1. ORGANISMS AND WHERE THEY LIVE
OBJECTIVES:
. Define what an ecosystem is.
. Identify types of habitats.
. Tell how life would be in an ecosystem of their choice.
BEFORE READING
Have your students answer the question in red. Then, choose three or four of your students to share what
they wrote.
DURING READING
Make sure that while you read about what an ecosystem is, you clarify the definition of the word to your
students so that when they hear the word “ecosystem” they know what you are referring to.
Every time you read about the water and land ecosystems, stop for a few minutes and ask questions to
your students about the ecosystems.
AFTER READING
Have your students write in their notebook what the word ecosystem means. Create a mini discussion on
how their concept about “ecosystems” changed.
Complete the worksheets followed by the reading. After completing the “Where Would I like to Live”
section, have students gather in groups of two or three and share what they wrote.

2. AT-HOME ACTIVITIES
1. Students can create a pyramid based on the structure of an ecosystem.
First they would choose an ecosystem. Then, write the communities found in the ecosystem along with
the populations and the habitats found in the ecosystem they chose.
2. Students can create an album with the land and water ecosystem. Have them include a brief description
of the ecosystem and a picture of it.
Ecosystem
Communities
Populations
Habitats
Teachers:
Andrea Isabel Luque
Osiris Denise Lopez
Jocelyn Ortiz
Grecia García

3. ORGANISMS
AND WHERE
THEY LIVE

4. WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM?
WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT
WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
An ecosystem is a system of interactions
between organisms and its environment. It
has both living and nonliving parts.
Each ecosystem has its own community.
Communities can be divided into different
populations, which consist of only one type
of organisms.
Each organism has a home which is known
as the organisms habitat. A habitat is a
place where plants and animals live.

5. LAND ECOSYSTEMS
Tundra:long, dark,
and cold winters.
Few trees. Ground is
frozen beneath the
surface.
Taiga: very cold
winters and cool
summers.
Grasslands:
Cold winters, hot
summers.
Mild forestlands:
mild winters and
summers. Plenty
of rain or snow.
Desert: Hot days
all year and little
rain. Plants and
animals adapt to
conserve water.
Tropical Rain
Forest: Hot and
rainy all year.
Variety of plants
and animals.

6. WATER ECOSYSTEMS
Saltwater
Shores: The
water level goes
from high tide to
low tide.
Freshwater lakes
and ponds: habitats
are at the shore, on
the surface water, and
under the water.
Open sea-surface: it
gets plenty of water,
it’s rich in nutrients
and home to many
populations.
Open sea-deeper
down: ecosystems
change as the
amount of light
decreases with depth.
Freshwater
rivers: habitats
are along the
shore and river
bottom.

7. Instructions: Choose the ecosystem that you liked the most. Then,
answer the questions.
1. If you had to visit an ecosystem, which one would you choose?
2. What would life be like in that ecosystem?
3. What kind of plants and animals would you see?
4. What would you do to survive?
_________________________________________________________________________________________