Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 154779
Exploring Relationships in an Ecosystem
This lesson plan will enable students to explore the types of relationships that are found in ecosystems. Students will independently sort cards with
no guidance from the teacher. As the lesson goes on, they will reassess their card groups in order to classify examples of symbiotic and other
relationships. The lesson ends with students explaining each type of relationship and how individuals are affected by these interactions.
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter,
Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s) 45 Minute(s)
Keywords: symbiosis, ecology, relationships, competition, predator prey, commensalism, mutualism, parasitism,
organisms, food web
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Diversity and Ecology 2016
ATTACHMENTS
Relationship_Cards_Answers.docx
Community_Relationships_Presentation.pptx
Symbiotic_Relationships_Chart.docx
Symbiotic_Relationships_Chart_Answers.docx
Relationship_Cards.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: Learning Cycle (5E Model)
Learning Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Define the five main types of relationships found in an ecosystem
Identify how each member of a relationship is affected by the other
Explain the relationships in a community using specific examples from real ecosystems
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of relationships
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should know that ecosystems are a combination of the living and nonliving things in an area.
Students should be familiar with the idea that organisms interact with one another when they live in the same or bordering habitats
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
1. How do species interact with one another?
Organisms interact directly and indirectly in ecosystems. When two organisms live very closely with one another these relationships are termed "symbiotic
relationships" and can harm, benefit or not affect individual organisms. Organisms can also be affected by relationships such as predator/prey and competition.
2. Can organisms benefit or be harmed by these interactions/relationships?
page 1 of 3 Many different types of relationships are present in an ecosystem. Some of these relationships are harmful to an organism, others can benefit the organism and
another type can have no effect on them.
Engage: What object, event, or questions will the teacher use to trigger the students' curiosity and engage them in the concepts?
1. As a warm up activity, students will watch a short video on ecosystems. While watching the video they will list all examples of relationships that they see in the
video. The following video shows examples of competition, mutualism and predation: "The Beauty of Pollination" (4:18, uploaded by YouTube user Louie
Schwartzberg).
2. This activity will allow students to think independently about what they know about ecosystems and organisms that are typically found in the same ecosystems. At
this point, it is fine that they do not know the terms for the interactions, it is just important that they see organisms interacting with one another.
3. A class discussion can also be initiated after the video where students can name other types of relationships that they have observed or are familiar with but the
teacher should not provide any guidance as to the terminology.
Explore: What will the students do to explore the concepts and skills being developed through the lesson?
1. Once the class discussion has ended, the teacher will initiate the explore activity. In the explore activity, students will be sorting the Relationship Cards into
groups. Give each pair/small group of students a copy of the cards after they have been cut out. Do not give the students any guidance except that they are to put
the cards into groups based on the description on the card.
2. After 5-10 minutes of working in small groups, the students will compare their categories with another group. They can use this time to talk about what groups
each card was in, how many groups they used and what criteria they used to separate the cards.
3. The teacher should be closely monitoring the entire class at this point but should not assist the students in their groupings.
Explain: What will the students and teacher do so students have opportunities to clarify their ideas, reach a conclusion or
generalization, and communicate what they know to others?
1. Once student groups have finished collaborating with others on their groups and card sorts, the teacher will call everyone to attention.
2. The teacher will be helping the class, as a whole, divide the cards into groups based upon the relationships in nature that they demonstrate (predation, parasitism,
mutualism, competition and commensalism). The attached PowerPoint Community Relationships Presentation can be used to show definitions and additional
examples of each type of group so that students can easily arrange their card groups as needed.
3. If PowerPoint or other compatible software is not available, the teacher can introduce each type of relationship, one by one, by giving students a definition and an
example and helping them to find each of the cards that would be included in that group. The attached Relationship Card Answers gives a list of the cards that
belong in each of the 5 relationship groups.
Students may have the following misconceptions:
Students may believe that symbiosis and mutualism are synonymous. Clarify that symbiosis is any long-term relationship between two or more species. Mutualism
is a type of symbiosis, as is commensalism and parasitism.
Predation is similar to parasitism in that one organism benefits and the other is harmed. Remind students that symbiosis is a long-term relationship between
organisms, thus excluding the short-term relationship in predation. Use of the terms parasite and host will help to differentiate between parasitism and predation,
as will thorough examples. Help students to further understand the distinction between these interactions by explaining that predation results in death for the prey,
but in parasitism the host remains alive.
Elaborate: What will the students do to apply their conceptual understanding and skills to solve a problem, make a decision,
perform a task, or make sense of new knowledge?
1. During this portion of the lesson, students will complete a graphic organizer about the types of relationships found in ecosystems. Each student will receive a copy of
the Symbiotic Relationships Chart. Students will use the class discussion, teacher examples and the examples from the card sort in order to complete the
graphic organizer.
2. Each student will include on the graphic organizer how each organism is affected in a relationship (positively, negatively or neutrally), provide a new example of
each type of relationship as well as draw a picture of each relationship.
3. An answer key for the Symbiotic Relationships Chart is also attached to provide guidance to the teacher on what should be included on the student sheets.
Summative Assessment
Students will evaluate their own learning while completing the graphic organizer and coming up with a new, not yet mentioned example of each type of relationship.
The teacher will use the completed graphic organizer from the "Elaborate" step in order to determine student learning outcomes.
Formative Assessment
There are multiple opportunities to assess student understanding throughout this lesson:
Class-generated examples of relationships
Small group placement of the cards
The conversations among student groups about placement of the cards
Individual checking of student work as the teacher circulates
Feedback to Students
Students receive feedback during group and class discussions and by the teacher as they circulate and check understanding during group and individual work.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
page 2 of 3 Accommodations:
Students with special needs can receive additional time or assisted pairing based on individual requirements.
Students may be provided a photograph in place of written cards where applicable.
Students with transference issues will benefit from printed slides in addition to the teacher presentation.
Extensions:
Teacher can assign different symbiotic relationships to students or groups and have them further research how they interact with each other (species, location,
climate, etc.)
Teachers could also play students the "Symbiosis Rap" (3:15, uploaded by YouTube user Mr. Lee Science Rap). Students can evaluate the song's accuracy or
develop their own symbiosis song to compare and contrast the types of relationships among organisms.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
1 copy of relationship cards for each pair/small group, pre-cut
1 copy Symbiotic Relationships Chart each student
Further Recommendations:
The teacher could instruct students to create a food web for a local ecosystem and include/label the relationships represented by the food web.
Students could write a story about an individual organism and the story teller could include descriptions of the different types of relationships they see in their
community.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Heather Alden Lassiter
Name of Author/Source: Heather Alden Lassiter
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
SC.912.L.17.6:
Description
Compare and contrast the relationships among organisms, including predation, parasitism, competition, commensalism,
and mutualism.
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