Teach the Grasslands Ecosystem
11 resourcesTake your students on a romp through the grasslands! From the African savanna to the Great Plains of North America grasslands are nature’s wide-open playground.
✨ Perfect for Grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Video: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the grasslands. (Don't miss the giraffes and bison!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs such as Planet Earth, The Americas With Simon Reeve, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Grasslands Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Get the Grasslands Ecosystem Brochure Template
Invite your students on an adventure across the world’s amazing grasslands! From the roaring lions of the African savanna to the thundering bison of the Great Plains, these ecosystems are bursting with life. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
Videos: The African Savanna
In African Grasslands Provide Food for Millions, narrator Sir David Attenborough teaches about how some animals eat grass and grass seeds. The East African savannas supports a population of 1.5 million red-billed quelea, and nearly 2 million wildebeest. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Wet Season Comes to the Savanna, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores what happens when the dry season comes to an end across the African savanna and the herds return to the plains. When submerged by seasonal floods, the grass of the African savanna can still grow. Watch as a young baboon climbs on top of an adult to avoid the water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Grassland Floods in the Okavango, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how heavy rains flood the Okavango Delta, transforming the grasslands into a waterlogged landscape. Lions must adapt to hunting in the wet conditions, while their prey, like buffaloes, face new struggles to find food and safe ground. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Serval's Hunt, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how the serval cat uses its long legs and radarlike ears to hunt with precision in the African savanna. The serval’s ability to hear the smallest sounds helps it track its prey, like the vlei rat, even in tall grass. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Insect Hunting with Africa's Giants, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains a unique partnership between carmine bee-eaters and elephants. These birds follow elephants across the African savanna to catch insects stirred up by the elephants' movements. This fascinating collaboration is a perfect example of how different species can work together to survive. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In African Grasslands Provide Food for Millions, narrator Sir David Attenborough teaches about how some animals eat grass and grass seeds. The East African savannas supports a population of 1.5 million red-billed quelea, and nearly 2 million wildebeest. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Wet Season Comes to the Savanna, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores what happens when the dry season comes to an end across the African savanna and the herds return to the plains. When submerged by seasonal floods, the grass of the African savanna can still grow. Watch as a young baboon climbs on top of an adult to avoid the water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Grassland Floods in the Okavango, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how heavy rains flood the Okavango Delta, transforming the grasslands into a waterlogged landscape. Lions must adapt to hunting in the wet conditions, while their prey, like buffaloes, face new struggles to find food and safe ground. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Serval's Hunt, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how the serval cat uses its long legs and radarlike ears to hunt with precision in the African savanna. The serval’s ability to hear the smallest sounds helps it track its prey, like the vlei rat, even in tall grass. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Insect Hunting with Africa's Giants, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains a unique partnership between carmine bee-eaters and elephants. These birds follow elephants across the African savanna to catch insects stirred up by the elephants' movements. This fascinating collaboration is a perfect example of how different species can work together to survive. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Videos: The Great Plains of North America
In A Harvest Mouse Navigates the Grasslands, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how the harvest mouse uses its prehensile tail to navigate the grasslands, find food, and avoid predators like barn owls. This video is excerpted from Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Montana’s Rewilding Grasslands Transformation, host Simon Reeve explores one of the coolest rewilding projects on Earth! In Montana’s vast grasslands, Sean Gerrity is turning farmland back into wild ecosystems through the ambitious American Prairie Reserve. With a goal of rewilding over 3 million acres, Sean’s mission isn’t just about saving the wilderness — it’s about protecting one of the most vital ecosystems on the planet. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Americas With Simon Reeve, in which Simon Reeve explores the landscapes, cultures, and wildlife of North and South America.
In Playful Prairie Dog Pups witness prairie dog pups who explore and play whilst sentinels keep watch. Danger in the form of an American badger approaches, but a burrowing owl, who also has young to protect, defends its territory. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Bison and Foxes Battle the Cold, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us through the harsh conditions of the North American prairies, where bison use their strength to uncover food buried beneath the snow, and foxes rely on skill and precision to hunt for meals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Bison of North America, narrator Sir David Attenborough looks at the hunting of bison on the prairies. Bison numbers on the prairies dropped from 60 million to barely a thousand because of people hunting them and destroying their habitat. Thanks to rigorous protection, numbers are now recovering. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Harvest Mouse Navigates the Grasslands, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how the harvest mouse uses its prehensile tail to navigate the grasslands, find food, and avoid predators like barn owls. This video is excerpted from Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Montana’s Rewilding Grasslands Transformation, host Simon Reeve explores one of the coolest rewilding projects on Earth! In Montana’s vast grasslands, Sean Gerrity is turning farmland back into wild ecosystems through the ambitious American Prairie Reserve. With a goal of rewilding over 3 million acres, Sean’s mission isn’t just about saving the wilderness — it’s about protecting one of the most vital ecosystems on the planet. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Americas With Simon Reeve, in which Simon Reeve explores the landscapes, cultures, and wildlife of North and South America.
In Playful Prairie Dog Pups witness prairie dog pups who explore and play whilst sentinels keep watch. Danger in the form of an American badger approaches, but a burrowing owl, who also has young to protect, defends its territory. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Bison and Foxes Battle the Cold, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us through the harsh conditions of the North American prairies, where bison use their strength to uncover food buried beneath the snow, and foxes rely on skill and precision to hunt for meals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Bison of North America, narrator Sir David Attenborough looks at the hunting of bison on the prairies. Bison numbers on the prairies dropped from 60 million to barely a thousand because of people hunting them and destroying their habitat. Thanks to rigorous protection, numbers are now recovering. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.