Ecosystems Reading Passages - Questions - Annotations

Ecosystems Worksheets - Reading Comprehension Passages, Questions, and Annotations

This resource is designed for an Ecosystems unit. It contains 5 Engaging, Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension Passages with Directions for Student Annotations! Reading Comprehension Questions also included!

Questions & Answer Keys for Each of the 5 Reading Passages!

COMMON CORE ALIGNED!

Aligned with Ecosystems Interactive Notebook (Not required to use this resource, but recommended)

Quick overview of topics covered in this resource include:

1.) The Levels of Organization and Components of an Ecosystem

-Overview of the definition of ecosystem, how it is made up of living and non-living things to help sustain life (biotic and abiotic)

-Types of biotic factors – producers, decomposers, consumers

-Abiotic factors that are important for survival (sunlight, temperature, water)

-The levels of organization within an ecosystem (ecosystem, community, population, habitat, niche, and single organism or life form) definition of each level

Keywords: biotic factors, abiotic factors, producers, consumers, decomposers, ecosystem, community, population, habitat, niche, organism

2.) The Food Chain: Moving Through the Ecosystem

-Overview of how energy (or food/nutrients) moves and flows through the ecosystem, getting passed from life form to life form.

-Describes the primary consumer (herbivores) (rabbit, goose, squirrel etc.) eats plants/autotrophs

-Description of how energy flows down to the secondary consumer (consumes the primary consumer)

-Describes how the energy flows to the Tertiary Consumer (consumes the secondary consumer) (hawk, who eats the owl, who ate the rabbit)

-Describes how energy flows to the decomposer (worms that consume the tertiary consumer / living organisms)

Keywords: food chain, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, decomposer

3.) The Producers and Consumers of an Ecosystem

-Overview of what producers are (plants – can make their own food by using sunlight as energy)

-Overview of autotrophs (self-feeders/producers)

-Examples of autotrophs (algae, all green plants, bacteria)

-Overview of what consumers are (heterotrophs- unable to make their own food, consume energy)

-Types of heterotrophs in detail – omnivores, carnivores, herbivores, scavengers, and predators

Keywords: producers, consumers, autotrophs, heterotrophs

4.) Changes In Our Ecosystems: Human Activities and Natural Events

-Description of how different events such as natural occurrences or human activity can impact our ecosystems.

-Provides specific examples of each natural event (hurricane, drought, tsunami, earthquake, etc.) and how it impacts our ecosystems

-Provides specific examples of human activities (logging, hunting/poaching, irrigation, construction, pollution) and how it impacts our ecosystems

5.) Soil and the Ecosystem

-Overview of what is found in soil. How soil is essential to sustain life

-Overview of the different types of layers found in soil

-detailed description of topsoil, subsoil, parent rock, minerals, and bedrock

Keywords: soil, humus, minerals, top soil, subsoil, parent rock, minerals, bedrock

You may also enjoy:

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Ecosystems Interactive Notebook

Earth Science Curriculum

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Earth Science Interactive Notebooks

Plate Tectonics STEM

Rock Cycle Interactive Notebook

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Rocks, Minerals, and Gems Interactive Notebook

Plate Tectonics Interactive Notebook

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