Ecosystems & Habitats

36 Skills in Science. 27 are ready to try — three verified questions each, no account needed.

Ready to try

Ages 5–6
Plants and animals in their habitats
Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals and the places they live, connecting organism needs to habitat features
62 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–6
Reducing Human Impact
Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and other living things in the local environment
19 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–8
Habitat Vocabulary
Name and use vocabulary for where living things are found — habitat, environment, microhabitat, conditions, woodland, ocean, desert, rainforest, pond — and use terms to describe what animals need to survive: food, water, shelter, space, an…
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–8
Habitats & Basic Needs
Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how habitats provide for basic needs and how organisms depend on each other
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–7
Living, Dead & Never Alive
Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
47 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–8
Local Plants & Animals
Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats such as under a log or in a pond
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–7
Simple Food Chains
Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify different sources of food
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Animal Groups & Survival
Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive, such as herds, packs, or colonies
34 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Classification Keys
Explore and use classification keys to identify, group, and name living things in local and wider environments
11 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–10
Ecology Vocabulary
Use vocabulary for feeding relationships and ecological roles — producer, consumer, predator, prey, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, food chain, food web, nutrient cycle — and describe how energy and matter flow through ecosyste…
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Food Chains & Energy Transfer
Construct and interpret food chains identifying producers, predators, and prey, and understand energy transfer between trophic levels
12 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Grouping Living Things
Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways based on observable features
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Animal Life Cycles
Describe differences in the life cycles of mammals, amphibians, insects, and birds, comparing metamorphosis with direct development
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Classifying Organisms
Describe how living things are classified into broad groups (micro-organisms, plants, animals) according to common observable characteristics, similarities, and differences
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Communities Protecting Resources
Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment
28 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Evidence-Based Classification
Give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics, using evidence to justify classification decisions
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Matter Cycling in Ecosystems
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment in an ecosystem
33 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Energy Loss Between Levels
Explain how energy is transferred between trophic levels in a food chain, why energy is lost at each stage, and use pyramids of biomass/numbers to represent this
24 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Chromosomes, Genes & DNA
Describe the relationship between chromosomes, genes, and DNA in heredity, including the double helix structure of DNA and the historical roles of Watson, Crick, Franklin, and Wilkins
31 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
Evidence for Evolution
Describe the main types of evidence for evolution: the fossil record (change over time), comparative anatomy (homologous structures), and the geographic distribution of related species
21 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
Extinction & Rapid Change
Explain how environmental change can outpace a species' ability to adapt through natural selection, leading to extinction, using historical and contemporary examples
19 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
Genetic Mutation
Explain genetic mutation as a random change in DNA sequence, describe causes of mutation (e.g. radiation, chemicals, copying errors), and explain that most mutations are neutral, some harmful, and a few beneficial
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
How Natural Selection Works
Explain natural selection as the mechanism of evolution: heritable variation + competition for resources + differential survival and reproduction = change in allele frequency over generations
15 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Species Distribution & Change
Explain how environmental change (climate change, habitat loss, pollution) affects the distribution of species, including range shifts, local extinction, and invasive species
17 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
The Carbon Cycle
Describe the carbon cycle, tracing carbon through photosynthesis, respiration, feeding, decomposition, and combustion, and explain the role of each process
13 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Variation in Species
Explain variation within and between species, distinguishing between continuous variation (e.g. height) and discontinuous variation (e.g. blood group), and between genetic and environmental causes
24 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 13–14
Predicting Inherited Traits
Explain how alleles are inherited in sexual reproduction and use Punnett squares to predict the probability of offspring inheriting a characteristic, including dominant and recessive alleles
15 verified questions on this shelf

Being planted

These Skills are on the map, but their questions are still being written and checked.

Ages 8–9
Changing Environments
Coming soon
Ages 8–11
Human impact on environments
Coming soon
Ages 8–9
Reading Food Web Diagrams
Coming soon
Ages 9–10
Plant & Animal Reproduction
Coming soon
Ages 11–12
Food Webs & Interdependence
Coming soon
Ages 11–12
Pollination & Pollinator Decline
Coming soon
Ages 11–12
The Water Cycle
Coming soon
Ages 12–14
Biodiversity & Resilience
Coming soon
Ages 12–13
Toxins Building Up in Food Chains
Coming soon

Skill names and descriptions include the Marble Skill Taxonomy © Generative Spark, Inc. (withmarble.com), licensed under ODbL 1.0 (database) and CC BY-SA 4.0 (content). Practice questions are GlowGrades's own, each checked by independent verifiers that must agree before a child ever sees it.