Succession & Species Diversity Station Lab - New TEKS 8.12B

This modular, student-led activity on succession and species diversity aligns with TEKS 2021 standard 8.12B and keeps middle school students engaged in hands-on learning. These comprehensive materials will save you valuable prep time while empowering students to direct their own discovery of how ecosystems recover and evolve after disruptions.

In this station lab, students will describe how primary and secondary ecological succession affect populations and species diversity following natural events or human activities. Perfect for both in-class and virtual learning, this resource provides flexibility, structure, and creativity all in one.

Differentiated, Modular, Student-Led

Each station lab features nine differentiated activities designed to create a personalized, student-centered learning experience. Teachers guide and facilitate while students collaborate, explore, and apply their understanding independently or in small groups.

All materials—including station signage, resources, readings, and task cards—are ready to print or assign digitally. The Explore It! station may require a few basic classroom materials you likely already have on hand.

The Stations

Input Stations – Build Understanding

• Explore It! – Engage in a hands-on demo or interactive simulation to apply key concepts. (Digital version available in PowerPoint or Google Slides.)

• Watch It! – View a short, focused video and answer guided comprehension questions about succession and species diversity.

• Read It! – Read a short, differentiated passage (English and Spanish versions) with vocabulary and comprehension questions to support all learners.

• Research It! – Explore curated online resources with facts, graphs, and images to investigate how ecological succession changes ecosystems over time.

Output Stations – Demonstrate Learning

• Organize It! – Work with printable manipulatives or digital elements to arrange and categorize information about primary and secondary succession.

• Illustrate It! – Create visual models or diagrams showing the progression of ecological succession and the increase in biodiversity.

• Write It! – Respond to open-ended prompts to explain concepts using evidence and complete sentences.

• Assess It! – Show mastery through task cards and a written paragraph integrating key vocabulary and ideas.

Bonus Station – Challenge It!

Extend learning with engaging enrichment activities such as crosswords, games, or mini-projects—perfect for early finishers or advanced learners.

Flexible Implementation

The lab is fully compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides, making it simple to use in both traditional and virtual classrooms. Whether working hands-on or online, students experience meaningful, multimodal learning that reinforces science concepts through exploration and creativity.

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.