Teach the Mountain Ecosystem
Take your students on a climb through the mountain ecosystem! From the towering Himalayas to the snowy Rockies, mountain ecosystems change as you climb, starting with green forests down low and ending with bare, windswept summits at the top.
✨ Perfect for ages 8–14, this collection includes:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the mountains. (Don't miss the grizzlies and snow leopards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth.
- Free Printable: Use the Mountain 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 Mountain Ecosystem Brochure Template
Mountains push life to its limits — thin air, brutal cold, steep terrain. From the Himalayas to the Rockies, the plants and animals that survive here have had to adapt in some pretty extreme ways.
After watching mountain ecosystem videos, have students dig deeper with their own research and build a brochure covering:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live there
- Three plants that grow there
- The climate
- Why the ecosystem matters
- Their favorite fun facts
Students summarize in their own words, which means they're practicing a real skill: pulling information from multiple sources and deciding what's worth keeping.
Videos: The Rocky Mountains
In Summer in the Rockies, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how animals find a way to survive among the barren peaks. Grizzly bears search for roosting moths, as all around them the Rockies themselves crumble. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Mountain Slopes Provide Safety for Grizzly Bears, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows a female grizzly emerging from her den after six months of dozing underground. Though the snowy mountain slopes are tough to navigate, they provide a sanctuary from male bears who could kill the cubs. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Grizzly Bears Survive in the Mountains, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores an avalanche tumbling down a mountainside in North America. Grizzly bears coming out of hibernation must move quickly to the safer valley, where they will gorge themselves during spring and summer. Learn about how they also rub against trees to shed winter fur and spread their scent. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Great Salmon Migration, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that in the world's largest fresh-water fish migration, salmon migrate upstream to where there are fewer predators to eat their eggs. Grizzly bears, however, threaten the fish. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Bobcat in the Rockies, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the extreme cold and snow-covered ground of winter in the Rocky Mountains. He follows a bobcat as it hunts a mouse in the snow. A nearby valley teems with life, thanks to a river fed by a volcanic hot spring. The bobcat hunts ducks in the river and then succeeds in killing a squirrel in a tree. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Summer in the Rockies, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how animals find a way to survive among the barren peaks. Grizzly bears search for roosting moths, as all around them the Rockies themselves crumble. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Mountain Slopes Provide Safety for Grizzly Bears, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows a female grizzly emerging from her den after six months of dozing underground. Though the snowy mountain slopes are tough to navigate, they provide a sanctuary from male bears who could kill the cubs. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Grizzly Bears Survive in the Mountains, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores an avalanche tumbling down a mountainside in North America. Grizzly bears coming out of hibernation must move quickly to the safer valley, where they will gorge themselves during spring and summer. Learn about how they also rub against trees to shed winter fur and spread their scent. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Great Salmon Migration, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that in the world's largest fresh-water fish migration, salmon migrate upstream to where there are fewer predators to eat their eggs. Grizzly bears, however, threaten the fish. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Bobcat in the Rockies, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the extreme cold and snow-covered ground of winter in the Rocky Mountains. He follows a bobcat as it hunts a mouse in the snow. A nearby valley teems with life, thanks to a river fed by a volcanic hot spring. The bobcat hunts ducks in the river and then succeeds in killing a squirrel in a tree. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Videos: The Himalayas
In How Mountains Shape the Climate, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes in soaring views that reveal the extreme altitude of the Himalayas. These mountains are so high that they force the formation of clouds and monsoon rain and snow. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How the Snow Affects Animals, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how predators stalk a herd of markhor goats. When snow starts to fall, the golden eagle is hindered, but the snow leopard is helped. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Demoiselle Cranes: Conquering Everest, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how birds struggle to cross the Himalayas on their seasonal migration. Cheer on the weak and tired cranes as they face turbulence and storms at such a high altitude. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Snow Leopard Caught on Film for the First Time!, Sir David Attenborough describes how a seldom-seen female cares for her cub and hunts among the steep cliffs of the Himalayas. Her body is uniquely adapted to the challenges of her environment. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Mountains Shape the Climate, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes in soaring views that reveal the extreme altitude of the Himalayas. These mountains are so high that they force the formation of clouds and monsoon rain and snow. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How the Snow Affects Animals, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how predators stalk a herd of markhor goats. When snow starts to fall, the golden eagle is hindered, but the snow leopard is helped. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Demoiselle Cranes: Conquering Everest, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how birds struggle to cross the Himalayas on their seasonal migration. Cheer on the weak and tired cranes as they face turbulence and storms at such a high altitude. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Snow Leopard Caught on Film for the First Time!, Sir David Attenborough describes how a seldom-seen female cares for her cub and hunts among the steep cliffs of the Himalayas. Her body is uniquely adapted to the challenges of her environment. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.