Predator and Prey Population Dynamics Graphing Activity

Students investigate the population dynamics between predator and prey, and the role limiting factors play in the size of a population by graphing and analyzing data of the Canadian lynx and snowshoe hare.

I use this activity with my sixth grade students during our unit on ecosystems. We complete it as a class activity. You could make it an option in a choice project, a learning extension for higher level students, or an activity for a science center.

The final page includes the completed graph and answers to the analysis questions.

***Now available in digital Easel format***

This activity aligns to NGSS Standard MS-LS2-1. It also aligns to CCSS Math Standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.A.2 .

Key Vocabulary and related topics: ecosystems, populations, graphing, limiting factors, resources, predator, prey, independent and dependent variables, coniferous forest food web