Students investigate Oregon Cascades wildlife to understand how animals and plants depend on one another in a habitat. They learn what a keystone species is, why it matters in a food web, and what happens when it is missing. Through research, reading, a wildlife biologist visit, peer feedback, and a final exhibition, they create a slideshow, poster set, or diorama pair that compares a healthy habitat with one that has lost its keystone species. The work helps students answer how they can show others why protecting Oregon Cascades wildlife and keystone species matters.

Students will identify several animals and habitats of the Oregon Cascades and explain how living things in a habitat depend on one another. They will define a keystone species, describe its role in a food web, and predict how the habitat changes when that species is missing. Students will gather information from reading, research, and a local wildlife biologist, then work with teammates to create and revise an exhibition product that compares a healthy habitat with one missing its keystone species. They will use labeled visuals and short evidence-based captions to teach others why protecting Oregon Cascades wildlife matters.

Students will create research notes, food web sketches, habitat comparison planning pages, and labeled drafts as they study Oregon Cascades wildlife and identify a keystone species. In teams, they will develop one final exhibition product in a chosen format: a Google slideshow, two posters, or two dioramas that compare a healthy habitat with the same habitat missing its keystone species. Each final product will include labeled animals and plants, short captions explaining what is happening in each scene, and a clear explanation of why the keystone species matters. Students will also prepare peer feedback notes and revise their work before sharing it with classmates and the visiting wildlife biologist.

Begin with a Yellowstone-style mystery using two large photo sets or simple model scenes: one showing a healthy habitat and one showing the same habitat after its keystone species is gone. Have students do a quick notice-and-wonder with partners, then sort picture cards of animals and plants into “doing well” or “struggling” based on what they observe. Follow with a short visit or video message from a local Oregon wildlife biologist who introduces one Oregon Cascades keystone species and poses the challenge: create a poster, diorama, or Google Slides exhibition that shows a habitat with and without its keystone. Close by revealing the driving question and inviting teams to predict how losing one species can change an entire food web.

Host a Cascades Wildlife Museum where teams display their two-scene product—Google slideshow, posters, or dioramas—showing a healthy habitat and the same habitat without its keystone species. Invite families, another 3rd/4th grade class, and the Oregon wildlife biologist community partner to visit, ask questions, and listen as students explain the food web changes, the role of the keystone species, and what happens when it is missing. Set up a simple feedback station where visitors leave comments or questions, and have students use peer-reviewed labels, captions, and visuals to guide guests through each comparison. If needed, include a digital gallery walk by projecting slideshows or posting them online for a wider school audience.