Food Chain Unit Plan By Matt Teel and Melissa Coates Unit Plan Objectives Main objective: The main goal of this unit plan is for the students to gain an understanding of the food chain and what it looks like in different habitats. The students will also be able to differentiate between producer, consumer and decomposers as well as carnivore, omnivore, and herbivore. They will also understand how the idea of predator and prey fits into the food chain. They will be able to see how the absence of different parts of the food chain can affect the whole process and the habitat itself. Day 1: Given a blank piece of paper and five cards containing the words “sunlight energy, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and glucose/sugar,” the students will be able to draw, and color, the process of photosynthesis while correctly labeling at least four out of five parts of photosynthesis. Day 2: On a worksheet, given eight pictures of animals such as “cow, rabbit, lion, shark, deer, bear, human, and cat,” the student will be able to correctly identify at least 6 out of 8 pictures as either herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore. Day 3: Given a piece of paper with ten pictures of different animals, the students will be able to correctly identify each animal as being a predator or prey with 80% accuracy (8 out of the 10 pictures). Day 4: The students will correctly answer 3 out of 4 questions about decomposers in the form of a written exit slip. The students will be placed in teams and participate in a Jeopardy game where they will correctly answer questions to earn points. Day 5: The student will draw and/or cut and paste to create an art representation of a food chain, accompanied by a written form of the food chain, that is 80% accurate to show his/her understanding of the different stages of the food chain and it will be informally presented at the end of the lesson. Unit Plan SOL’s Main SOL:
Science 3.5: (Living Systems) The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include: a) Producer, consumer, decomposer; b) Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and c) Predator and prey. Supporting SOLs: 1. Science 3.10: (Earth Resources) The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include: a) The interdependency of plants and animals; b) The effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat; c) The effects of fire, flood, disease, and erosion on organisms; and d) Conservation and resource renewal. 2. English 3.9: (Writing) The student will write for a variety of purposes. a) Identify the intended audience. b) Use a variety of prewriting strategies. c) Write a clear topic sentence focusing on the main idea. d) Write a paragraph on the same topic. e) Use strategies for organization of information and elaboration according to the type of writing. f) Include details that elaborate the main idea. g) Revise writing for clarity of content using specific vocabulary and information. 3. Physical Education 3.1: (Skilled Movement) The student will apply locomotor, non-‐ locomotor, and manipulative skills in increasingly complex movement activities. a) Demonstrate most of the critical elements (small, isolated parts of the whole skill or movement) for manipulative skills (e.g., throw and catch a variety of objects, kick to stationary and moving partners/objects, dribble with dominant hand/foot, pass a ball to a moving partner). b) Use manipulative skills in movement combinations (e.g., perform manipulative tasks while dodging and moving in different pathways; catch a rolled ball while moving, and throw it back to a partner). c) Demonstrate moving to a rhythm (e.g., perform simple dances in various formations, develop and refine a creative educational dance sequence). d) Refine individual gymnastics skills, and perform educational gymnastic sequences with balance, transfer of weight, travel, and change of direction.
4. Fine Arts 3.9 (Visual Communication and Production) The student will identify and use foreground, middleground, and background in two-‐dimensional works of art. 5. Fine Arts 3.2 The student will describe and use steps of the art-‐making process, including brainstorming, preliminary sketching, and planning, to create works of art. 6. Computer Technology 3-‐5.1 (Basic Operations and Concepts) Demonstrate an operational knowledge of various technologies. a) Use various types of technology devices to perform learning tasks. ● Use a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, touchpad, and other input devices to interact with a computer. ● Demonstrate the ability to perform a wide variety of basic tasks using technology, including saving, editing, printing, viewing, and graphing. b) Communicate about technology with appropriate terminology. ● Use basic technology vocabulary in daily practice.
Day 1 Lesson Plan: Plants as Producers Purpose: This is lesson one of the unit on the “food chain.” So far the students have learned about aquatic and terrestrial habitat. Now that the students have this prior knowledge I will introduce the food chain to build a better understanding of how the animals and plants interact within the habitat. This first day will focus mainly on the idea that most food chains begin with the sun and plants. We will review the steps of photosynthesis in order to discuss that plants are called producers, and how plants are able to produce their own food. After five days of this unit the students will learn what a food chain looks like and understand the importance of food chains in their own lives. Virginia SOL: Science 3.5: (Living Systems) The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include a) Producer, consumer, decomposer; b) Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and c) Predator and prey. Computer Technology 3-5.1 (Basic Operations and Concepts) Demonstrate an operational knowledge of various technologies. a) Use various types of technology devices to perform learning tasks. ● Use a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, touchpad, and other input devices to interact with a computer. ● Demonstrate the ability to perform a wide variety of basic tasks using technology, including saving, editing, printing, viewing, and graphing. b) Communicate about technology with appropriate terminology. ● Use basic technology vocabulary in daily practice. Objective: Given a blank piece of paper and five cards containing the words “sunlight energy, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and glucose/sugar,” the students will be able to draw, and color, the process of photosynthesis while correctly labeling at least four out of five parts of photosynthesis. Procedure: Introduction ● While students sit in groups at their desks tell students that this week, we will be talking about the food chain. Pass out scrap pieces of paper, and ask students to take 2 minutes to write anything that they know, or think they know to be true about food chains. After 2
minutes, ask for students to share things that wrote. Create a KWL chart to hang in the classroom and add to it throughout the unit (auditory & visual) ○ Possible questions if needed: ■ What are the different parts of a food chain? ■ Why do you think food chains are important? ■ Where are you on the food chain? ● Explain that .every living thing needs energy in order to live Every time animals do something, such as running or jumping, they use energy to do so. ● Animals get energy from the food that they eat. All living things get energy from food, including plants. Energy is necessary for living things to grow. ● Plants use sunlight, water and nutrients to get energy. This process is called “Photosynthesis.” ● A food chain shows how each living things get food, and how nutrients and energy are passed from one creature to another. Food chains begin with plant-life, and end with animal-life. Some animals eat plants, some animals eat other animals. ○ Using cut-out pictures, give an example of a simple food chain. Use magnets to post pictures on the board. (pictures attached) Development ● Have students move to the carpet, in order to sit around the white board. Tell students to bring their clipboards. ● Hand out Photosynthesis Vocabulary Worksheet: (visual) ● Write on board, “Plants are called producers.” Explain that this is because they produce their own food! They do this by using light energy from the Sun, carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to produce food - in the form of glucouse/sugar. Note that glucose/sugar is the energy, or food, for the plant. (auditory) ● While students are seated with their photosynthesis worksheet, draw on the whiteboard, the steps of photosynthesis (beginning with the sun). As you draw, have students name out the different steps of photosynthesis. They can use their worksheets, and fill in the blanks as the steps are listed out. (auditory/visual) ○ Example drawing:
● Possible things to say while describing photosynthesis:
○ Photosynthesis is the cycle of plants and how they make energy! ○ The sun (light energy), water, minerals and carbon dioxide are all absorbed by the plant. The plant then uses them to make glucose/sugar, which is the energy/food for the plant. ○ Oxygen is also produced by the plant in this cycle, which is then let off into the air! ○ Have you noticed how clean and pure the air feels when there are plants around? They are filling the air with oxygen!
Summary ● Have students move back to their seats. On the smartboard share the following game that illustrates the process of photosynthesis: http://www.wonderville.ca/asset/photosynthesis
● Have a few students come up to the board and drag the items to complete the animation of photosynthesis. (tactile, visual) ● Preview that within the food chain, some animals eat plants in order to have energy. Materials: ● Photosynthesis Worksheet, found at: http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/photosynthesis/ ● Animal Cutouts (Used in introduction) ● Many of the facts and information on food chains was adapted from various websites, including: ○ http://www.wonderville.ca/asset/photosynthesis ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/produce rsconsumers.htm ○ http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/photosynthesis/ Evaluation A: ● The students will demonstrate their understanding by drawing and labeling the process of photosynthesis. ● The students must correctly label 4 out of the 5 parts of photosynthesis, and show the order in which the cycle flows using arrows. ● For strugglers: Have the picture still up on the whiteboard but without the labels.
● For advanced students: Give them cards with more vocabulary words from the lesson so they have to choose the appropriate ones for their picture. Could also not give them cards at all and have them produce the terms on their own. Have these students label any other terms they remember from the lesson. ● The students will be given 5-10 minutes to complete this assignment and then it will be turned in to be graded by the teacher. Evaluation B: ● Did the students meet your objectives? ● How do you know? ● Did your lesson accommodate/address the needs of all your learners? ● What were the strengths of the lesson? ● What were the weaknesses? ● How would you change the lesson if you could teach it again?
Name: __________________________________ Instructions: Label the following pictures as Herbivore, Omnivore, or Carnivore.
1. A cow is a __________________________________________.
2. A shark is a_________________________________________.
3. A rabbit is a _________________________________________.
4. A human is an________________________________________.
5. A lion is a ____________________________________________.
6. A deer is a ____________________________________________.
7. A cat is a _____________________________________________.
8. A bear is a ___________________________________________.
Day 2 Lesson Plan Animals as Consumers -‐ Herbivore, Omnivore, Carnivore Purpose: This is lesson two of the unit on the “food chain.” The focus of today’s lesson is on the idea that in the food chain, animals must rely on plant life, and other animal life, in order to survive. Animals are called “consumers” because they cannot make their own food. We will discuss about different kinds of consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores), why they are called consumers, and the interdependency of plants and animals. Virginia SOL: Science 3.5: (Living Systems) The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include a) Producer, consumer, decomposer; b) Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and c) Predator and prey. Science 3.10: (Earth Resources) The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include: a) The interdependency of plants and animals; b) The effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat; c) The effects of fire, flood, disease, and erosion on organisms; and d) Conservation and resource renewal. Computer Technology 3-‐5.1 (Basic Operations and Concepts) Demonstrate an operational knowledge of various technologies. a) Use various types of technology devices to perform learning tasks. ● Use a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, touchpad, and other input devices to interact with a computer. ● Demonstrate the ability to perform a wide variety of basic tasks using technology, including saving, editing, printing, viewing, and graphing. b) Communicate about technology with appropriate terminology. ● Use basic technology vocabulary in daily practice. Objective: On a worksheet, given eight pictures of animals such as “cow, rabbit, lion, shark, deer, bear, human, and cat,” the student will be able to correctly identify at least 6 out of 8 pictures as either herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore.
Procedure: Introduction ● Have the students meet together on the class carpet, around the class bulletin board. State that today we will continue to talk about the food chain. Remind the students that a food chain shows how each living thing gets food, and how nutrients and energy are passed from one creature to another. ● Remind them that yesterday we were talking about producers. Ask for a student to remind the class what a producer is, and why they are called producers. Then, ask if any students can give a few examples of producers. (auditory) ● Discuss how animals and plants rely on one another. Some animals need plants to get energy. But, also some plants need animals in order to grow. Give example of how flowers rely on bees to carry pollen from one flower to another in order to be pollinated. ● Remind students that every living thing needs energy in order to live, and that animals get energy from the food they eat. Some animals eat mainly plants. Some animals eat mainly meat. And, some animals eat both plants and meat. ● Write down the word “Consumer” on the bulletin board. State that animals are called consumers because they cannot make their own food, so they need to consume, or eat, plants and maybe animals. Write definition of consumer next to the word “consumer.” (visual) Development ● Write the following terms on the board: Herbivore, Omnivore, and Carnivore. ○ Ask the students if they can say what each is. If accurate, write down students’ responses next to each term. (auditory) ● For the teacher’s use, here are the accurate definitions. Write these if students are unable to generate definitions. (visual) ○ Herbivores: animals that eat only plants. ○ Carnivores: animals that eat only animals. ○ Omnivores: animals that eat both animals AND plants. (Tell students that humans are also omnivores!) ● Have students copy these definitions in their science notebooks. ● Under each category write: ○ Some herbivores are deer, horses, rabbits, cows, bees, and sheep. They eat plants such as leaves, grass, seeds, roots, and fruits. ○ Some carnivores are lions, tigers, other cats, eagles, hawks, sharks, frogs and spiders. They eat meat such as insects and other animals.
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○ Some omnivores are bears, raccoons, some monkeys and birds. And humans. Read the book Who Eats What by Patricia Lauber. (auditory) ○ Before reading, have students look at the cover and make predictions about the story. ○ Ask them if they can see how the cover illustrates the food chain. ○ During reading, stop when appropriate to discuss the terms “Herbivore, Omnivore, and Carnivore.” After reading the book, ask students to take a few minutes to write 2 examples of herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores in their science notebooks. After a few minutes, ask students to share what they wrote. (visual, auditory) For advanced students, ask them to draw a chain connection between a plant, a herbivore, and a carnivore/omnivore. For strugglers, ask them to write only one example of each category.
Summary ● Have students move back to their seats. On the smartboard share the following game that categorizes herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/animaldi etgame.htm
● Have a few students come up to the board and drag the items to complete the animation of photosynthesis. (tactile, visual) ● Tell students that tomorrow, we will look again at consumers and discuss predators and prey. Materials: ● Who Eats What by Patricia Lauber.
● Herbivore, Omnivore, Carnivore Worksheet ● Many of the facts and information on food chains was adapted from various websites, including: ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain /producersconsumers.htm ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain /producersconsumers.htm Evaluation A: ● The students will demonstrate their understanding by labeling pictures as herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore. ● The students will correctly label at least 6 out of 8 pictures. ● The students will be given 5-‐10 minutes to complete this assignment and then it will be turned in to be graded by the teacher. Evaluation B: ● Did the students meet your objectives? ● How do you know? ● Did your lesson accommodate/address the needs of all your learners? ● What were the strengths of the lesson? ● What were the weaknesses? ● How would you change the lesson if you could teach it again?
Day 3 Lesson Plan: Predators and Prey
Purpose: This is lesson three of the unit on the “food chain.” The focus of today’s lesson is on the idea that within the food chain, some animals must hunt and eat other animals in order to survive. Animals that hunt other animals to get food are called “predators.” Animals that are hunted and eaten as food are called “prey.” Students will learn about what animals are predators and what animals are prey. They will learn about ways in which prey attempt to escape their predators, and features that help predators catch prey. Also, students will also play a game in order to simulate the predator - prey relationship. Virginia SOL: Science 3.5: (Living Systems) The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include a) Producer, consumer, decomposer; b) Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and c) Predator and prey. Physical Education 3.1: (Skilled Movement) The student will apply locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills in increasingly complex movement activities. a) Demonstrate most of the critical elements (small, isolated parts of the whole skill or movement) for manipulative skills (e.g., throw and catch a variety of objects, kick to stationary and moving partners/objects, dribble with dominant hand/foot, pass a ball to a moving partner). b) Use manipulative skills in movement combinations (e.g., perform manipulative tasks while dodging and moving in different pathways; catch a rolled ball while moving, and throw it back to a partner). c) Demonstrate moving to a rhythm (e.g., perform simple dances in various formations, develop and refine a creative educational dance sequence). d) Refine individual gymnastics skills, and perform educational gymnastic sequences with balance, transfer of weight, travel, and change of direction. Objective: Given a piece of paper with ten pictures of different animals, the students will be able to correctly identify each animal as being a predator or prey with 80% accuracy (8 out of the 10 pictures). Procedure: Introduction ● Have students join one another at the carpet.
● Remind students that yesterday we read a book about the food chain. Remind students of the following terms: herbivore, omnivore, carnivore. Ask students to say each term means. ● State that today we will talk about predators and prey within the food chain. Ask a few students the following questions: (auditory) ○ What is a predator? ○ What is a prey? ○ Are predators bad? Why or why not? ○ What physical features help predators catch prey? ○ What behaviors help predators catch prey? ○ What physical features, and behaviors, help prey escape predators? ● Record students’ responses on the white board. But, note the following: (visual) ○ Predators are animals that hunt other animals for food. ■ These animals can be both carnivores and omnivores. ○ The animals that are hunted and eaten by predators are called prey. ■ These animals can be herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. ○ Physical features such as speed, sharp claws, sharp teeth, and strong senses of vision, hearing and smell help predators catch prey. ○ Running fast, or moving quietly are examples of behaviors that help predators catch prey. ○ Being fast helps some prey avoid predators. Also, moving in packs/groups helps some animals escape predators. Having a heightened sense of smell, vision and hearing also helps some prey escape predators. Development ● Read the Scholastic’s book Predator vs. Prey, by Lee Marten. (auditory/visual) ○ While reading have students identify the different animals that are examples of predators and prey. ■ Great horned owl (predator), Skunk (prey) ■ Shark (predator), Seal (prey) ■ Arctic Wolf (predator), Musk Ox (prey) ■ Tiger (predator), Muntjac (prey) ■ Grizzly Bear (predator), Salmon (prey) ○ While reading, stop at times to discuss the before mentioned characteristics that help predators hunt, and the characteristics that help prey survive. ● Have the students move back to their desks, and discuss the game Predator vs. Prey. ● Rules to Predator vs. Prey: (to be played outside) (tactile) ○ Predators: the job of the predator in the game is to leave the “predator zone” and keep the prey from reaching their “safe zones” by tagging them. Note: students should not shove, or push, another student.
○ Prey: the job of the prey is to leave the “prey zone”, and make it safely to a “safe zone” before being tagged by a predator. Note: Depending on the class size, only 3 or 4 prey can be in each safe zone. ○ Here is a picture of the game layout:
○ Divide the students into two groups (predators and prey). ○ Have students begin the game by standing in either the predator zone or the prey zone. ○ When the teacher blows the whistle, the prey must leave the prey zone and run to a safe zone. However, only 3 or 4 students (depending on class size) can fit into each safe zone. ○ While the prey are running to the safe zone, the predators must run and hunt (tag) members of the prey team. The game is over when all prey have made it to the safe zone, or have been caught. ● Take students outside to play the game a few times. Make sure that all students have been able to be both predators and prey. Summary ● Bring students back inside to the classroom. ● Review that the game showed how certain features, such as speed and vision, help predators and prey either hunt or avoid being hunted. (auditory) ○ Before stating features, ask students if they can name the features that helped them either hunt, or escape from being hunted. ● To review before the evaluation, ask a few students to name some predator and prey groups that were mentioned during the book reading. (auditory)
Materials: ● Predator vs. Prey, by Lee Marten.
● Predator/Prey Worksheet ● Many of the facts and information on food chains was adapted from various websites, including: ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/produce rsconsumers.htm ○ http://sites.stedwards.edu/educationportfolios-jsvobod/files/2012/11/Predator-vPrey-Instructional-powerpoint-2d86ovp.pdf Evaluation A: ● The students will demonstrate their understanding by correctly labeling pictures as either predator or prey. ● The students will correctly label at least 8 out of 10 pictures. ● The students will be given 5-10 minutes to complete this assignment and then it will be turned in to be graded by the teacher. Evaluation B: ● Did the students meet your objectives? ● How do you know? ● Did your lesson accommodate/address the needs of all your learners? ● What were the strengths of the lesson? ● What were the weaknesses? ● How would you change the lesson if you could teach it again?
Name: __________________________________________ Instructions: Look at each pair of animals. Next to each picture, identify which one is the predator and which one is the prey. Write down predator or prey next to each picture.
1.
(Great Horned Owl) : ________________________________________
(Skunk) : ______________________________________________________
2.
(Musk Ox) : _____________________________________________
(Arctic Wolf) : __________________________________________
3.
(Grizzly Bear) : __________________________________
(Salmon) : ________________________________________
4.
(Tiger) : ____________________________________________
(Muntjac) : __________________________________________
5.
(Seal) : ________________________________________________
(Great White Shark) : ____________________________
Day 4: Decomposers and the Food Chain Purpose: On day 4 the students will explore the final stage of the food chain: decomposers. The students will also spend time reviewing all the facts they have learned throughout the unit on the food chain. Virginia SOL: Science 3.5: (Living Systems) The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include a) Producer, consumer, decomposer; b) Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and c) Predator and prey. Objective: The students will correctly answer 3 out of 4 questions about decomposers in the form of a written exit slip. Students will be placed in teams and participate in a Jeopardy game where they will correctly answer questions to earn points. Procedure Introduction
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Bring in live worms in an aquarium to show the children. Put the Aquarium on a table with enough space around it for the students to surround. Begin by covering the aquarium with a sheet so the students cannot see what is beneath it. Once all of the children are paying attention and surrounding the table with the aquarium on it reveal the worms! (visual) Explain that worms are considered decomposers and that they are a vital part of the food chain Then have the students return to their seats.
Development
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While the students are moving back to their seats recover the aquarium Before starting the presentation do a read aloud with the book Nature’s Cleaners Pull up PowerPoint presentation about decomposers on the Smart Board. (auditory, visual) Have the children to get out their science notebooks to take notes. Conduct presentation Have children put away their binders and clear their desks Have children count off in 4’s. Tell the children what part of the room they should go to according to the number they were. Pull up the Jeopardy game on the Smart Board. Give directions of how to play the game:
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o To answer the question the students must raise their hands. The teacher will choose which hand went up first. o Students must wait until the entire question is read before raising a hand. This will help to keep children from raising their hands immediately and all at once o The student will have 5 seconds to answer the question o A correct answer will give the group the corresponding point value and the option to pick the next category. o Incorrect answers will result in the loss of points o The teacher will write the points for each team on the white board for everyone to see o The winning team is the team who was awarded the most points after all of the questions on the board have been chosen. Play the Game Congratulate the winners and inform them they have received an extra bonus point on their test!
Summary
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After the game is over, hand out notecards and have the children write their name, two facts about decomposers and 2 examples of a decomposer to be turned in as an exit slip. Pull up last slide of PowerPoint on the Smart Board with instructions. Have children line up for their next class with exit slip in hand to be given to the teacher as they exit the classroom.
Materials:
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Live worms in a medium sized glass aquarium with cover. Include habitat (dirt, leaves, lettuce, spray bottle full of water) Sheet PowerPoint on decomposers (see attached) Nature’s Cleaners by Bobbie Kalman
Jeopardy Review Game (template from http://www.edtechnetwork.com/powerpoint.html) Blank, lined notecards
Evaluation A:
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The students will fill out an exit slip. The exit slip questions will be on the last slide of the PowerPoint asking for 2 facts and 2 examples of decomposers. Students should be able to get 3 out of 4 correct. The Jeopardy game will be used as a review of the material. To show knowledge of the different parts of the food chain the students will correctly answer questions. This knowledge is shown in the form of points a team accumulates during the game. The hope is for each team to have points/answered a question correctly.
Evaluation Part B: Did the students meet your objectives? And how do you know?
Did your lesson accommodate/address the needs of all your learners?
What were the strengths of the lesson?
What were the weaknesses?
How would you change the lesson if you could do it again?
Day 5: Food Chain Review/conclusion/Art Activity Purpose: So far the students have explored the different parts of the food chain. For this lesson the students will use the knowledge they received from the four previous lessons to create their own food chain while reviewing terms. The students will also play a review game to prepare them for a test on food chains. Objective
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The student will draw and/or cut and paste to create an art representation of a food chain, accompanied by a written form of the food chain, that is 80% accurate to show his/her understanding of the different stages of the food chain and it will be informally presented at the end of the lesson.
Virginia SOL: Science 3.5: (Living Systems) The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include -‐ -‐ -‐
a) Producer, consumer, decomposer; b) Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and c) Predator and prey.
Fine Arts 3.2 The student will describe and use steps of the art-making process, including brainstorming, preliminary sketching, and planning, to create works of art. Fine Arts 3.9 (Visual Communication and Production) The student will identify and use foreground, middleground, and background in two-dimensional works of art.
Procedure Introduction
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Begin by introducing the activity and passing out the instructions. Go through the instructions with the class Have a brief review/brainstorm of what the different habitats and food chains include and would look like.
Development
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Talk about how to go about planning and brainstorming for the project, draw example on the board (auditory, visual) Give students 5-‐10 minutes to think of what they would want to do and have them sketch and plan it out on a piece of paper Instruct each table to pick one student to retrieve a bucket of supplies: prepare buckets for each table ahead of time with the poster boards, construction paper and magazines
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Have children start the process. Walk around the classroom to make sure the children are on task and to be available for any questions. Give the students time reminders when there are 15,10, 5 and 1 minutes left to work on their artwork. Have the students clean up and return bins of materials. Have them clear the tables to prepare for the presentations.
Summary
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Presentations: instruct the children to stand at their seats to tell the class about their artwork. Randomly choose students to share by picking name sticks (kinesthetic) After every child has presented, instruct the students (call them table by table) to place their finished products on the counter by the window to finish drying. Ask the children to share what they learned by doing this project.
Materials
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Printed out directions and requirements for each student (see attached) Tubs, one for each table Construction paper in many different colors Magazines 11” x 14” poster boards, one for each student
Evaluation A
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Check to see if all the steps were followed by the student Check to see if the student has included all the requirements listed in the directions Take brief notes on the short presentations given by the students. Did he/she show understanding of what they created and how it connects to the food chain? For strugglers: Presentation skills and artistic skill will not be taken into consideration for anyone, unless it seems to be the product of a child’s poor effort (can only be determined by observation). For advanced students: Encourage these students and any other students who finish early to write about their artwork. They can create a narrative story or explain their food chain in paragraph form.
Evaluation Part B: Did the students meet your objectives? And how do you know?
Did your lesson accommodate/address the needs of all your learners?
What were the strengths of the lesson?
What were the weaknesses?
How would you change the lesson if you could do it again?
Food Chain Collage Directions **Read through directions before beginning this assignment Step 1: Choose a food chain and habitat Step 2: On a separate piece of paper, plan how you will create your artwork. Step 3: Create your collage and write out the food chain and which habitat you choose (on a separate piece of paper). You will create a scene of a food chain within its habitat. In your artwork and written assignment you must include:
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The name of the animal/plant Label each part of the cycle (producer, consumer, decomposer) Label each animal/plant as a carnivore, omnivore or herbivore Label ONE example of predator and prey
Step 4: Share your project with the class
Name: __________________________________
Food Chain Test Use the “Word Bank” words to fill in the blanks to the following questions. Answer all questions. Word Bank Words: Consumer, Producer, Sun, Carnivore, Prey, Decomposer, Food chain, Omnivore, Herbivore, Predator, Photosynthesis 1. A plant is called a ________________ because it is able to make its own food. 2. Plants produce their own food through the process of ___________________. 3. A living thing that eats other living things in order to survive is called a (an) _______________. 4. All food chains start with the ______________________. 5. An animal that eats both animals and plants is called a (an) ____________________. 6. An animal that eats only plants is called a (an) _____________________________. 7. A living thing that breaks down and feeds on the remains of dead things is called a ____________________. 8. An animal that is hunted for food by another animal is called ___________________. 9. When one animal eats another animal, or plant, they both become part of a ____________________. 10. An animal that only eats other animals is called a ____________________________. 11. An animal that hunts other animals for food is called a (an) ____________________.
Resources Day 1 Lesson Plan Resources: Materials: ● Photosynthesis Worksheet, found at: http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/photosynthesis/ ● Animal Cutouts (Used in introduction) ● Many of the facts and information on food chains was adapted from various websites, including: ○ http://www.wonderville.ca/asset/photosynthesis ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain /producersconsumers.htm ○ http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/photosynthesis/ Day 2 Lesson Plan Resources: Materials: ● Who Eats What by Patricia Lauber.
● Herbivore, Omnivore, Carnivore Worksheet
● Many of the facts and information on food chains were adapted from various websites, including: ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain /producersconsumers.htm ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain /producersconsumers.htm Day 3 Lesson Plan Resources:
Materials: ● Predator vs. Prey, by Lee Marten.
● Predator/Prey Worksheet
● Many of the facts and information on food chains was adapted from various websites, including: ○ http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain /producersconsumers.htm ○ http://sites.stedwards.edu/educationportfolios-‐ jsvobod/files/2012/11/Predator-‐v-‐Prey-‐Instructional-‐powerpoint-‐ 2d86ovp.pdf Day 4 Lesson Plan Resources: ● Nature’s Cleaners by Bobbie Kalman
● PowerPoint presentation retrieved from piers.wikispaces.com/file/view/Decomposers.ppt (made some changes) ● Jeopardy Review Game (template from http://www.edtechnetwork.com/powerpoint.html)
Day 6: Final Test Questions for this test were adapted from the following website: http://www.quia.com/rr/53234.html
