (“An example from our research shows…,” “Because the predator needs the prey…,” “A way humans can help is…”).
• Support: Offer partially completed templates (food web with blank labels; biotic/abiotic columns; human impact/solution organizer).
• Choice of format: Groups may present orally with visuals, display a poster, or record a short video if appropriate.
• Extension: Challenge groups to include an additional system connection (e.g., how changes in abiotic factors like water/soil affect organisms) or propose two solutions with a trade-off discussion.
• EAL/SEN: Allow roles that match strengths (diagramming, reading evidence aloud, summarizing orally) and provide a word bank for ecosystem terms and relationship words (depends on, transfers energy, habitat, impact, conservation).