Students investigate the school forest to understand how ecosystem parts depend on one another and how disturbances can affect survival across a food web. Through field observations, partner-led stations, and NGSS-aligned modeling of producers, consumers, decomposers, and abiotic factors, they connect forest benefits for people and wildlife to larger ecological systems. Over two weeks, they build field journals and annotated observation boards, revise their ecosystem models through daily feedback circles, and prepare to explain ripple effects during a public gallery walk and simulation.

Students will model the school forest ecosystem by identifying producers, consumers, decomposers, and abiotic factors, and by explaining energy flow and food web relationships. They will investigate how disturbances such as species loss, weather shifts, or habitat changes affect survival across an ecosystem, using field observations, journals, and annotated observation boards as evidence. Students will communicate their understanding during a gallery walk and role-play simulation that shows how changes in one part of the system ripple through others. They will also strengthen collaboration by using daily forest circle check-ins to reflect on ecological learning, respond to feedback, and revise their ecosystem models.

Students will create field journals with dated observations, species sketches, disturbance notes, and food web evidence gathered during repeated visits to the school forest. Throughout the project, teams will also build annotated observation boards from the What We Get From the Woods Walk that show forest benefits for people and wildlife, identify producers, consumers, decomposers, and abiotic factors, and trace possible ripple effects from ecosystem changes. By the end, each group will produce a simple ecosystem interaction model for the forest and use it during a live role-play simulation and gallery walk to explain how a disturbance affects survival across the system. Visitors will browse the journal collection and observation boards during the exhibition and hear students explain both their ecological findings and how their collaboration improved through revision.

Begin with a “What We Get From the Woods Walk” in the school forest, where community partners lead short stations focused on forest benefits for people and wildlife such as habitat, decomposition, shade, food sources, and water regulation. At each station, students sample, sketch, photograph, and record evidence in field journals, then post one observation or question on a shared annotated board. Close with a standing circle check-in in the forest where students name one surprising ecosystem connection they noticed and predict how a change in one part of the forest could affect survival elsewhere. Use their questions to introduce the investigation of food webs, energy flow, species roles, and disturbance ripple effects.

Host a “What We Get From the Woods” forest showcase where students display their field journals and annotated observation boards along a trail or outdoor gallery in the school forest. Invite families, other science classes, and school forest partners to browse the displays, ask questions, and join a gallery walk where student groups explain how a disturbance can ripple through producers, consumers, decomposers, and abiotic factors. Include the final live ecosystem simulation at stations along the route so visitors can see students role-play ecosystem components and hear how collaboration helped them revise their models. End with a brief circle share in the forest where students name one ecological idea they are taking forward and one teamwork skill they strengthened.