• Through the study of ecology, high school students learn about the natural world and the animals that inhabit it. As students rush through their day-to-day activities, they rarely take time to notice the plants and animals that flourish around them. The study of ecology forces high school students to slow down, consider the natural world in which they live and recognize the interconnectedness of all living things.
  
  

Food Chain Skits

• Cement student understanding of the food chain by engaging them in the creation of food chain skits. After you discuss the key animals that make up the food chain, divide them into groups. Ask each group to create an original skit that depicts the proper order of the food chain. Encourage the students to make the skits their own, adding humor and creating characters for each of the animals they depict. After seeing the exciting food chain skits, students will be more likely to remember the basic elements of the standard food chain.
  
  

Ecosystem Experts

• Divide students into ecosystem teams, asking each group to become experts on their assigned ecosystem. Provide them with print resources, and allow them access to the Internet so they can gather information about their ecosystems. Instruct each group to create a model of their ecosystem. Tell them that they can be as creative as they want to be, using whatever materials they see fit. Discuss the ecosystem projects with the groups as they work to complete them, identifying any areas in which the groups seem to be struggling. After students complete their models, allow them to demonstrate their expertise by teaching the class about their ecosystem.
  
  

Conservation Efforts Project

• Many organizations work to promote environmentally friendly practices and encourage individuals to be responsible citizens of the earth. Ask your students to research ways in which they can reduce pollution and increase the health of their environment. Divide students into groups, and ask them to develop their own conservation groups. The groups should each select a name, decide upon a mission and explain what they will do to get their message out. Encourage students to be specific in their plans, and to use statistics and facts about ecosystem destruction to support their positions and plans.
  
  

Ecology Compare-and-Contrast Collage

• While plants and animals do not proliferate in great abundance in the urban areas where many students reside, they are present. Challenge your students to photograph plants and animals that live in the city. Ask them to research the plants and animals that they capture on film, and determine what type of plant or animal they have photographed. Then encourage them to search the Internet and find pictures of those plants and animals in natural ecosystems. Have students combine their photographs with the images they collected from the Internet to create a collage in which they compare urban and natural ecosystems.