Symbiosis Station Lab - Grades 6-8

Keep your middle school students engaged, curious, and learning with this modular, student-led activity on symbiosis. This comprehensive, ready-to-use resource saves you hours of prep time while empowering students to take charge of their learning through exploration, creativity, and collaboration.

In this station lab, students learn to identify and compare the characteristics of symbiotic relationships—including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism—through hands-on and digital activities that bring ecosystem interactions to life.

This resource is also part of the Symbiosis 5E Lesson Plan, which includes presentations, interactive notebooks, projects, assessments, and more to complete your middle school ecosystems curriculum.

Note for Texas teachers: This station lab aligns with the 2017 TEKS and will not be updated for the 2021 standards.

Differentiated, Modular, and Student-Led

Each station lab features eight differentiated activities designed to create a personalized, student-centered learning experience—plus a ninth Challenge Station for early finishers.
This structure encourages independent and small-group learning, allowing teachers to guide rather than direct while students take ownership of their progress.

All nine modular stations come with complete signage, readings, resources, and task cards for seamless classroom use.
The Explore It! station may require a few common materials typically found in your science lab.

Perfect for In-Class or Virtual Learning

Every station lab is designed for maximum flexibility.
Students can complete the activities in person or online, and all files are compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides.

The Stations

Input Stations – Learn and Explore

Students encounter new concepts about symbiosis through multimodal learning experiences.

• Explore It! – A hands-on demonstration or interactive digital activity that lets students connect concepts through practical application.

• Read It! – A short, engaging passage about symbiosis with comprehension and vocabulary questions. Differentiated texts are available in English and Spanish for varying reading levels.

• Research It! – A guided online investigation where students explore websites, perform tasks, and record their findings.

• Watch It! – A short, focused video followed by comprehension and discussion questions.

Output Stations – Show What You Know

Students demonstrate understanding through creative and analytical responses.

• Organize It! – Sort, match, or classify examples using manipulatives or digital drag-and-drop tools.

• Illustrate It! – Draw or model symbiotic relationships to strengthen comprehension and visual recall.

• Write It! – Respond to prompts using academic vocabulary and complete sentences.

• Assess It! – Test comprehension with task cards and short written responses that use key terms in context.

Bonus Station – Challenge It!

Perfect for early finishers or advanced learners, this station extends learning through puzzles, games, and mini-projects that reinforce and deepen understanding of symbiosis.

Why Teachers Love This Resource

• Comprehensive and ready-to-use – No extensive prep required

• Student-centered design – Encourages ownership, engagement, and inquiry

• Flexible delivery – Works for traditional, hybrid, or virtual classrooms

• Differentiated and inclusive – Supports learners at all levels with multimodal activities

This product is included in the Kesler Science Membership!

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.