Causation CardsCausation CardsEcosystemsEngaging & Interactive

Builds Fluency

Teacher’s Page

Causation cards are a fun, interactive way to review vocabulary and concepts that students need to learn. In addition,

this engaging activity helps improve fluency and listening skills.

So how do causation cards work? The method is similar to the “I have… who has…” cards, where each student has to

listen carefully to other students to know when it is their turn. However, causation cards do not contain a repeated

language (like “I have… who has…”). Instead it will state an action that a student must perform and a statement they

must say. The action can be something simple from jumping in the air to drawing on the board. The statement can be a

definition of a term or related concept.

In this resource, you will find the end of a statement the previous student said in green (or in bold in the black and white

version), the action to be performed in blue, (or in italics in the black and white version) and what that particular student

who has the card says in regular black font. I have also placed numbers on each card so you know if you have all your

cards and what order they go in. Finally, along the border you will find the prop needed to complete the action, if it

applies.

This activity can be used as a quick review or as an introduction. You can challenge students to go through the entire set

as fast as they can or to beat their previous record.

I hope you enjoy this fun activity!

© The Owl Teacher 2015

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

Starting Card

Stand and say:

This is an ecosystem review just

for you.

Let’s get started with card

number two!

…number two!

Stand and say:

An ecosystem is made up of all

the living and nonliving things in an environment. (Jump up and

down.) I’m a living thing (then

point to your desk) and this is

NOT a living thing!

…a living thing!

Stand and say: That’s refreshing!

Stand and say:All those living things, like plants

and animals, are called biotic factors in an environment and

those nonliving things are abiotic.

Those are things like rocks, soil,

and this water. (Take a drink of

water.) That’s refreshing!

Ecosystems can be really small

like a mud puddle or really (spread arms out far), really

large like the ocean.

cup of water

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…the ocean.

Stand and say:

Ecosystems have different

populations of species. A population is all of one kind. We are a

population of human beings! (Point

to a student) You are (point to

another student) and you are!

…you are!

Stand and say:

(Go to the board and draw 2

frogs.) This is a population of frogs. Ribbit, ribbit!

Ribbit, ribbit!

Stand and say:

…the pond.

Stand and say:

(Go to the board and draw a

pond around the two frogs.) The specific place the frog lives is

called a habitat. Here the frog’s

habitat is the pond.

In that same pond, there could

also be a population of lily pads and cattails. (Add cattails and lily

pads to the drawing.)

Ecosystems

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Ecosystems

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…and cattails.

Stand and say:

All of these different populations

together form a community. (Go to the board and make one big

circle around them. Then label it

as a community.)

…a community.

Stand and say:

(Stand up and hold your hand out

like you are stopping someone one.) Wait! We live in a

community.

…a community.

Stand and say:

…exhausting work!

Stand and say:

Right! Our community is made

up of a population of people, a population of squirrels, a

population of trees. Wow, I could

go on all day (act tired) but that

is exhausting work!

(Go to the board and erase it.)

Okay, okay. I think I get it now. But wait, what is a biome?

Ecosystems

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Ecosystems

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…a biome?

Stand and say:

A large group of similar ecosystems

are a biome. They have similar weather, rainfall, plants, and

animals. Like the rainforest in

Africa and in South America. (Point

to these countries on a map or

globe.)

…South America.

Stand and say:

Or like the desert in Antarctica

and the desert in Africa. (Crawl over to the person who had the

water previously.) MUST. HAVE.

WATER.

HAVE. WATER.

Stand and say:

…ice. Brrr…

Stand and say:

Deserts are hot! Antarctica is

NOT! Antarctica is very, very cold. It’s nothing but ice. Brrr…

(Shiver and act really cold.)

Actually, a desert is defined by its

lack of rain. Since Antarctica gets hardly any rain, it IS a desert. No

umbrellas needed there! (Put your

umbrella up against the trash.)

map or globe

umbrella

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

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…needed there!

Stand and say:

But you will need that umbrella in

the rainforests. (Go over and pick up the umbrella.) It is hot and

humid there – oh, and really,

really rainy! (Open the umbrella.)

…really rainy!

Stand and say:

The rainforests also have a wide

variety of plants and animals there like mosses, ferns, sloths, brightly

colored birds, and flying squirrels.

(Pretend to fly around the room.)

…flying squirrels.

Stand and say:…but trees!

Stand and say:Another type of forest is called

temperate forests. These forests have lots of trees but they don’t get as much

rain. They also have summer and

winter seasons. (Put your hand on your

forehead and pretend to be trying to

see.) I can’t see anything but trees!

In temperate forests some trees

lose their leaves in the winter and regrow them in the spring. The

other trees have pokey needles

that they never lose. (Pretend to

get poked.) OUCH!

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

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…lose. OUCH!

Stand and say:

Temperate forests have animals

like foxes, rabbits, and big… scary… ferocious… black bears.

(Growl and act like a bear.)

…black bears.

Stand and say:

You totally didn’t scare me. I know

about bears – big white polar bears. They can survive in the polar region

where it’s really cold. (Act scared by

ducking down behind a chair.) Wait,

what was that noise? Did you hear

it?

…hear it?

Stand and say:

…an igloo!

Stand and say:

The polar region is sometimes

called a tundra because it’s covered in ice and it lacks trees. It hardly

has any animal or plant life. The sun

also doesn’t shine much so the ice

doesn’t melt very well. (Point off in

the distance.) I think I see an igloo!

There are also grasslands. These are

really wide areas of land that are covered in tall grasses. (Lift up legs

and pretend like you are trying to

walk through the tall grass.) Wow,

someone really needs to mow.

Ecosystems

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Ecosystems

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…to mow.

Stand and say:

The name of a savannah depends on

where you live. In Africa they are called savannahs. Giraffes,

elephants, and lions live in this

ecosystem. (Pound your chest.) I’m

king of the savannah!

…the savannah!

Stand and say:

Some biomes are aquatic. The

ocean is the largest ecosystem. It is full of many animals. Like my

favorite – the crab. (Get down on

the floor, on all fours – backwards -

and crawl like a crab.)

…the crab.

Stand and say:…find crocodiles.

Stand and say:Another aquatic biome is

freshwater biomes. That would be things like lakes, rivers, streams, and

ponds. Wetlands are a freshwater

ecosystem that is very important.

That’s where you can find

crocodiles. (Form your arms together like a crocodile’s jaw and

pretend to chomp people.)

There you have it! All the

information about ecosystems. I’m thirsting to learn more about these

environments! (Look around like you

lost something.) Where did that

water go?

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

© T

he O

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Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

Starting Card

Stand and say:

This is an ecosystem review just

for you.

Let’s get started with card

number two!

…number two!

Stand and say:

An ecosystem is made up of all

the living and nonliving things in an environment. (Jump up and

down.) I’m a living thing (then

point to your desk) and this is

NOT a living thing!

…a living thing!

Stand and say: That’s refreshing!

Stand and say:All those living things, like plants

and animals, are called biotic factors in an environment and

those nonliving things are abiotic.

Those are things like rocks, soil,

and this water. (Take a drink of

water.) That’s refreshing!

Ecosystems can be really small

like a mud puddle or really (spread arms out far), really large

like the ocean.

cup of water

© T

he O

wl T

each

er 2

015

…the ocean.

Stand and say:

Ecosystems have different

populations of species. A population is all of one kind. We are a

population of human beings! (Point

to a student) You are (point to

another student) and you are!

…you are!

Stand and say:

(Go to the board and draw 2

frogs.) This is a population of frogs. Ribbit, ribbit!

Ribbit, ribbit!

Stand and say:

…the pond.

Stand and say:

(Go to the board and draw a pond

around the two frogs.) The specific place the frog lives is

called a habitat. Here the frog’s

habitat is the pond.

In that same pond, there could

also be a population of lily pads and cattails. (Add cattails and lily

pads to the drawing.)

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

© T

he O

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each

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015

…and cattails.

Stand and say:

All of these different populations

together form a community. (Go to the board and make one big

circle around them. Then label it

as a community.)

…a community.

Stand and say:

(Stand up and hold your hand out

like you are stopping someone one.) Wait! We live in a

community.

…a community.

Stand and say:

…exhausting work!

Stand and say:

Right! Our community is made

up of a population of people, a population of squirrels, a

population of trees. Wow, I could

go on all day (act tired) but that

is exhausting work!

(Go to the board and erase it.)

Okay, okay. I think I get it now. But wait, what is a biome?

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

© T

he O

wl T

each

er 2

015

…a biome?

Stand and say:

A large group of similar ecosystems

are a biome. They have similar weather, rainfall, plants, and

animals. Like the rainforest in

Africa and in South America. (Point

to these countries on a map or

globe.)

…South America.

Stand and say:

Or like the desert in Antarctica

and the desert in Africa. (Crawl over to the person who had the

water previously.) MUST. HAVE.

WATER.

HAVE. WATER.

Stand and say:

…ice. Brrr…

Stand and say:

Deserts are hot! Antarctica is

NOT! Antarctica is very, very cold. It’s nothing but ice. Brrr…

(Shiver and act really cold.)

Actually, a desert is defined by its

lack of rain. Since Antarctica gets hardly any rain, it IS a desert. No

umbrellas needed there! (Put your

umbrella up against the trash.)

map or globe

umbrella

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

© T

he O

wl T

each

er 2

015

…needed there!

Stand and say:

But you will need that umbrella in

the rainforests. (Go over and pick up the umbrella.) It is hot and

humid there – oh, and really,

really rainy! (Open the umbrella.)

…really rainy!

Stand and say:

The rainforests also have a wide

variety of plants and animals there like mosses, ferns, sloths, brightly

colored birds, and flying squirrels.

(Pretend to fly around the room.)

…flying squirrels.

Stand and say:…but trees!

Stand and say:Another type of forest is called

temperate forests. These forests have lots of trees but they don’t get as much

rain. They also have summer and

winter seasons. (Put your hand on your

forehead and pretend to be trying to

see.) I can’t see anything but trees!

In temperate forests some trees

lose their leaves in the winter and regrow them in the spring. The

other trees have pokey needles

that they never lose. (Pretend to

get poked.) OUCH!

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

© T

he O

wl T

each

er 2

015

…lose. OUCH!

Stand and say:

Temperate forests have animals

like foxes, rabbits, and big… scary… ferocious… black bears.

(Growl and act like a bear.)

…black bears.

Stand and say:

You totally didn’t scare me. I know

about bears – big white polar bears. They can survive in the polar region

where it’s really cold. (Act scared

by ducking down behind a chair.)

Wait, what was that noise? Did you

hear it?

…hear it?

Stand and say:

…an igloo!

Stand and say:

The polar region is sometimes

called a tundra because it’s covered in ice and it lacks trees. It hardly

has any animal or plant life. The sun

also doesn’t shine much so the ice

doesn’t melt very well. (Point off in

the distance.) I think I see an igloo!

There are also grasslands. These are

really wide areas of land that are covered in tall grasses. (Lift up legs

and pretend like you are trying to

walk through the tall grass.) Wow,

someone really needs to mow.

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

© T

he O

wl T

each

er 2

015

…to mow.

Stand and say:

The name of a savannah depends on

where you live. In Africa they are called savannahs. Giraffes,

elephants, and lions live in this

ecosystem. (Pound your chest.) I’m

king of the savannah!

…the savannah!

Stand and say:

Some biomes are aquatic. The

ocean is the largest ecosystem. It is full of many animals. Like my

favorite – the crab. (Get down on the

floor, on all fours – backwards - and

crawl like a crab.)

…the crab.

Stand and say:…find crocodiles.

Stand and say:Another aquatic biome is

freshwater biomes. That would be things like lakes, rivers, streams, and

ponds. Wetlands are a freshwater

ecosystem that is very important.

That’s where you can find

crocodiles. (Form your arms together like a crocodile’s jaw and

pretend to chomp people.)

There you have it! All the

information about ecosystems. I’m thirsting to learn more about these

environments! (Look around like you

lost something.) Where did that

water go?

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEcosystems

Ecosystems

© T

he O

wl T

each

er 2

015

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