This maintaining biodiversity reading passage is the perfect way to introduce NGSS MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Students will learn what biodiversity is, why ecosystem services are essential for healthy ecosystems and human survival, and how protecting it requires making difficult decisions that balance environmental benefits against economic and social costs.
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Includes both PRINT and GOOGLE SLIDES options to assign!
In this activity, students will:
- READ the article Maintaining Biodiversity (2 pages).
- ANSWER questions on the provided worksheet (2 pages). Most answers come directly from the text (no prior knowledge needed), but the worksheet also asks students to think critically about how they would handle a given environmental decision.
This Article Covers:
- Definition: What is biodiversity, and why does it matter?
- Benefits: What are the types of ecosystem services that nature provides humans?
- Threats: How are humans harming biodiversity?
- Solutions aren’t simple: Every conservation action has tradeoffs – there are always pros and cons.
- Critical thinking: How do people weigh costs, benefits, and stakeholder impacts when making environmental decisions?
Teacher Notes:
- Get EVERYTHING you need to teach ALL of NGSS MS-LS2 with my Complete Ecosystems Unit!
- Includes answer keys.
- Please note that this maintaining biodiversity reading is not editable.
- GO PAPERLESS! Use the included digital Google Slides option to assign!
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