Ecological Relationships Complete Science Lesson - New TEKS 6.12B

Everything you need for an engaging ecosystems unit on predatory, competitive, and symbiotic relationships is included in this comprehensive resource! With editable presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments, this multiday lesson delivers low-prep, high-impact instruction designed to help your students deeply understand how organisms depend on and interact with one another in an ecosystem.

Through differentiated, student-led learning, your middle schoolers will explore concepts like predation, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and competition, gaining a clear understanding of how relationships between organisms maintain the delicate balance of an ecosystem.

Essential Questions

• How do organisms in an ecosystem depend on and compete for resources?

• What types of symbiotic, predatory, and competitive relationships exist between organisms?

Texas Teachers: This lesson aligns with 2021 TEKS standard 6.12B.

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials for all learners

• Multimodal activities to boost engagement and comprehension

• Maximum flexibility for print or digital instruction

• Editable PowerPoints for seamless customization

• Spanish translations for vocabulary, reading passages, and interactive notebook pages

Built on the 5E Instructional Model—Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation—this resource gives you everything you need for meaningful, inquiry-based science instruction.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher guide with discussion prompts, class activity ideas, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations allow students to investigate how organisms interact and depend on one another through real-world ecological relationships.

Input Stations – Build Understanding

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or experiment for interactive learning

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

• Research It! – Web-based tasks with visuals and guided questions

• Watch It! – Short, engaging video followed by discussion

Output Stations – Show Understanding

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts/manipulatives for sorting and classification

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer questions to reinforce content

• Illustrate It! – Student sketches or diagrams to model organism relationships

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

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Fun extension activities such as crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers and advanced learners

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive)

• Interactive notebook templates (digital & print, English & Spanish)

• Guided note-taking templates for presentations

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects on ecological relationships, including predator-prey, competition, and symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism)

Evaluation

• STAAR 2.0–style assessments (standard & modified versions)

• Review worksheet for class discussion, test prep, or homework

Perfect for In-Class or Virtual Learning

This lesson is fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint, making it ideal for both digital and traditional classrooms. The differentiated activities and multimodal design ensure every student stays engaged and successful.

Low prep. Differentiated. Student-centered.
This complete lesson gives your students a clear understanding of how organisms interact and depend on one another—while giving you everything you need to teach confidently, in-person or online.

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