How I teach the role of fungi in ecosystems (without PowerPoint)

The role of individual organisms is vital to understanding ecosystem functions. Often, the organism—and how it goes about its life—is left in the background as students are taught about abstract energy flows and nutrient cycles.

Students are familiar with their own role in consuming and the growth of plants. Fungi, however, are typically more elusive. To begin understanding nutrient cycling, students need to explore the lives of fungi themselves and how those lives fit into the cycle. In this post, I'll show how I've done this recently with my 11-year-old biology students.

🚨 Update: I've moved to a new home! You can read the newest, updated version of this article on my new website here: https://christianmooreanderson.com/how-i-teach-the-role-of-fungi-in-ecosystems/