Designs for Biodiversity Inquiry Lab - NGSS MS LS2-5

In this lab, students will play a game to reinforce the concept that biodiversity creates a more robust ecosystem than monoculture. Then they will be given a fictional map of land donated to federal government and will evaluate possible designs for its use. You will need a designated Gallery Area for students to place and evaluate their designs.

This product contains three complete, NGSS-aligned labs that are differentiated for all of your students. All labs have comprehension questions, Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (C.E.R.) prompts, and a reflection section.

Key concepts include: food webs, population, ecosystems, biotic and abiotic factors.

What's Included?

• Teacher resource pages, including prep time, standards/objectives, teacher directions, materials, and additional resources
• Answer keys - suggested answer keys for the labs
• CER conclusion and reflection questions - Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning statements along with 3 reflection questions per lab
• Fully editable files
• Materials aligned with NGSS MS LS2-5

3 Differentiated Labs:

• Dependent Student Lab - A complete lab. This level is written with a combination of procedural instructions and inquiry questions. They are moderately student-centered with guided inquiry questions throughout the lab. Suggested for on-level learners.
• Modified Student Lab - A complete lab. This level provides the most structured lab experience. The lessons may eliminate parts of the lab and change the questioning to include sentence stems or multiple choice questions. Suggested for learners who may benefit from modifications.
• Independent Student Lab - A complete lab. This level is the most student-centered experience. Suggestions are made for the students to get started, but most of the decisions will be student-generated. The students will be responsible for most aspects of the lab and will have the least guidance. Suggested for advanced learners.

Materials Needed Per Group:

• Biodiversity Cards page (1 set per team) - included
• Diverse/Monoculture Pieces page (1 set per team member) - included
• Plastic zip-close bag for pieces/cards
• Colored pencils
• Glue (for assembling pieces)
• Internet for research (Independent Only)

Save Time and Buy Now!

Save precious prep time and get back to teaching. All of the hard work has been done for you. Go have some fun with those students!

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.