Ecology Learning Menu (30 points total)
Appetizer (15 minutes
and 5 points)
Bottom-Up and Top-Down
Control (you may partner up or
work independently)
Venn Diagram
In this activity, you will be
comparing and contrasting the
2 types of control that influence
an environment. Use a piece of
paper or another form of
document to create the
diagram of 2 interlocking circles
and label each circle for either
bottom-up, top-down, and both
for the interlocked area in the
middle. Now within each area,
make note of the similarities
and differences between the
types of control.
Newspaper Article
In this activity, you will be
comparing and contrasting the
2 types of control that influence
an environment. Use a piece of
paper or another form of
document to create an article
that might be presented in a
real-life newspaper or
magazine. The topic of your
article should include both
types of control and you must
have an appropriate title for
your article (feel free to be
creative in this).
Entrée (30 minutes and
10 points)
Human Impacts to the
Environment (you must work
independently)
Scrapbook
In this activity, you will create
several pages that depict a story
to show how humans can
impact an environment. You
can use an example already
given from a past lesson or
search for one on your own (if
you search please check with
me first though). Use multiple
images or drawings on each
page to show what is
happening, but also include a 1-
2 sentence boxed caption for
further explanation of the page
as a whole. You must have a
minimum of 2 drawings/images
per page and 4 pages total.
Timeline
In this activity, you will create a
representation to show a
sequence of events depicting
the impacts that humans can
have on an environment. You
can use an example already
given from a past lesson or
search for one on your own (if
you search please check with
me first though). At each point
on your line include a 3-5
sentence explanation of the
specific event. You must have a
minimum of 8 points on your
timeline.
Dessert (45 minutes and
15 points)
Trophic Cascades and the
Importance of Ecological
Relationships (you must work
either with a partner or in a group
of up to 4 students)
TV News Report
In this activity, you will create a
video to report about a trophic
cascade. You will record
yourself and partner/group
members giving a “TV news
segment”. All group members
must be present on the video
and speak at least 2 lines of
dialogue. Your segment must
include background on the
environment, general
information on trophic
cascades, and a real-life
example of ecological
relationships in an
environment. You can use an
example already given from a
past lesson or search for one on
your own (if you search please
check with me first though).
Biography
In this activity, you will write a
biography regarding the life of a
top predator. The predator
must be known to have a
significant influence on its local
community, and you need to
discuss both its direct and
indirect influences. Be sure to
include background on the
environment. Also connect how
the removal of this predator can
result in a trophic cascade by
detailing the various ecological
relationships within your
predator’s environment.
 Debate
(you must have a partner for this
choice)
In this activity, you and your
partner will decide who wants
to search up information on
which type of control, taking
notes and writing down
examples from each. Once
you’ve researched on your type
of control, you and your partner
will politely discuss your points
of view to explain why an
environment is controlled in
that way. After your debate,
share your notes and examples
with your partner then come up
with a single sentence
explanation for why both types
of control could be acting on
the same community.
Letter
In this activity, you will write a
letter to either a
congressperson or a business
that is believed, or shown, to be
causing harm to the
environment. You can use an
example already given from a
past lesson or search for one on
your own (if you search please
check with me first though).
This letter should be
argumentative and explain to
congress/the business how they
are impacting the environment
and why they should seek an
alternative solution rather than
continue with what they are
currently doing.
Slide Presentation
In this activity, you will create a
story board of a trophic cascade
event throughout multiple
slides on any applicable format
(such as Google slides or
PowerPoint). Your presentation
must include background on the
environment and a real-life
example of ecological
relationships in an
environment. Be sure to
connect how the removal of this
predator can result in a trophic
cascade by detailing the various
ecological relationships within
your predator’s environment.
You can use an example already
given from a past lesson or
search for one on your own (if
you search please check with
me first though).

First pick 1 appetizer to complete, then chose 1 entrée, and lastly 1 dessert item
(for the dessert activity you will have additional time in later classes work on it).
***you must use different examples for your entrée and dessert activities***