Ecosystems & Habitats

Food chains, habitats and how living things depend on each other — 36 skills across 9 years. Every skill below shows what it builds on and how to tell your child has it.

Science36 skillsages 5–14

Grouped by the age children typically start each skill. Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace.

Around age 5

Plants and animals in their habitatsages 5–6AC ✓ Reducing Human Impactages 5–6AC ✓

Around age 6

Habitat Vocabularyages 6–8AC ✓ Habitats & Basic Needsages 6–8AC ✓ Living, Dead & Never Aliveages 6–7AC ✓ Local Plants & Animalsages 6–8AC ✓ Simple Food Chainsages 6–7AC ✓

Around age 8

Animal Groups & Survivalages 8–9AC ✓ Changing Environmentsages 8–9AC ✓ Classification Keysages 8–9AC ✓ Ecology Vocabularyages 8–10AC ✓ Food Chains & Energy Transferages 8–9AC ✓ Grouping Living Thingsages 8–9AC ✓ Human impact on environmentsages 8–11AC ✓ Reading Food Web Diagramsages 8–9AC ✓

Around age 9

Animal Life Cyclesages 9–10AC ✓ Plant & Animal Reproductionages 9–10AC ✓

Around age 10

Classifying Organismsages 10–11AC ✓ Communities Protecting Resourcesages 10–11AC ✓ Evidence-Based Classificationages 10–11 Matter Cycling in Ecosystemsages 10–11AC ✓

Around age 11

Energy Loss Between Levelsages 11–12 Food Webs & Interdependenceages 11–12AC ✓ Pollination & Pollinator Declineages 11–12 The Water Cycleages 11–12AC ✓

Around age 12

Biodiversity & Resilienceages 12–14 Chromosomes, Genes & DNAages 12–13 Evidence for Evolutionages 12–14 Extinction & Rapid Changeages 12–14 Genetic Mutationages 12–14 How Natural Selection Worksages 12–14 Species Distribution & Changeages 12–13 The Carbon Cycleages 12–13 Toxins Building Up in Food Chainsages 12–13 Variation in Speciesages 12–13

Around age 13

Predicting Inherited Traitsages 13–14

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