Copyright © The Norwood Science Center 2015
Norwood Science Center
Animals
Grade 4
TITLE:
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?
PURPOSE:
WHERE AM I ON THE FOOD CHAIN?
MATERIALS:
(per class)
Smart Notebook lesson What’s for lunch?
(per pair)
Game cards (1 set)
Paper Plate (1)
Notebooks
Rulers
Pencils
PROCEDURE:
01.
Open Smart Notebook lesson What’s for lunch?
02.
Students record Date, Title and Purpose.
What's For Lunch
Page 1
Copyright © The Norwood Science Center 2015
03.
Review Food Chain concepts from previous class.
a. Food Chain is a flow of energy.
b. Source of all energy is the Sun.
c. Plants (Producers) use chlorophyll to convert sunlight into
chemical energy.
d. Plants (Producers) make food and oxygen.
e. Some organisms (First Order Consumers) eat plants.
f. Some organisms (Second Class Consumers) eat First
Order Consumers.
g. A 3C eats a 2C.
h. Dead animals are eaten by Scavengers.
i. All dead organisms are recycled by Decomposers.
j. Decomposers and Scavengers recycle materials into the
dirt where plants pick up nutrients.
http://www.blueplanet.nsw.edu.au/SiteFiles/blueplanetnsweduau/food_chain1.jpg
What's For Lunch
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Copyright © The Norwood Science Center 2015
04.
Go to the Smart Notebook page that shows the raccoon and
the Garbage Can.
05.
Have the students identify each food item as Producer, First
order Consumer, or Second Order.
06.
Instruct students to construct the following table in their
notebook.
Producer
07.
First Order Consumer
Second order Consumer
Students are to place the names of each of the raccoon food
items in the appropriate column of their table. An answer
key follows.
What's For Lunch
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Copyright © The Norwood Science Center 2015
Producer
Apple
Sunflower
Carrots
1C
Chicken wings
Slug
Crickets
Mouse
Garlic Bread
Pancakes
2C
Frog
Snake
Sausage
Notes
Crickets are omnivores, but their main diet is plants (1C)
Garlic bread contains butter, which is traced back to a cow (1C)
Pancakes can contain milk (1C) and can contain eggs (1C)
Sausage is typically made with pork, from pigs (2C)
08.
Have students identify a food item that, when consumed by
the raccoon, will make the raccoon a First Order Consumer.
09.
Select a pair of students to go to the board and drag a food
item onto the trash can. The raccoon will be a First order
Consumer when this food item is consumed.
10.
Once the task has been successfully completed the students
return the food item to the initial position on the board and
return to their seats.
11.
Repeat the process to show what the raccoon can eat to be
a 2C and a 3C.
What's For Lunch
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Copyright © The Norwood Science Center 2015
12.
Ask the class, “Where is a raccoon on a food chain?” The
answer is, “A raccoon’s location on a food chain depends
upon what the raccoon eats.”
13.
Go to the Smart Notebook page with the plate and utensils.
The picture of the child represents each person in the class.
14.
Have the students complete another table listing the food
items on this page. An answer key follows.
Producer
First Consumer
Second Consumer
Tomato
Hot Dogs
Salami
Bread
Cheese
Tuna
Strawberry Jelly
Eggs
Peanut Butter
Hummus
15.
Distribute paper plates and bags of Food Item Cards.
16.
Students are to make a sandwich that would make them a
First Order Consumer.
17.
Select a pair of students to go to the Board. They are to
drag food items onto the plate that would make the person
eating the sandwich a First Order Consumer.
What's For Lunch
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Copyright © The Norwood Science Center 2015
18.
Return the items on the Board to the starting position. Have
as many student go to the board to show a variety of
outcomes.
19.
Students place game cards in the baggy and place them on
top of the paper plate.
20.
Collect the food cards and the plates.
21.
Students are to talk in groups to generate an excellent topic
sentences that echoes the question and gives a simple
answer.
22.
Call upon a student for their topic sentence.
23.
Once a few sample introductory sentences are compiled,
reveal the response on the first page of the Smart Notebook
lesson.
24.
Students write 2-3 paragraphs to answer the question.
What's For Lunch
Page 6