Science · 6th Grade

Active learning ideas

Competition and Predation

Active learning helps students grasp competition and predation because these concepts are dynamic and relational. When students move, analyze data, and discuss scenarios, they experience firsthand how populations interact and respond to change. This kinesthetic and collaborative approach builds intuition that static images or lectures alone cannot.

• Common Core State Standards
• MS-LS2-2

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Whole Class

Simulation Game: Predator-Prey Tag

In an open space, designate most students as rabbits and a few as foxes. Rabbits must collect resource tokens (paper clips on the ground) to survive each round. Foxes tag rabbits to 'eat' them. After each round, adjust populations based on the rules (starved rabbits removed, well-fed rabbits reproduce, foxes that ate enough reproduce). Track population sizes per round and graph the oscillation.

Explain in what ways different species compete for or share limited resources.

Facilitation Tip

During Predator-Prey Tag, position yourself as a roaming predator to model visibility challenges in tracking prey.

What to look for

Provide students with a scenario describing a simple ecosystem (e.g., a forest with deer, wolves, and oak trees). Ask them to identify one example of competition and one example of predation, and explain how each interaction might affect population sizes.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 35 min · Small Groups

Collaborative Analysis: Lynx and Snowshoe Hare

Provide groups with the historical Hudson's Bay Company population data for lynx and snowshoe hare spanning 90 years. Groups graph the data, identify the oscillating cycles, and develop an explanation for the pattern using cause-and-effect reasoning. Groups then predict what would happen if lynx were removed from the ecosystem.

Analyze the role of predation in maintaining population balance within an ecosystem.

Facilitation Tip

When analyzing lynx and snowshoe hare data, provide blank population graphs so students can sketch predicted trends before comparing them to historical records.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Can predators be beneficial to an ecosystem?' Facilitate a class discussion where students use evidence from their learning about population balance and biodiversity to support their arguments, referencing specific predator-prey examples.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What Is Competition Really About?

Give students two scenarios: two species of sparrow competing for nest sites in the same territory, and two wolves within a pack competing for access to food. Pairs identify the type of competition in each case and discuss what resource is actually limited. Class discussion surfaces the distinction between intraspecific and interspecific competition and explores when competition leads to niche partitioning rather than exclusion.

Predict how an increase in a predator population might affect its prey.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share on competition, give students 30 seconds of private think time before pairing to ensure all voices are heard, especially from quieter students.

What to look for

Ask students to draw a simple food web with at least three organisms. Then, have them write two sentences explaining how competition between two of the organisms might occur and one sentence describing the predator-prey relationship between two others.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching competition and predation works best when students confront misconceptions directly through simulation and real data. Avoid over-simplifying predator-prey relationships as 'good vs. bad,' and instead focus on interdependence. Research shows that students grasp these concepts more deeply when they manipulate variables and see immediate feedback on their predictions, so simulations and real-world datasets are essential tools.

Students should leave this hub able to distinguish between intraspecific and interspecific competition, explain why predator-prey cycles oscillate, and provide evidence-based reasoning for how these interactions shape ecosystems. Look for clear examples, accurate cause-and-effect language, and thoughtful predictions in their work.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Collaborative Analysis of lynx and snowshoe hare data, watch for students who assume the lynx will always drive hares to extinction.

  Direct students to examine the cyclical nature of the data and ask them to brainstorm mechanisms like habitat use or seasonal diet shifts that allow both species to coexist. Ask: 'What might happen to the lynx population if hares disappeared completely?'

• During the Predator-Prey Tag simulation, watch for students who treat predators as separate from the ecosystem, suggesting ecosystems would be healthier without them.

  After the simulation, have students discuss the immediate and long-term effects of removing predators using the Yellowstone wolf case as a reference point. Ask them to record changes in the 'ecosystem' during the tag game when predators were absent.

• During the Think-Pair-Share on competition, watch for students who believe predator and prey populations change independently.

  Use the lynx-hare data from Collaborative Analysis to show how prey numbers spike first, followed by a delayed predator increase. Ask students to sketch this lag on their graphs during the pair discussion.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Role Play
• Think-Pair-Share