Organism Relationships in Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems
Megan Petzold, Jessica Powell, Libbie Breitenbach

3rd Grade

Science 3.5 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.

The timeframe of this lesson is 7 days.
The main SOL for this unit is Science 3.5 which covers the relationships among
organisms. In third grade, the different relationships that are covered are the relationships
among producers, consumers, and decomposers as well as predator and prey. Within the
consumers, the SOL covers the differences between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
Along with teaching the relationships among different organisms is the concept of different
ecosystems. In third grade, the two ecosystems that the students should be familiar with are
the aquatic ecosystem and the terrestrial ecosystem. This unit will enhance learning by
teaching the students about relationships among organisms in many different styles of
learning; there are visual components, auditory components, and physical components as
well. The students will be doing hands on activities as well as seeing real-life examples of
everything they will be learning during this unit. When deciding what order to teach the unit
in, our group factored in prior knowledge. Seeing as you might need to know some of the
previous topics before moving on to the next, we were able to find a good flow for the unit
plan. We concluded that the order should be producers, then consumers, then decomposers
based on the order in which most food chains work. Then, after covering the types of
organisms, we go into detail about predator and prey relationships, in which the students
would need to have already learned about producers and consumers and the differences
between carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. After learning about predator and prey
relationships we teach the lessons on food chains and food webs which would be difficult
without the lesson on predator/prey relationships coming before. Everything seemed to have
had a natural place in terms of flow for our unit plan.
LESSON PLAN #1
Purpose:
 The students have already reviewed habitats. This lesson will be the introduction to plants
as producers by making their own food. It will explain photosynthesis and how plants
need sunlight and water.
 Science 3.5 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.
Objectives:
 Given a National Geographic magazine, the student will identify and record (cut and
glue) 5 plant images with 100% accuracy.
Procedure:
Introduction:
 Read Do Trees Get Hungry? Noticing Plant and Animal Traits by Martha Rustad
 A producer is: an organism, either a green plant or bacterium, which is part of the first
level of a food chain. Plants 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 glucose/sugar.
 The process is called photosynthesis.
 We will watch a Youtube video called Photosynthesis
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuivYRmIACM
Development:
 Have students cut and paste at least 5 plant images on a sheet of paper from a National
Geographic magazine. (V,K)
 Have students label the producers they glued down (V,K)
 Once students have finished labeling, they will turn to a partner and discuss which
animals they put on their paper and which ones they labeled as producers. (A)
 For advanced students:
o Have these students cut and glue more examples of plants. (V,K)
o Have students read books from this unit’s class library. (V)
o Pair them with the students who are struggling.
 For struggling students:
o Check in with them and explain the terms again.
o Allow groups to talk it out.
o Pair them with advanced students for extra support
Summary:
 Have some students share their pictures that they put on their paper.
 Create a list of producers on the board with class
 Students should raise their hand to contribute examples
 Recap what a producer does
Materials:
 National Geographic magazines
 Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers worksheet




Glue
Scissors
Pencils
Unit’s Library
o Do Trees Get Hungry? Noticing Plant and Animal Traits by Martha Rustad
o Where Are The Night Animals by Mary Ann Fraser
o In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
Evaluation Part A:
 Students will complete a plant image sheet. Circulate while students turn and talk with a
partner about the producers they glued on their sheets.
Evaluation Part B:
 Did the students meet your objective?
 How do you know?
 Did your lesson accommodate/address the necessary needs of 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?
Resources: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/do-trees-get-hungry-martha-e-hrustad/1121311881?ean=9781467786058#productInfoTabs
Producers
Decomposers
Consumers
Carnivores
Herbivores
Omnivores
LESSON PLAN #2
Purpose
 As the students have already learned about producers, this lesson will introduce
consumers. It will be important for the student to understand the differences between
producers and consumers and also realize humans are consumers. Producers and
consumers need each other to keep a balance in the world.
 Science 3.5 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:
 Using posters the students made the day before, TSWBAT identify and label the 3
different types of consumers with 100% accuracy.
Procedure:
Introduction:
 State objectives to students (A):
o Review producers
o What is a concumer?
o What is a carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore?
 Students will be asked to get out their science journals. Their entry will be to explain
“what is a producer?” This should only take 3-5 minutes as they learned about producers
yesterday.
 Allow one or two students to share their entry (A).
 Go over actual definition of producers and recap what was learned yesterday (A).
o A producer is: is an organism, either a green plant or bacterium, which is part of
the first level of a food chain. Plants 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 glucose/sugar.
o The process is called photosynthesis.
 Explain to the class that in nature, we have producers, but we also have others who
cannot make food within their bodies; they have to get food by eating. These other
organism who need to eat are called consumers.
 A consumer is: an organism, typically an animal, who feeds on other animals or plants.
 There are three different types of consumers. We classify consumers by what they eat.
Consumers are either a carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore.
 Using the computer and projector, play the Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore Song for the
class and allow student to get up and move during video (A/V/K).
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yrikH2QEFA
Development
 After the video is over, ask the class to have a seat and recall the three types of
consumers mentioned in the video (A).
 Create a chart on the board with three vertical columns labeled “Carnivore, Herbivore,
and Omnivore” (V).
Explain to the kids that a carnivore eats meat. With the class’ help, name three animals
that eat meat and write them under the carnivore column (A/V).
 Explain to the kids that a herbivore eats plants. With the class’ help, name three animals
that eat plants and write them under the Herbivore column (A/V).
 Explain to the kids that an omnivore is a kind of animal that eats either other animals or
plants. Some are scavengers and will eat dead matter, such as Vultures. Many will eat
eggs from other animals. With the class’ help, name three animals that are omnivores and
write them under the omnivore column (A/V).
 Have students cut out and glue at least 5 consumer images (with at least 1 herbivore, 1
carnivore, and 1 omnivore) from a National Geographic magazine onto their worksheet
from the previous day (“Producers, Consumers, Decomposers Worksheet”) (A/V/K/T).
o Have students label any consumers that are herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores,
in the corresponding sections.
 Once students have finished labeling, they will turn to a partner and discuss which
consumers they put on their paper, and whether they are herbivores, carnivores, or
omnivores (A/V).
 Go over anomaly:
o Does anyone know what a Venus flytrap is or has anyone ever heard that name
before?
o Did anyone find a picture of a Venus flytrap today?
o Venus flytraps are interesting plants because they are part producer and part
consumer. Part carnivore, to be exact. They can use photosynthesis to make their
food, but also can eat flies and other bugs as a food source as well.
o They are such an interesting organism that I thought it would be fun to watch a
quick video on them (A/V).
 Venus flytrap video: http://www.discovery.com/tvshows/life/videos/venus-flytrap-catches-flies/
 For advanced students:
o Have these students cut and glue more examples of consumers.
o Have students read books from this unit’s class library.
o Pair them with the students who are struggling.
 For struggling students:
o Check in with them and explain the terms again.
o Have pre-cut images on animals ready for student to glue/ help student to glue.
o Pair them with advanced students for extra support.
Summary:
 To review, class has option to watch the Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore Song video
again, or some students can share the animals that they found and labeled in their
“Producers, Consumers, Decomposers Worksheet”. Take a vote by having the students
raise their hands for the song, and then raise their hands for the sharing option.
Materials:
 National Geographic magazines
 Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers worksheet
 Art supplies (markers, pencils, glue, scissors)
 Venus flytrap video: http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/life/videos/venus-flytrapcatches-flies/


Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore Song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yrikH2QEFA
 Unit’s Library
o Do Trees Get Hungry? Noticing Plant and Animal Traits by Martha Rustad
o Where Are The Night Animals by Mary Ann Fraser
o In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
Evaluation A:
 Throughout the lesson, I will be checking for understanding by asking the students for
thumbs up, if they understand, thumbs down, if they don’t understand, and thumbs
sideways if they do not fully comprehend (A/V/K).
 I will know if they understood the differences between carnivores, herbivores, and
omnivores from the completed Consumer section of their “Producers, Consumers, and
Decomposers Worksheet”.
Evaluation B:
 Did the students meet your objective?
 How do you know?
 Did your lesson accommodate/address the necessary needs of 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?
LESSON PLAN #3
Purpose:
 The students have already been taught producers and consumers. This lesson will review
examples of producers and consumers. Decomposers will be introduced as organisms that
break down other dead or decaying organisms which is important to the cycle of living
things. This allows dead to be broken down and used for nutrients to support the living
such as the decomposers and plants.
 Science 3.5 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.
Objectives:
 Given a National Geographic magazine, the student will identify and record (cut out and
glue) 5 decomposers with 100% accuracy.
Procedure:
Introduction:
 Have the students get out their science journals
 Give everyone 5 minutes to write the definition for producers with 2 examples and the
definition for consumers with an example of an herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore
 Recap these definitions from the previous lessons
 Have the kids call out several examples of each to make sure they understand the
differences
 “We’ve learned about producers and consumers; today we’re going to be learning about
decomposers.”
 Place a clear bucket of compost in the center of the carpet
 Have students tiptoe to the carpet making a circle around the compost
 Ask the students, “What do you notice about the contents of the bucket?”
o Make sure they comment on the worms, rotten smell, soil quality/looks (V, K)
Development:
 Explain that the bucket contains compost which has nutrients for the producers we’ve
been talking about in class.
 The worms in the compost are called decomposers.
 A decomposer is an organism that breaks down other dead or decaying organisms. This
process is called decomposition.
 The worms helped break down the rotting peels and leaves originally in the bucket to
create the compost which now contains a lot of nutrients for the plants to absorb.
 Other organisms such as fungi, bacteria, and some insects are also decomposers like the
Earthworms in the bucket.
 For advanced students:
o Have these students cut and glue more examples of decomposer.
o Pair them with the students who are struggling.
 For struggling students:
o Check in with them and explain the terms again.
o Allow table groups to talk it out.
o
Pair them with advanced students for extra support
Summary:
 Have students cut and paste at least 5 decomposers on their worksheet from a National
Geographic magazine. (V,K)
 Have students label the decomposers they glued down. (V,K)
 While the students are finding their pictures of decomposers, play the Decomposers Song
in the background. (A)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLk-9ib0OVA
Materials:
 Clear bucket of compost with worms
 National Geographic magazines
 Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers worksheet
 Computer with speakers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLk-9ib0OVA
 Pencils
 Glue
 Scissors
Evaluation Part A:
 During the discussion about the compost, make sure each student contributes an
observation before, during, or after explanation of decomposers. Circulate while students
are completing the decomposers section of the Producers, Consumers, and Decomposer
worksheet and look to see if they are picking out worms, bacteria, mushrooms, etc.
Evaluation Part B:
 Did the students meet your objective?
 How do you know?
 Did your lesson accommodate/address the necessary needs of 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?
LESSON PLAN #4
Purpose:
 The students have already been taught producers, consumers and decomposers which will
be reviewed in this lesson. For this lesson, students will learn about the relationship
between predator and prey. Predators are the animals that hunt and eat other animals,
while prey are the hunted that are eaten by other animals. Animals can be both predator
and prey.
 Science 3.5 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.
 Math 3.17 The student will
a) collect and organize data, using observations, measurements,
surveys, or experiments;
b) construct a line plot, a picture graph, or a bar graph to represent
the data; and
c) read and interpret the data represented in line plots, bar graphs,
and picture graphs and write a sentence analyzing the data.
 Computer Technology 3-5.1 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.
Objectives:
 Given a graph, the student will be able to interpret the data and write a sentence
explaining the relationship between predator and prey with 100% accuracy.
 Given animal images, the student will be able to identify the animal as predator and/or
prey with 90% accuracy.
 Given a SMART Board activity, the student will be able to drag and drop images with
100% accuracy.
Procedure:
Introduction:
 Have the students come to the carpet
 Pull up the SMART Board review of producers, consumers, and decomposers
 Ask the students to raise their hands if they know the definition of producer
 Choose one student to answer and then reveal the definition on the SMART Board
 Read the provided definition and address if anything was forgotten in the student’s
definition (A)
 Repeat the above three actions for consumer and decomposer

Call on random students using popsicle sticks with their names to choose 12 more
students to place an image in either the producer, consumer, or decomposer column
(V,K,A)
 Click check and go over any misplaced images
 Move on to the predator and prey slides
Development:
 Predator: an animal that hunts other animals for food to survive.
 Prey: animals that are hunted for food by other animals
 Make sure to talk about how one animal can be both prey to one animal but a predator to
another animal
 Ask the students which of the animals on the slide are predators and/or prey
 Have individual students come up to the board to box predators and circle prey (V)
 Have students walk back to desks
 Hand out Wolves and Moose worksheet
 Have students work independently to answer questions on the Wolves and Moose
worksheet (V)
 Students will answer some questions based on wolves and moose graph
 Students should be able to read and analyze the data in the graph
 Students should understand the relationship between predator and prey
 For advanced students:
o Allow students to read books from the Unit Library.
 For struggling students:
o Provide individual support while everyone is working independently.
Summary:
 Have students place Wolves and Moose worksheets in the middle of their table to be
turned in
 Have the class answer the predator and prey questions on the slide that look for the
definition as the answer (V, A)
 Have students label the consumers as predator and/or prey on their Producers,
Consumers, and Decomposers worksheet (V, K)
 The students should also list what would be the predator if they labeled the animal as
prey and vice versa for an animal labeled as predator
Materials:
 Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers worksheet
 Computer
 SMART Board
 Pencils
 Wolves and Moose worksheet
 Unit’s Library
o Do Trees Get Hungry? Noticing Plant and Animal Traits by Martha Rustad
o Where Are The Night Animals by Mary Ann Fraser
o In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
Evaluation Part A:
 While students are working independently on the Wolves and Moose worksheet, circulate
and look at worksheets to see if each student is understanding the questions by what they
are writing on their paper. They should be accurately answering the population question
and trying their best to answer the relationship questions. The students should be writing
about predator/prey when answering these questions.
 For the Smart Board, make sure students are correctly touching and dragging the items on
the screen.
Evaluation Part B:
 Did the students meet your objective?
 How do you know?
 Did your lesson accommodate/address the necessary needs of 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?
SmartBoard.PredatorPreyLessonUpdated.notebook
April 18, 2017
Organisms tha
own food! Th
using light en
sun, carbon d
air and water f
produc
The proce
photosy
Pull
What are producers?
Animal Relationships
They eat decay
plants and an
process they b
and decompose
happens, they and mineral sa
soil ­ which the
pla
Pull
What are decomposers?
Predator and Prey
Organisms th
their own food
consume (ea
animals Pull
What are consumers?
VA Science SOL 3.5
Mar 14­8:44 PM
Pull
An animal that survives by Pull
Mar 14­4:36 PM
killing and eating other
animals.
another anima
Predator Nov 10­11:31 AM
alligator
What is a predator?
Prey
rabbit
Prey
Mar 14­4:36 PM
Are these animals predators or prey?
Predators
An animal that and caught for bat
lion
starfish
fox
deer
zebra
shark
Mar 17­12:14 PM
ant
Mar 17­11:53 AM
1
Wolves and Moose on Isle Royale
Name___________________________________________________
Date ______________
Wolves and Moose on Isle Royale
3000
2,422
# of animals
2500
2000
1,295
1500
1000
1,355
1,115
1,216
910
610
850
733
500
22
28
18
41
50
22
15
16
29
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
0
Years
Wolves
Year
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
Wolves
22
28
18
41
50
22
15
16
29
Moose
Moose
610
733
1,295
1,355
910
1,115
1,216
2,422
850
Answer the following questions based on the graph and chart above.
1. In which year was the wolf population the largest?
2. In which year was the moose population smallest?
3. In which year was the wolf population largest?
4. In which year was the moose population largest?
5. What do you notice about the relationship between the wolves and the moose?
6. Which animal is the predator? Which is the prey? How do you know?
LESSON PLAN #5
Purpose:
 This lesson will review the relationship between predator and prey. It will also introduce
the concept of food chains in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
 Science 3.5 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 3.4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the purpose for
rules, procedures, etiquette, and respectful behaviors while in various physical activity
settings.
a) Demonstrate independence and good use of time while engaging in
physical activity.
b) Provide input into establishing rules and guidelines for behavior in
physical activity settings.
c) Work cooperatively with peers.
Objectives:
 Given a variety of predator and prey photos, the students will be able to create a food
chain with 100% accuracy as a group during a relay race.
Procedure:
Introduction:
 To get the students interested in the idea of food chains, the lesson will begin with an
activity. The students will use what they’ve learned in the previous lessons about
predators, prey, producers and consumers to help them work as a group.(K)
 There will be four groups: two for aquatic ecosystems and two for terrestrial ecosystems.
Each student will be given a notecard to tape onto their chest with a picture of either a
plant or an animal.
o Aquatic
 Shark→ Dolphin→ Squid→ Shrimp
 Killer Whale→ Sea Lion→ Large fish→ Small fish
o Terrestrial
 Hawk→ Snake→ Mouse→ Nuts
 Grizzly bear→ deer→ berries→ Sun
 All teams will work together to put themselves in the correct order of predator to prey.
They will use what they learned the day before about predator and prey to help them. (K)
 Once all the teams have put themselves in order, the teacher will ask the students to
explain why they put themselves in the order that they did. The teacher will then lead the
class in a discussion about the four chains they put together in the beginning of the
lesson. (A,V)
 The teacher will discuss why each one is the way it is. She will ask the students to come
up with two more living things to add on to each one. (A,V)
o For example, the small fish in the second aquatic food chain could eat algae and
the algae needs the sun to grow.
Development:

For the next part of the lesson, the class will need to go somewhere less confined. They
could go to the gym or they could go outside, whatever is easiest.
 Once in the location, the teacher will put the students into two groups.
 While the students are getting into their groups, the teacher will set up the activity.
o The activity is a relay race to make a food chain. Each student will need to jog to
a cone at one end of the room. At each cone, there will be a set of photos that will
all make up a food chain. One at a time, the students will retrieve the photos and
work together to make up the food chain. The game is not complete until all teams
have finished their food chains correctly.
 For struggling students, they can be given their own set of cards that they can work on
separately and put them into the correct order.
 For advanced students, they can switch sides after the relay and do the food chain
pictures that they didn’t do the first time.
Summary:
 After the activity is over, the students and the teacher will go back to the classroom.
 Everyone will gather on the carpet for a lesson recap.
 The teacher will ask questions about the activity and the lesson:
o How did you feel while trying to put the pictures in the correct order?
o How did you figure out what pictures went where in the food chain?
o How did you use your predator and prey knowledge to help you complete your
food chain?
 Once the students have answered the questions, the teacher will go over how knowing the
difference between predator and prey can help when looking at food chains. They will
explain how some animals can be predators of one thing, but they can also be prey to
another thing. For example, the snake; it is the predator to the mouse, but it is prey to the
hawk.
Materials:
 4 sets of food chain cards for beginning of lesson (4 cards each)
 2 sets of food chain cards for the relay race (8 cards each)
Evaluation A:
 One way that the teacher is going to evaluate whether the students grasped the concept is
the continuing project of making their own food web.
 Specific to this lesson, the teacher is going to give a quick worksheet for the students to
do independently at their desks the next morning to see if they can remember what they
learned about food chains.
Evaluation B:
 Did the students meet your objective?
 How do you know?
 Did your lesson accommodate/address the necessary needs of 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?
SHARK
DOLPHIN
SQUID
SHRIMP
ORCA
SEA LION
LARGE FISH
SMALL FISH
HAWK
SNAKE
MOUSE
NUTS
GRIZZLY BEAR
DEER
BERRIES
SUN
LESSON PLAN #6
Purpose:
 To introduce the intricacy, and sometimes overlapping, of animal and plant interactions
found throughout the world. Animals and plants depend on one another and it is
important to teach students that each cannot exist without the others.
 Science 3.5: 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 SOL - The student will use imaginative and expressive strategies to create
works of art.
Objectives:
 Given art supplies, TSWBAT will create their own food web poster using at least three
predators and three prey animals, including plants, the sun, and a decomposer, with 100%
accuracy.
Procedure:
Introduction:
 Explain to the students that today their objectives will be to (A):
o Review food chains
o Learn what a food web is
o Make a food web
 To review food chains, students will be asked, using their science journals, to create their
own food chain labeling the animals/plants involved and explain the relationships
between the organisms involved (A/V).
o Ex. Which animals are predator/prey? Why did they choose to create this food
chain? (Favorite animals?) Which are consumers/producers?
 The teacher will ask the class if they believe animals found in the same habitats can eat
each other’s food? Can a predator be another animal’s prey? (A)
o Example: penguins eat fish, and are considered predators to fish, but do any
animals eat penguins? (yes, orcas and leopard seals eat penguins).
Development:
 Tell class you’ve found a video to better help show the interconnected relationships
between animals.
o Watch and allow student to move during the video (A/V/K):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15IrEuhYmo
 Tell class we will now make our own food web.
 Using the attached Food Webs, write the top three animals’ name at the top of the board
leaving space in between and below (V).
o Choose and start with either Hawk, Fox, Weasel food web OR Orca (Killer
Whale), Leopard Seal, Penguin food web.
o Using help from the class, the teacher will create a food web by making
connections between the animals listed on whichever food web you’ve chosen
(A/V).
 The teacher should write each animals’ name on the board and draw
arrows connecting them to the other animals within that food web.

All the arrows should point to the predators in the food web and will
generally move from the producer at the bottom to the top consumer
within the food web (lions  Gazelles  Grass)
o By the end there should be overlapping and multiple connections made between
the animals as shown on the attached food webs. Students may make additional
connections if those connections make sense for the habitat you’ve chosen such as
adding fish to the penguin’s diet.
 Place students into groups of two.
 Next, gather art supplies and pass out large paper to the groups.
 By using the art supplies and paper, student will discuss with their groups, and make their
own food webs using at least three predators and three prey animals, including plants (or
plankton) and the sun. Students must also identify a decomposer within their food webs
(A/V/T/K).
 Students may cut out pictures from the National Geographic magazines, or even draw the
organisms themselves (K/T).
 For struggling students:
o Allow them to make a food web using less required organisms, allow them to
have a partner to work with them for extra support, or even have pre-cut images
from the magazine set aside for them.
 For advanced students:
o See if they can expand their food webs by creating more connections by
incorporating more organisms into their food web, or place humans into their food
web.
Summary:
 Once the food webs are completed, students may share their food webs with the class
identifying:
o What habitat they chose (Aquatic or Terrestrial)
o Predators
o Prey
o Consumers
o Producers
o Decomposers
Materials:
 Art supplies (markers, colored pencils, crayons, scissors, glue)
 National Geographic magazines
 Posterboard or large paper
 Food Web pictures attachment found from:
o http://haleybambicoscience.weebly.com/ecosystem-relationships.html
o https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Food%20chains&pin=2315836058143
51546&lp=plp
 Food Web Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15IrEuhYmo
Evaluation A:
 Throughout the lesson, I will be checking for understanding by asking the students for
thumbs up, if they understand, thumbs down, if they don’t understand, and thumbs
sideways if they do not fully comprehend (A/V/K).

I will know if the student understand what a food web is from their completed food web
posters.
 The food web posters will be graded based on completion, accuracy of web hierarchy,
and creativity.
Evaluation B:
 Did the students meet your objective?
 How do you know?
 Did your lesson accommodate/address the necessary needs of 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?
LESSON PLAN #7
Purpose:
 This lesson is going to review the whole unit. It covers producers, consumers,
decomposers, predator and prey, food chains, and food webs.
 This is the last lesson of the unit so it is important to make sure the students are
understanding the entire unit.
 Science 3.5 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.
Objectives:
 Given a set of questions to answer in a team, the students will be able to correctly answer
18/20 questions.
Procedure:
Introduction:
 The teacher will begin the lesson by doing a quick question time, so any students who
might have any questions about the unit can get them answered. (A)
Development:
 Once everyone has had a chance to ask questions, the teacher will separate the groups
into four teams. Each team will get a white board and a dry erase marker.
 The teacher will have the Jeopardy game already up on the board.
 The directions will be given before any questions are asked. (A)
o Each team must give an answer to each question.
o For every right answer, the team will get one point.
o There will be no half points.
o There will be one team captain per team; they will be the one writing the answer
on the dry erase board.
o No fighting over the answer; talk it out with your team.
o Have fun.
 After the directions have been given, the teacher will ask if anyone has any questions.
 The teams will each pick a captain to write on the dry erase board for the game. (V,K)
 Once the captains have been chosen, the teacher will begin the game of Jeopardy by
asking the teams to pick a number between one and ten.
o The team who is closest to the number the teacher was thinking gets to pick the
category.
o After that, they will go clockwise until every question has been asked.
 Struggling learners can use flashcards independently and can work at their own pace.
 Advanced learners can also have flashcards, but they will have harder questions on them.
Summary:
 After every question has been answered, the teacher will give the students another
opportunity to ask questions regarding the whole unit.
 Once any questions have been answered, the captains will put the dry erase boards and
markers away.
Materials:


Jeopardy Game
Dry erase boards and dry erase markers
Evaluation A:
 Throughout the lesson, I will be asking the Jeopardy questions and making sure that the
students aren’t taking too long or struggling to answer the questions.
Evaluation B:
 Did the students meet your objective?
 How do you know?
 Did your lesson accommodate/address the necessary needs of 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?
Animal Creation Project Directions
Based on everything you’ve learned in about living
systems, you will create your very own animal species.
You can use parts of other animals or create your own!
There must be three distinct features. You will need to
describe and explain the importance of these features.
State where your animal might be found based on its
features. You will include all of this in your description of
the animal including its classifications. State whether your
animal is a consumer, producer, or decomposer and why.
If it’s a consumer, then state whether it’s an omnivore,
carnivore, or herbivore and describe what your animal’s
diet consists of. Prey/predator should also be listed and
explained. Based on all of these classifications, describe a
food chain that your new animal would be part of and
explain why.
In addition to the animal description, you will also
have to create a visual representation of your animal. You
can choose to draw your new animal on a poster board,
construct a 3D model out of any materials such as clay,
Styrofoam, etc., brochure (which would include the
descriptions as well), or a graphic that you make. Nothing
should be left up to my imagination. I want to see and be
able to read all about your new animal species. Be
creative and have fun!
Animal Creation Project Rubric
Requirements
Possible Points
I have the description.
Listed and described 3
features.
Stated
whether
prey,
predator, or both and why.
Classified whether consumer,
producer, or decomposer
with explanation.
Explained diet.
6
Explained habitat.
2
Stated and explained food
chain with new animal.
I
have
the
visual
representation.
Detailed visual.
2
Neat.
2
Clearly labeled features.
3
Creative.
2
Total
25
2
2
2
2
Score
Additional Resources

Food Chain/Web Examples
1)
http://www.majordifferences.com/2013/02/difference-between-food-chain-and
food.html#.WOzn4NLyvIU
o This could become a poster used to help guide students in understanding the
difference between a food chain and a food web.
2)
https://sites.google.com/a/clintonpublic.net/meligio/teacher-assignment-pages/food-web
scienceprojectlinks?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDial1
o This shows the complexity of a few animals within a food web and the many possible
interactions they could have. It shows student that each animals has more than one
thing that they eat just like we do not eat the same thing each day.
3)
https://environmentalgeography.wordpress.com/author/mtpeterson/page/2/
o This is a very simple food web that could be introduced to the students before
showing them more real, complex ones like the one pictured above.
 Worksheets
4)
https://www.pinterest.com/cheryldadams/science-food-chains-food-webs/?lp=true
o This word search activity would be a fun warm-up activity before the instruction
begins on the day food webs are introduced.
5)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/285908276324349029/
o This activity would involve the aid of scissors and glue, but allows student to create
their very own food pyramids. They are 3-dimensional and fun to make.
6)
https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/comparing-herbivores-carnivores-omnivores/
o This is a fill-in-the-blank activity students can do to help them think about what
animals eat and therefore how they are classified.
 Websites
7) Gray Wolves Impact Elk inside Yellowstone
o http://www.yellowstonepark.com/gray-wolves-impact-elk/
o This website includes information regarding the balance between Yellowstone
National Parks’ wolf and elk population and how they affect one another. It includes
data that could be used for graphing assignments connected to our lesson and the way
a prey can have an effect on its main predator, too!
8) Understanding Ecosystems for Kids: Producers, Consumers, Decomposers – FreeSchool


This video explains the needs of producers, consumers, decomposers and shows
beautiful footage of the world we live in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJEToQ49Yjc
9) The Dirt on Decomposers: Crash Course Kids #7.2
o This short video explains a decomposer’s job and how they fit within food chains. It
also includes a short recap of livings systems, photosynthesis and what a food chain
is.
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB61rfeeAsM
 Books
10)


Kalman, B. (2008). I am a living thing. New York: Crabtree Pub. Co.
This is a short book on the differences between living and non-living things.
11)
o Slade, S. (2010). What if there were no sea otters?: A book about the ocean
ecosystem. Picture Window Books
o This book shows the impact of the theoretical removal of the sea otter and how
that would affect its normal ecosystem. It shows the reader how ecosystems are in
delicate balances and rely on others within its ecosystem to survive.
 Field Trips
12) Metro Richmond Zoo

The Metro Richmond Zoo would make for a fun field trip and allow student to see
the many types of animals. Activities could be involved, such as a scavenger hunt
(play on words) to classify animals within the categories taught within our lesson.
13) National Aquarium

The National Aquarium would be a wonderful place to take students. This place
could show students aquatic ecosystems, which many people are not able to see
without the aid of an aquarium. Fun activities could be included or even journal
writing.
14) Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

The Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens is a beautiful habitation in which students
can see the many different types of producers and decomposers at work in an
ecosystem. They will get to see the many different types of plants and see how
certain plants can only survive in certain habitats.
 Videos
15)


Disneynature: Predator and Prey
This video has beautiful footage of our world and the many living creature within
it. It focuses on predators and prey and their interactions within an environment.