This web seminar took place on February 11, 2014, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern standard time. The presenters were Andy Anderson and Jennifer Doherty of Michigan State University. This was the ninth web seminar in a series focused on the disciplinary core ideas that are part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The program featured strategies for teaching about life science concepts that answer questions such as "How do organisms interact with the living and nonliving environments to obtain matter and energy?" and "How do matter and energy move through an ecosystem?"

Dr. Anderson and Dr. Doherty began the presentation by discussing the two main strands of the ecosystems disciplinary core idea: community ecology and ecosystem science. They talked about common student preconceptions and strategies for addressing them. Next, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Doherty shared learning progressions for this core idea, showing how student understanding builds from elementary through high school. Last, the presenters described approaches for teaching about ecosystems and shared resources to use with students. Participants had the opportunity to submit their questions and comments in the chat.

A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants' My PD Record and Certificate area in the NSTA Learning Center for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.