Last updated: January 17, 2024
Lesson Plan
Food Web Frenzy
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- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3, G.9.K.1, G.9.1.1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-3, 6-ESS3-3, 7-LS2-1, 7-LS2-3, 7-ESS2-1
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts.
Essential Question
How are animals connected to one another in an ecosystem?
How does an ecosystem remain in balance?
Objective
Students will be able to identify and explain how food chains and webs are composed, and understand the interconnectedness of Buffalo National River wildlife, and how protecting one species can affect many.
Background
John Muir said, “when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” Muir was right in suggesting that all wildlife species are interconnected and interdependent upon each other, meaning that a change in one species can cause changes in other species as well.
Preparation
Ensure all materials are gathered prior to start of lesson. Materials include:
- Wildlife Name Tags
- Ball of Yarn
Lesson Hook/Preview
Wildlife species at Buffalo National River live in a variety of habitats, but are interconnected and dependent on each other for survival, reminding us of our own dependence on the earth and moving us to protect individual species for the sake of all species.
- Defining "habitat" - What is a habitat?
Procedure
Step 1: Either provide or have students take out a piece of paper and drawing utensils. Divide the paper into 4 sections. Have students draw wildlife that may be present at Buffalo National River. Have participants describe what they drew afterwards individually or in groups.
Step 2: Lead the discussion to food chains and food webs of wildlife at Buffalo National River. Hand out widlife name tags to handful of students and ask them to order themselves in a food chain from the bottom up. Discuss placement after.
Step 3: Hand out remaining wildlife tags to all students, then have them form in a circle. Provide ball of yarn and connect each student to the web starting with the bottom of the chain.
Step 4: Remove an individual from the circle. Note the effect this has on the entire ecosystem.
Step 5: Remark on how everything is connected, and tie this to the wildlife at Buffalo National River.
Vocabulary
Food chain, food web, habitat, producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, top predators