Introduction
Food Webs
Food webs show the flow of energy in a community. All living things need energy to live. Food webs give us a way to show how this process works. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to explore the amazing process connecting plants and animals through the study of food webs. As always, should any member of your team fail to learn something new, I will disavow all knowledge of your research. I have sent over some information to provide you with some background knowledge on the subject. Be sure to take a look! This assignment will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck teams!
Task
Task
As a class, we will divide into 4 groups of 2 students each. Each group will be responsible for completing a food web for your assigned area using descriptions, comparisons, associations, applications, and illustrations. Complete the reading and writing activities and the cube as a group, ensuring that each student has participated. When all activities are completed, you will work on developing a food web using the illustrations and tasks you have created together as a group.
Group 1: Australian Grasslands
Group 2: Antarctic
Group 3: African Grasslands
Group 4: Marine
Process
Process
1. As a group, divide the following roles:
a. Leader
b. Materials Manager
c. Scribe
d. Illustrator
e. Presenter
2. Before continuing with the task, all group members must review using the following websites:
a. http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/ecosystems/food-webs.htm
b. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/food-web/?ar_a=1
c. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/foodchain.htm
3. After reviewing the websites complete the following worksheet:
Food Web
1. For the food web, label each organism: (Some may have more than one label)
P = Producer | 1 = Primary Consumer | 2= Secondary Consumer | 3 = Tertiary Consumer | | 4 Quaternary Consumer
2. Now label each animal as either a : H = herbivore C = carnivore O = omnivore
4. After completing the worksheet follow the next steps to gather more information about your assigned area:
I. Read across content areas.
a. Read the link related to your assigned region with information about the terrain, the animals, the food sources, and indigenous people.
1. African Grassland
http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=2&detID=1224
http://www.esc9.net/pages/uploaded_files/african%20grassland.pdf
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/african-savanna-illustration/?ara=1
2. Marine
http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Life-in-the-Sea/Science-Ideas-and-Concepts/
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/marine-food-webs/?ar_a=1
3. Australian Grassland
https://prezi.com/pigl012124wy/australian-grassland-food-web/
http://www.savanna.org.au/qld/mg/mgplants.html
4. Antarctic
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/wildlife/whales/food-web.php
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/antarctica_animal.php
b. Use the Peer-reading strategy to read the information related to their region.
c. As you read, the scribe will take note of the content vocabulary and the meaning of the words.
1. decomposer
2. consumer
3. producer
4. herbivores
5. carnivores
6. omnivore
d. The leader of the group will choose one of the following tasks to share with their group. Follow the following links to help complete the Food Web for your region and summarize the information on your journals.
1. Consumer Researcher - Where do they sit in the food chain? What are some examples? Add any additional facts that may contribute to your argument on why consumers are important to the ecosystem.
a. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/
b. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/food- chain/? ar_a=1
c. http://www.geography4kids.com/files/land_foodchain.html
2. Producer Research - Where do they sit in the food chain? What are some examples? Add any additional facts that may contribute to your argument on why producers are important to the ecosystem.
a. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/
b. http://idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/food_chain/facts.cfm
c. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/food-chain/?ar_a=1
3. Decomposer Research - Where do they sit in the food chain? What are some examples? Add any additional facts that may contribute to your argument on why decomposers are important to the ecosystem.
a. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/
b. http://idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/food_chain/facts.cfm
c. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/food-chain/?ar_a=1
II. Write across content areas
a. Use the following chart to describe what you already know of your assigned region.
|
Characteristics |
Animals |
Food source |
Indigenous people |
Terrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Antarctic |
|
|
|
|
|
African Grassland |
|
|
|
|
|
Australian Grassland |
|
|
|
|
|
Marine |
|
|
|
|
b. Write the content vocabulary words on your vocabulary journals. Write a sentence and an example of an animal or plant that represents the word.
c. Write two to five sentences on your journals that summarize the importance of the food web in your assigned regions.
d. Have students discuss their charts and read their journal entries with their group peers.
5. Complete the following Cube as a group to organize your information and construct your food web.
a. Side one: Describe the region your group was assigned. List the animals and plants associated with your group’s assigned area.
b. Side two: Explain your assigned region and how the plants and animals are connected.
c. Side three: Connect the plants and animals of your assigned area. Design a basic structure for your food web.
d. Side four: Review and discuss your group’s assigned area and food web. Give details of the animals and details of how the food web is constructed.
e. Side five: Apply the analyses to your illustrations and construct your food web, as a group.
6. Construct a Food Web for your assigned region using the Chart and Cube completed throughout the lesson.
a. Use the following template as a guide to complete your Food Web.
b. Construct your food web.
1. Materials needed
a. Cardboard
b. Coloring pencils or crayons
c. Markers
d. Magazines for illustrations
e. Construction Paper
f. Glue
2. The leader will assign the tasks to the members of the team and edit the presentation.
3. The materials manager will get all the supplies needed for the assignment and put them back when finished.
4. The illustrator will cut all the necessary animals and plants from the magazines and glue them on the cardboard.
5. The scribe will write all the information on the cardboard. Label the animals and plants on the Food Web.
6. The presenter will present and discuss their final product to the class.
Evaluation
Evaluation
This is how your work will be evaluated.
| Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Qualified 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content/Accuracy | Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual error. It is difficult to understand the topic. | The content is generally accurate, but some information is clearly flawed or inaccurate. | Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that might be inaccurate. | All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are no factual errors. | |
| Use of Illustrations | Little to no illustrations that are appropriate. | Some illustrations are appropriate. | Most illustrations are appropriate. | All illustrations are appropriate and support the theme and content of the project. | |
| Spelling and Grammar | Presentation has 5 or more grammatical errors. | Presentation has 3-4 grammatical errors. | Presentation has 1-2 grammatical errors. | Presentation has little to no grammatical errors. | |
| Effectiveness | Little to none of the presentation effectively communicates the information in an appropriate or academic manner. | Some of the presentation effectively communicates the information in an appropriate and academic manner. | Most of the presentation effectively communicate the information in an appropriate and academic manner. | Presentation effectively communicates the information in an appropriate and academic manner. | |
| Sequencing of Information | Little to no information is organized. | Information is somewhat organized. | Information is mostly organized. | Information is organized. | |
| Research | Student didn’t conduct the research in a timely and appropriate manner. | Student somewhat conducted the research in a timely and appropriate manner. | Student mostly conducted the research in a timely and appropriate manner. | Student conducting the research in a timely and appropriate manner. | |
| Individual Participation | Student hardly participated on the project. | Student somewhat participated. | Student participated in the project and was an important aspect of the team. | Student has shown leadership and participated throughout the project. |
Conclusion
Conclusion
Now that you have completed your mission, let’s take a look at what you have learned.
a. Energy travels through the food web
b. The sun is the ultimate source of energy.
c. A food web has consumers, producers, and decomposers.
d. Producers make their own food like plants.
e. Primary consumers get their food from producers.
f. Secondary Consumers get their food from primary consumers and producers.
g. Decomposers break down producers and consumers to continue the food web.
To finish your mission, answer this question
What do you think would happen if one part of the Food Web you created dies off?
Congratulations!
Credits
Credits
Food Web (n.d.) [Worksheet] Retrieved from googleimages.com
Food Webs. (n.d.) [Video] Retrieved from http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/ecosystems/food-…
National Geographic Education. (2015). Retrieved from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/food-web…
Slide pictures. (n.d.). [Images] Retrieved from http://googleimages.com
The Food Chain. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/fo…
Author Biography
Deljim Rodriguez
I am a third-grade teacher at Crossroads Academy @ Hunting Park. I've been teaching for almost two years and looking forward for the next years to come.
Teacher Page
by
Deljim Rodriguez
Teacher Introduction
This activity is designed for a third-grade class. The students will learn the importance of the connections that exist between animals and plants. In addition, the students will discuss the negative effects that the removal of a link causes on the environment. The activities in this lesson take the students on a journey throughout different regions of the earth.
Standards
English Language Arts
A. Reading
R3.A.2.3.1: Make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on information from text.
1.2.3.E: Read, understand, and respond to essential content of text in all academic areas.
B. Writing
1.5.3.B: Develop content appropriate for the topic.
Gather and organize information, incorporating details relevant to the topic.
Write a series of related sentences or paragraphs with one central idea.
Science
3.1.3.A2: Describe the basic needs of living things and their dependence on light, food, air, water, and shelter.
S3.B.2: Continuity of Life
Math
2.6.3.D: Analyze data shown in tables, charts, diagrams, and graphs; compare the data from two categories displayed in a graph and compare representations of a set of data in different graphs.
Social Studies
7.1.3.B: Identify and locate places and regions as defined by physical and human features.
Teacher Process
For Advanced Students:
Advanced students can select and study one of the following areas: consumer, producer, or decomposer. They will use the information to create a food chain and write a couple of paragraphs in a word document on what would happen if the level they selected was eliminated from the food chain.
Consumer Researcher - Where do they sit in the food chain? What are some examples? Add any addition facts that may contribute to your argument on why consumers are important to the ecosystem.