Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem

Help your sixth graders see how an ecosystem is organized, from one living thing to the whole system! In this one-page worksheet, students read a short passage about the levels of organization, put four levels in order, and then name the level for six pond examples.

The passage walks through each level using a prairie dog field. An organism is one living thing, like one prairie dog. A population is a group of the same kind of organism living in the same area, like all the prairie dogs in one field. A community is all the different populations living together, like the prairie dogs, grasses, hawks, and snakes in that field. An ecosystem is the community plus the nonliving things around it, like soil, water, and sunlight. The passage ends with the big idea that each level includes the level below it. In the first activity, students apply the levels to a new setting, a forest, and number four examples from smallest to largest. In the second activity, students move to Mill Pond and write O, P, C, or E for six examples, such as one bullfrog, a school of minnows, and the pond's living things plus its water and mud. The sheet is written to Texas TEKS 6.12C.

What's inside:

• A short passage with key words in bold
• A 4-step ordering activity
• 6 organism, population, community, or ecosystem letter rows
• A visual answer key with every answer marked in red

How teachers use it:

• As an opener for a unit on ecosystems
• For bell work, stations, or an exit ticket
• As homework or sub plans, with no prep needed

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. This worksheet is part of our Reading in Science series for grade 6.