Predicting Changes in Ecosystems Activities for 5th Grade Science

This 5th grade ecosystem unit, aligned with TEKS 5.12B, helps students explore how changes in ecosystems affect matter cycling and energy flow in food webs. The unit includes editable presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments designed for student-led learning. Students engage with nine differentiated station labs on topics like biodiversity, predator-prey relationships, and invasive species, using hands-on experiments, reading passages, videos, and creative projects. The unit also includes STAAR-aligned assessments, review worksheets, and resources in both print and digital formats, making it adaptable for in-class or virtual learning. The resources below will give students a comprehensive understanding of the effects of changes in ecosystems. All of the following materials are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

This elementary ecosystems science unit helps 5th graders predict how changes in ecosystems affect matter cycling and energy flow in food webs. It includes editable presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments, all designed for low prep and student-led learning. The unit follows the 5E Model and is fully aligned with the 2021 TEKS standard 5.12B. Materials are differentiated to support all students and available in both English and Spanish.

Students explore the ecosystem through nine differentiated station labs covering topics like biodiversity, predator-prey relationships, and invasive species. Activities include reading passages, hands-on experiments, videos, research tasks, and creative projects like card sorts, writing, and illustration. There’s also a bonus station for early finishers.

Explanation and elaboration come through editable PowerPoints, interactive notebooks, and choice projects. Evaluation includes STAAR-aligned assessment questions and review worksheets. The unit is flexible for both in-class and virtual learning, with resources available in print and digital formats to accommodate various learning needs.

This modular, student-led station lab aligns with the 2021 TEKS 5.12B standard on the impacts of changes in ecosystems. Designed for 5th grade life science, it engages students in predicting how ecosystem changes affect the cycling of matter and energy flow in food webs. The lab includes nine differentiated stations, each offering activities that allow students to direct their own learning with minimal teacher facilitation. The stations feature a variety of materials like task cards, signage, and literature, plus a few basic supplies for the "Explore It!" station.

Stations are divided into two types: Input and Output. Input stations include activities like “Explore It!” (an interactive application task), “Watch It!” (a video with questions about energy and matter flow), “Read It!” (reading passages on biodiversity and ecosystem balance with differentiated texts), and “Research It!” (tasks based on global ecosystem changes caused by overgrazing and invasive species). Output stations allow students to demonstrate their understanding by organizing and illustrating concepts, writing responses, and taking an assessment. The "Challenge It!" bonus station offers additional activities for advanced learners.

This resource can be used both in-class and virtually, with digital tools like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

The Predicting Changes in Ecosystems Student Choice Projects align with the 2021 TEKS life science standard 5.12B, offering fifth-grade students a range of project options to showcase their understanding of ecosystem changes. The project page presents six student-led project choices and an option to “design your own.” Teachers, peers, or students themselves can use an editable rubric for assessments.

These flexible, multimodal projects allow for creativity and differentiation. Teachers can adjust the rubric to meet their grading needs, and there are modified project options for students requiring remediation, as well as challenge options for advanced learners. The projects use standard classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion.

Included are nine project choices, a “design your own” option, teacher directions, and an editable rubric that assesses vocabulary, concepts, presentation, clarity, and accuracy.

The Impacts on Ecosystems Science and ELA Integrated Writing Activity engages 5th grade students in exploring the effects of environmental changes through an interview-based writing prompt. This TEKS aligned activity focuses on predicting the impact of living organisms, including humans, on ecosystems. It promotes science reasoning and writing skills, making it suitable for both in-person and virtual learning environments.

The resource includes teacher directions with an answer guide and rubrics, a projection version for easy screen sharing, full-sized and half-sheet handouts for students, and a digital interactive version compatible with Google Slides. It can be used in various settings, including cross-curricular activities, pre-tests, student choice projects, and as a tool for differentiation and early finishers. The writing prompt is ideal for formative assessments, extra credit, make-up work, and TELPAS samples.

These writing prompts are perfect for bulletin board displays or student anthologies and assume students have prior knowledge of the topic or access to research materials.

The Life Science Set of WIKI Tickets© offers 28 formative assessments designed for 3rd-5th grade science students. Each assessment comes in five formats: a full-screen version for projection, three handout sizes (full, split, and quarter-page), and an interactive digital version compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides. Aligned with NGSS and TEKS standards, these assessments cover a wide range of topics, from animal groups and ecosystems to energy flow, plant growth, and inherited traits.

Each standard is addressed with at least one ticket, with some topics having multiple options. The set includes a bonus table of contents to help you navigate the alignment. The assessments are versatile for both in-person and virtual learning environments. They can be used as exit tickets, bellringers, or quick checks to gauge student understanding, offering a colorful and engaging way to track progress.

Year-Round Resources

These year-round activities will increase your students' understanding of many middle school science topics. All of these activities are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Visual Data & Graphing

You're not alone if your students struggle with understanding graphs, charts, and tables. It's a skill that takes an enormous amount of practice. This resource will help students build a strong foundation in analyzing data and creating their own data visualizations.

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Bell Ringers and Warm-Ups

These middle school science bell ringers are an excellent way to engage your students as soon as they walk into your classroom. This comprehensive FULL YEAR resource includes everything you need to start off each science class with an interesting warm-up activity.

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Review Board Games

Each game board has been carefully designed to keep students engaged. There are 10 different action spaces on each board and dozens of question cards. All of the actions are related to science concepts and keep the students motivated throughout the game.

Each game is ready to play. Simply print out the board and the cards and let the students enjoy reviewing nine different units.

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Essential Questions and Standards

Below are the essential questions and standards associated with the lessons and activities included in the atoms unit. This topic is only one of more than 100 middle school science topics included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Essential Questions

How does changing one part of an ecosystem affect the cycling of matter?
How do changes in the ecosystem affect the flow of energy in a food web?

Standards

TEKS Science - 5.12B Predicting Changes in Ecosystems