About this resource
5 mystery-driven Science Unlocked lesson sets for middle school (grades 6-8), about 5 weeks of ecosystems instruction. Each set opens with a real, surprising phenomenon, builds the science one level at a time, and ends with students cracking the case in a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) write-up.
Topics: ecosystems, food web, energy flow in ecosystems, food chains and food webs, claim evidence reasoning (CER), science phenomenon, review games.
Bundle price: $12.50 for 5 sets ($2.50 a set). Bought one at a time, these sets cost $15.
Sets in this bundle
- Boom and Bust (MS-LS2-1, Resource Availability & Populations). In 1944, 29 reindeer were left on a lonely Alaskan island with no predators. By 1963 there were about 6,000. Three years later, only 42 were left. What made the herd boom — and then crash?
- Open Wide (MS-LS2-2, Ecosystem Interactions). A grouper is a big fish that gulps smaller fish whole. Yet it opens wide, lets a tiny cleaner wrasse swim right into its mouth, and then lets it go. Why doesn’t the grouper eat it, and where else should we expect the same pattern?
- The Salmon Forest (MS-LS2-3, Ecosystems: Matter Cycles & Energy Flow). In southeast Alaska, spruce trees where salmon lay their eggs grow about three times faster than spruce along stretches of stream with no salmon — and their needles hold nitrogen from the ocean. Trees can’t eat fish. How did ocean atoms get inside the trees?
- The Vanishing Kelp Forest (MS-LS2-4, Ecosystem Changes Affect Populations). Off Northern California, an underwater forest of tall bull kelp stretched for about 350 km. In 2014 it began to vanish, and within about a year more than 90% was gone. Nobody cut it down. What made the kelp forest disappear — and why did so many other populations change with it?
- A Bridge for the Wild (MS-LS2-5, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services Design). Near Los Angeles, a giant new bridge crosses a 10-lane freeway. It is covered in soil and native plants, and no car or person will ever drive across it. Why spend more than $100 million on a bridge for wildlife — and is it the best design to save the area’s mountain lions?
Every set includes
- An editable Teacher Deck with answers highlighted and speaker notes (what to say, support and GT tips).
- An interactive Student Deck (PowerPoint + PDF) where students type, drag and rate their confidence.
- Google Slides versions of both decks, with make-a-copy links.
- A Teacher Guide with a run-of-show for every level, materials, misconceptions, answer keys and sources.
- A Student Printable in 12 pt type, plus a low-ink greyscale copy, for paper days and sub days.
- A self-grading digital activity: SCORM 2004, SCORM 1.2, a web package and a single HTML file.
- Two whole-class review games (Jeopardy-style and Trashketball), plus Kahoot! and Blooket import files with an answer key.
- Leveled lessons with "I can" targets, notes, practice, checkpoints, exit tickets, a Mini Quiz and a Stretch beyond grade level.
By the numbers
- 5 one-week units, each with 5-6 levels (about one 45-50 minute class per level).
- 5 of the 5 sets include a hands-on lab with a materials list and safety notes.
- 240 Kahoot!/Blooket review questions across the bundle.
Try the digital activity first
- Not sure the self-grading activity will work in your LMS? Download the FREE HTML & SCORM Sample and test it with your students before you buy.
Save more
- Middle School Life Science (21 sets, $42)
- Science Unlocked Mega Bundle (89 sets, $133.50)
More from Mystery Lab Learning
- See every Science Unlocked set, and follow to hear when new ones are added, at Mystery Lab Learning.
Good to know
- When a set in this bundle is updated, you get the update for free in My Purchases.
- The illustrations in these resources were created with AI image tools, and AI tools helped draft the lesson text. Every slide, answer key and lab step was then fact-checked against the sources listed in each Teacher Guide and proofread.
- Kahoot!, Blooket, Jeopardy!, Google Slides and PowerPoint are trademarks of their owners. These resources are not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
- License: one teacher, for use with their own students. Please buy an additional license for each colleague who uses it.
