Curriculum Materials

In this lesson students will students will identify the components of a prairie food chain and prairie food web. Students will be able to illustrate the transfer of energy in both a food chain and a food web. Students will also explore how environmental changes impact the food chain and food web.

Badlands National Park accepts reservations for ranger-guided field trips as staff is available.

The American bison was an important species to Native Americans on the Great Plains of North America. However, as settlers moved west during the nineteen century, the population numbers dramatically dropped from overhunting. In this exercise, students will learn graphing skills while learning about this species that almost went extinct.

In May 2010, a seven-year old girl named Kylie found a fossil near the visitor center at Badlands National Park. She did the right thing. She reported her find to rangers. It turned out to be a rare and well-preserved saber tooth cat fossil. This nonfiction story will help students understand the science of paleontology and the importance of protecting our natural resources and identify with the real-life story of another young student.

All life needs energy to grow and survive. Plants receive a vital part of their energy from the Sun, while animals receive their energy from eating plants or other animals. The path energy takes through a series of organisms is known as a food chain, while all the paths energy can travel through an ecosystem is known as a food web. Discover how the mixed-grass prairie plants and animals of Badlands National Park are connected to each other through food chains and an overall food web.