Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems Science Games

5 games

In this series of games, your students will learn about cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die. Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective’s games and the concepts.

Concepts Covered

An ecosystem includes all of the living organisms and nonliving components in a shared environment. Matter cycles between air, soil, plants, animals, and microbes as the organisms live and die. Matter cycles within different systems, such as within an organism, an ecosystem, and even the Earth. A food web shows how matter and energy move in an ecosystem.

Organisms obtain air and water from their environment and release waste matter back into the environment. Carbon flows between organisms and the environment in a process called the carbon cycle. A producer is an organism that can produce its own food to obtain energy. Consumers are animals that eat other organisms to obtain energy. Decomposers are organisms that break down dead plant and animal remains.

Photosynthesis occurs when plants absorb energy from sunlight through their leaves. Photosynthesis is a chemical process that forms plant matter from the energy in sunlight as well as air and water. Plants obtain the material for growth mostly from air and water. An aquatic ecosystem includes bodies of freshwater or saltwater. Dry-land ecosystems include deserts, grasslands, rainforests, and forests.

A preview of each game in the learning objective is found below.

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Image for Compare Two Numbers
Compare Two Numbers Estimated Duration: 4 minutes Compare Two Numbers
Image for Fishing Numbers
Fishing Numbers Estimated Duration: 9 minutes Travel to the Great Lake, filled with plenty of different sized fish, and work with the greatest fisher mathling to catch a good haul of fish! However, he wants the correct amount of fish that have the correct numbers on them, as they are precious for his business. Learn to identify which number is greater or smaller than the other.
Image for Number Compare - Compare
Number Compare - Compare Estimated Duration: 10 minutes Create meaning of greater than, less than, and equal to by moving objects into two independent play areas and watching the graph in the middle update in real time. Choose between a bar graph and a number line, and hear the comparison statement read out loud in English and another language of your choice.
Image for Number Compare - Lab
Number Compare - Lab Estimated Duration: 10 minutes Use this interactive whiteboard to create addition, subtraction, or comparison problems without feedback. Organize objects into ten-frames to visually compare which has more, or whether the number of objects are equal. Be creative in how subtraction is modeled.
Image for Magical Forest Deluxe
Magical Forest Deluxe Estimated Duration: 15 minutes Find yourself in a magical forest full of treasures and adventures. Collect coins and berries, answer questions, earn points! Good luck!
Image for Robot Chef
Robot Chef Estimated Duration: 18 minutes Congratulations, you are creating the first all-robot restaurant in the city! As you serve more customers, you will be able to build more robots to assist in delivering tasty treats. Attend Night School and answer questions to earn advanced robot chefs!
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