Terrestrial Ecosystem     Game

Introduction:

Locating different ecosystems and identifying their role is a key process in learning what composes different food webs and how a certain location maintains its energy flow to sustain life.  Having students place vocabulary terms in their designated area shows the variety of ecosystems on land while also showing rainfall and vegetation.  Posters for this activity can be easily made and relatively inexpensive.  Obtain one large piece of poster board from a local store such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart, or Target and craft paints in an assortment of colors needed for your ecosystems.  Paint nine different ecosystems, including tundra, taiga, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, grassland, savanna, chaparral, desert, and tropical rainforest. Definitions can be obtained on www.dictionary.com to piece together your own definition from the many that you are given on this website. Glue the definitions where the ecosystems are located on the map.  Laminate the large poster and the sheet of terminology.  Cut out the terms and apply adhesive Velcro to the back of the terms and the opposite side to the poster over the ecosystem.  Lamination allows the terms to be handled without a lot of damage. 

National Standard Addressed:

The standard Life Science under the category of Populations and Ecosystems and Diversity/Adaptations of Organisms are the standards that are addressed.  Students will understand the diversity needed to sustain life in a healthy ecosystem while also realizing the many different roles needed.  It also covers Science in Personal and Social Perspectives by touching upon Populations, Resources, and Environments.

Objectives and Benchmarks:

This activity will provide the students with the opportunity to place terminology by definitions and see how these ecosystems are different in terms of latitude, precipitation, and vegetation.  Students should be able to identify a given number determined number.

Materials:

Laminated Terrestrial Ecosystem poster

Cards of terms with Velcro backing 

Advanced Preparation:

Go over the list of terms to remember which ecosystems go where and the properties of each.  Make sure there are extra pieces for each poster. 

Procedure:

After laying down terrestrial ecosystem terms on the poster, students will be able to quiz each other to learn the definitions and characteristics of each.

Things to consider:

Some students may not know what each ecosystem is, so have their book or any other handy for quick reference.  Try to make them look it up rather than tell them.  Focus on one part at a time, starting with differences between the ecosystems and where they would be located.

Possible Integration:

This lesson would be useful in teaching climate differences and ecosystem affect on food webs.

Critical concepts:

Food Web            Rainfall