Biological Populations Unit

This populations unit has everything you’ll need to cover biological populations for middle school! Includes engaging lessons to teach and assess concepts such as carrying capacity and limiting factors of populations.

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This mini-unit contains the following activities:

1. INTRODUCTORY TEXT & WORKSHEET: (Includes Google Version) Students read about the basics of populations and how they change, including limiting factors and carrying capacity. After the reading, they complete a corresponding worksheet to check for understanding.
2. GRAPH CARRYING CAPACITY: Students read background information about a mink population and then graph their population data. The analysis focuses on carrying capacity.
3. IDENTIFY LIMITING FACTORS: (Includes Google Version) Students are provided with information about 10 threatened or endangered species and must identify limiting factors that have affected their populations.
4. ANALYZE POPULATIONS GRAPHS: (Includes Google Version) Students are provided with 9 simple population graphs and answer questions that require interpreting the graphs.
5. QUIZ: This 15-question quiz assesses student understanding of changes in populations, limiting factors, and carrying capacity. Two versions are provided!

Teacher Notes:

• Includes all answer keys.
• Please note: these resources in this populations unit are not editable.
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Related Standards:

• NGSS MS-LS2-1: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
• NGSS MS-LS2-2: Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
• NGSS MS-LS2-3: Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
• NGSS MS-LS2-4: Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.