Exploring the Interconnectedness of Ecosystems 

Walk with the students to a nearby natural area.

Start with an active game where students can move and be loud.

Gather the students in a circle, and give everyone an ecosystem card.

The students tell each other in turns what is on their card.

Begin creating the ecosystem.

• Start with the sun. The student holding the ‘sun’ card keeps the end of the wool and throws the ball to a ‘plant’, showing that plants get their energy from sunlight.
• The plant then connects to an organism that depends on it, like a herbivore.
• Each student holds a piece of wool before passing it to the next related card.
• Continue until all cards are part of the web.
• Many organisms connect to more than one other, showing how everything in an ecosystem is interconnected.

Once the ecosystem is ready, it’s time to show its strength and fragility. Demonstrate what happens when one part changes or disappears. Ask a student to let go of their piece of wool; the shift in tension will affect the whole web, and others will feel the impact too.

Finish with a group discussion. Pick a few questions to talk about:

• How are different organisms in an ecosystem connected?

• Why is biodiversity important for the health of an ecosystem?

• What human or natural events could disrupt an ecosystem’s balance?

• Can ecosystems recover from damage? What helps them recover?

• How do human activities (like farming, construction, pollution) affect ecosystems

You can use for example the methods of What if? or Forecasting, to activate the students in making their own questions and predictions.