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.
Climb high into the world of mountains! From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the rugged Rockies, these towering ecosystems challenge life to adapt in amazing ways. 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!
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 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.
From the iconic Red Rock formations of Arches National Park in Utah and the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains, to the unique wetlands of the Everglades, journey through incredible landscapes. Encounter amazing animals like grizzly bears and bobcats, learn about the vital work of protecting ancient redwood forests, and discover how climate change is reshaping these precious wild spaces.
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 Cowboys Are Choosing a Sustainable Future in Montana, host Simon Reeve travels through the Rocky Mountains, which stretch from Canada all the way to New Mexico! In Montana, Simon visits the IX Ranch where he learns how cowboys are using sustainable farming to protect the land, and that cattle outnumber people in the state! Simon joins Rich, the ranch manager, as they dive into the importance of caring for the land to ensure it can keep supporting both cows and future generations. 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.
Discover the beauty of Canada! Take your class on a thrilling journey through Canada’s waterfalls, forests, and frozen wilds with this BBC playlist. From beluga whales to meteor strikes and snowy adventures, these clips bring science and geography to life — no parka required!
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 Twisters in the Great Plains, learn how when warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold air from the Arctic, it results in tornadoes that spin at speeds of over 300 miles an hour. Over a thousand tornadoes touch down in the Great Plains each year. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Rocky Mountains of North America, narrator Douglas Henshall highlights the dynamic landscape of the Rockies. From the American Southwest to the Yukon, this extreme environment offers freedom, but also requires its inhabitants to have exceptional survival skills. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Mountains — Life Above the Clouds, which showcases wildlife thriving in the world's highest mountains.
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.
Climb high into the world of mountains! From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the rugged Rockies, these towering ecosystems challenge life to adapt in amazing ways. 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!
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 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.
From the iconic Red Rock formations of Arches National Park in Utah and the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains, to the unique wetlands of the Everglades, journey through incredible landscapes. Encounter amazing animals like grizzly bears and bobcats, learn about the vital work of protecting ancient redwood forests, and discover how climate change is reshaping these precious wild spaces.
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 Cowboys Are Choosing a Sustainable Future in Montana, host Simon Reeve travels through the Rocky Mountains, which stretch from Canada all the way to New Mexico! In Montana, Simon visits the IX Ranch where he learns how cowboys are using sustainable farming to protect the land, and that cattle outnumber people in the state! Simon joins Rich, the ranch manager, as they dive into the importance of caring for the land to ensure it can keep supporting both cows and future generations. 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.
Discover the beauty of Canada! Take your class on a thrilling journey through Canada’s waterfalls, forests, and frozen wilds with this BBC playlist. From beluga whales to meteor strikes and snowy adventures, these clips bring science and geography to life — no parka required!
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 Twisters in the Great Plains, learn how when warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold air from the Arctic, it results in tornadoes that spin at speeds of over 300 miles an hour. Over a thousand tornadoes touch down in the Great Plains each year. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Rocky Mountains of North America, narrator Douglas Henshall highlights the dynamic landscape of the Rockies. From the American Southwest to the Yukon, this extreme environment offers freedom, but also requires its inhabitants to have exceptional survival skills. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Mountains — Life Above the Clouds, which showcases wildlife thriving in the world's highest mountains.