Mountain Ecosystem Report
From the Ecosystems CollectionMountains 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.
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 grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- 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.
Every living thing is connected — this collection helps students see how. It covers six ecosystems: grasslands, desert, coral reef, tropical rainforest, mountain, and polar, each with its own video and matching report template.
After watching BBC video clips about an ecosystem, 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. Use one report template explore all six ecosystems back-to-back as a full unit.
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 Ibex Mountaineers, narrator Sir David Attenborough presents the survival behaviors of the Nubian ibex in the harsh environment of the Arabian Peninsula. Watch the ibex’s interactions with predators, including the fox, and the challenges of survival in such a tough landscape. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, 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 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.
More Like This
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!
Deserts aren't empty — they're some of the most extreme, most surprising ecosystems on Earth. From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, life finds a way.
After watching desert video clips, 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. The brochure format gives them room to make it their own
Coral reefs are some of the most crowded, colorful real estate on the planet — underwater cities built by tiny animals and packed with life. From Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the reefs of Indonesia, students will find no shortage of strange, striking creatures to study.
After watching coral reef 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.
Rainforests are the densest, most species-rich ecosystems on Earth. From the Amazon to the jungles of Southeast Asia, they're packed with towering trees and hidden creatures most students will never see anywhere else.
After watching rainforest video clips, 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.
Same pattern as the other two — happy to adjust the opening if "densest, most species-rich" reads too textbook-y for what you want.
The polar regions are the harshest places on Earth, and somehow life thrives there anyway — polar bears in the Arctic, penguins across Antarctica's ice. It's a good ecosystem for showing students that "extreme" doesn't mean "empty."
After watching polar 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.
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!
Deserts aren't empty — they're some of the most extreme, most surprising ecosystems on Earth. From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, life finds a way.
After watching desert video clips, 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. The brochure format gives them room to make it their own
Coral reefs are some of the most crowded, colorful real estate on the planet — underwater cities built by tiny animals and packed with life. From Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the reefs of Indonesia, students will find no shortage of strange, striking creatures to study.
After watching coral reef 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.
Rainforests are the densest, most species-rich ecosystems on Earth. From the Amazon to the jungles of Southeast Asia, they're packed with towering trees and hidden creatures most students will never see anywhere else.
After watching rainforest video clips, 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.
Same pattern as the other two — happy to adjust the opening if "densest, most species-rich" reads too textbook-y for what you want.
The polar regions are the harshest places on Earth, and somehow life thrives there anyway — polar bears in the Arctic, penguins across Antarctica's ice. It's a good ecosystem for showing students that "extreme" doesn't mean "empty."
After watching polar 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.