Ecosystems Discussion Prompts and Pause Points

Before the Movie

What do you know about ecosystems? (Tap prior knowledge)

During the Movie (Pause Points)

Stop at the following times in the movie and ask questions or prompt a discussion to keep students focused and to assess their understanding before moving on:

Timecode 1:44: What’s the difference between a community and a population within an ecosystem? (Explain knowledge)

Timecode 3:01: How does the struggle for survival among organisms keep an ecosystem stable? (Identify cause/effect) 

Timecode 4:42: What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem? (Recall)

Timecode 6:05: Why is carbon building up in the air, and what kinds of problems is it leading to?  (Identify cause/effect)

After the Movie

Look at the four related movies at the bottom of the page. Explain how each is connected to the Ecosystems topic. (Make connections)

What could happen in an ecosystem if there are too many consumers and not enough predators? (Identify cause/effect)

What can we do to support healthy habitats in our community? (Make inferences)

BrainPOP recommends reading  the movie description that appears on the Ecosystems Topic Page to your class. Then show the movie once through without pausing.  Watch it again, this time using the discussion prompts.

*BrainPOP’s Discussion Questions and Prompts align to CCSS Speaking and Listening Standards.