Biotic & Abiotic Factors Station Lab - MS

This modular, student-led activity will keep your middle schoolers engaged while exploring biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems. With everything included, you’ll save a ton of prep time while giving students the opportunity to direct their own learning.

In this interactive lab, students will identify and compare the characteristics of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem, discovering how living and nonliving elements interact to support life. Perfect for in-class or virtual learning, this lesson helps students make real-world connections to environmental science concepts.

Texas Teachers: This station lab aligns with the 2017 TEKS (not updated for the 2021 TEKS).

Differentiated, Modular, and Student-Centered

Each lab includes eight differentiated activities plus a bonus challenge station for early finishers. Teachers facilitate while students work independently or in small groups—making learning truly student-centered.

All signage, resources, and task cards are included. The Explore It! station may require a few simple classroom materials you already have on hand.

The Stations

Input Stations – Build Understanding

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or digital drag-and-drop activity in PowerPoint/Google Slides

• Read It! – Differentiated passages (English & Spanish) with vocabulary and comprehension questions

• Research It! – Website-based activities with visuals and guiding questions

• Watch It! – Short video with comprehension prompts

Output Stations – Show Understanding

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts/manipulatives

• Illustrate It! – Student sketches or diagrams of biotic and abiotic interactions

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer prompts

• Assess It! – Task cards + vocabulary-in-context activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Enrichment activities like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for advanced learners and early finishers

Virtual & In-Class Flexibility

This station lab is fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint, making it easy to implement in both digital and traditional classrooms.

Why Teachers Love It

• Differentiated for all learners

• Multimodal activities that engage every learning style

• Flexible for print or digital learning environments

• Minimal prep required

This resource is also part of the Biotic and Abiotic Factors 5E Lesson Plan, which expands into editable presentations, interactive notebooks, student-choice projects, assessments, and more.

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.