Using Venn diagrams to compare two ecosystems
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g68/venn.html
A lesson plan for Grades 6 and 9–12 Biology
About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 6 and 9–12
- Subjects
- science (biology and life science)
- Provider
- National Geographic
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The following activity helps students identify and describe differences between two related ecosystems. Many students believe that the Earth's only rain forests are found in the tropics. On the contrary, temperate rain forests can be found along the coast of North America's Pacific Northwest. These stands are as endangered as and much smaller than their tropical cousins. By acquiring geographic information from a number of sources, and by using that information to complete a Venn diagram, students will understand the distribution of temperate and tropical rain forests and the unique characteristics of both.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 6
- Goal 7: The learner will conduct investigations and use technologies and information systems to build an understanding of population dynamics.
- Objective 7.01: Describe ways in which organisms interact with each other and with non-living parts of the environment:
- Coexistence/Cooperation/Competition.
- Symbiosis.
- Mutual dependence.
- Objective 7.02: Investigate factors that determine the growth and survival of organisms including:
- Light.
- Temperature range.
- Mineral availability.
- Soil/rock type.
- Water.
- Energy.
- Objective 7.01: Describe ways in which organisms interact with each other and with non-living parts of the environment:
Grades 9–12 — Biology
- Goal 5: The learner will develop an understanding of the ecological relationships among organisms.
- Objective 5.01: Investigate and analyze the interrelationships among organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems.
- Techniques of field ecology.
- Abiotic and biotic factors.
- Carrying capacity.
- Objective 5.02: Analyze the flow of energy and the cycling of matter in the ecosystem.
- Relationship of the carbon cycle to photosynthesis and respiration.
- Trophic levels - direction and efficiency of energy transfer.
- Objective 5.01: Investigate and analyze the interrelationships among organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems.
