Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
Science Grade 03 Unit 09 Exemplar Lesson 01: Interactions and Interdependence in Ecosystems
This lesson is one approach to teaching the State Standards associated with this unit. Districts are encouraged to customize this lesson by supplementing
with district-approved resources, materials, and activities to best meet the needs of learners. The duration for this lesson is only a recommendation, and
districts may modify the time frame to meet students’ needs. To better understand how your district may be implementing CSCOPE lessons, please
contact your child’s teacher. (For your convenience, please find linked the TEA Commissioner’s List of State Board of Education Approved Instructional
Resources and Midcycle State Adopted Instructional Materials.)
Lesson Synopsis
Students will observe, identify, and write how living and nonliving factors interact within an ecosystem. The lesson will focus on populations of living
organisms and how communities are formed. Organisms interact with one another through food chains which depicts the flow of energy from one
organism to the next. Environmental changes also affect organisms within an ecosystem. These changes impact organisms in ways where some may
thrive, while others may perish.
TEKS
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) listed below are the standards adopted by the State Board of Education, which are required by Texas
law. Any standard that has a strike-through (e.g. sample phrase) indicates that portion of the standard is taught in a previous or subsequent unit. The
TEKS are available on the Texas Education Agency website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
3.9
Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms have characteristics that help them survive and can
describe patterns, cycles, systems, and relationships within the environments. The student is expected to:
3.9A Observe and describe the physical characteristics of environments and how they support populations and
communities within an ecosystem.
Supporting Standard
3.9B Identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain affect the
ecosystem such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field.
3.9C Describe environmental changes such as floods and droughts where some organisms thrive and others perish or
move to new locations.
Scientific Process TEKS
3.2
Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during laboratory and outdoor
investigations. The student is expected to:
3.2A Plan and implement descriptive investigations, including asking and answering questions, making inferences, and
selecting and using equipment or technology needed, to solve a specific problem in the natural world.
3.2F Communicate valid conclusions supported by data in writing, by drawing pictures, and through verbal discussion.
3.4
Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student knows how to use a variety of tools and methods to conduct science
inquiry. The student is expected to:
3.4A Collect, record, and analyze information using tools, including microscopes, cameras, computers, hand lenses, metric rulers, Celsius
thermometers, wind vanes, rain gauges, pan balances, graduated cylinders, beakers, spring scales, hot plates, meter sticks, compasses,
magnets, collecting nets, notebooks, sound recorders, and Sun, Earth, and Moon system models timing devices, including clocks and
stopwatches materials to support observation of habitats of organisms such as terrariums and aquariums.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Performance Indicators
Grade 03 Science Unit 09 PI 01
Create a project, such as a display, report, puppet show, etc., to illustrate and describe the habitat needs of different populations in an ecosystem. Include information about
the flow of energy through food chains and the possible effects on these interactions due to a change in the environment.
OR
Write a story that describes a day in the life of an assigned organism as it meets its need for survival. Describe interactions within the ecosystem, including the flow of energy
through food chains and changes in the environment, which contribute to and threaten the organism’s survival.
Standard(s): 3.2A , 3.2F , 3.9A , 3.9B , 3.9C
ELPS ELPS.c.5G
Key Understandings
Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment and can be affected by changes in the ecosystem.
— Do all changes to the environment impact living things in the same way? Why or why not?
Changes in the food chain impact the entire ecosystem.
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 1 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
— What would happen to the food chain if a specific organism was removed?
Vocabulary of Instruction
ecosystem
population
community
habitat
thrive
perish
producer
consumer
predator
prey
survival
food chain
energy
organism
tundra
grassland
forest
ocean
fresh water
desert
Materials
blow-out party favors (see Advance Preperation, 1 per student)
book (about grassland/prairies, 1 per teacher)
book (age-appropriate, about endangered habitats/wildlife, 1 per teacher)
cardstock (see lesson for details and alternatives, 1 sheet per student)
chart paper (per class) – Optional
hand lenses (1 per student or 1 per partner to share)
masking tape
materials for project (various depending on student choice, per class)
music to play
paper (plain, 3 sheets per student or student science notebooks)
plywood (2’x2’ piece, see Instructional Notes for other options, 1 per class)
science notebooks (1 per student)
Velcro™ (hook­and­loop tape or strong tape for cards, see Advance Preperation, per class)
yellow, blue, green, and orange paper (see Advance Preperation, per class)
Attachments
All attachments associated with this lesson are referenced in the body of the lesson. Due to considerations for grading or student assessment,
attachments that are connected with Performance Indicators or serve as answer keys are available in the district site and are not accessible on the
public website.
Handout: Performance Task: Part 2 – Weather (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Performance Task Rubric: Part 2 – Weather
Handout: Animal Population Cards (1 set)
Teacher Resource: Population Community Poster (1 set)
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Deserts (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project Instructions
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Deserts
Handout: Who Am I? Cards (1 set)
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Grassland Prairies (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Grassland Prairies
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Freshwater (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Freshwater
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Oceans (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Oceans
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Forests (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Forests
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Tundra (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Tundra
Teacher Resource: What’s For Dinner?
Handout: Food Chain Creations (1 per student)
Optional Teacher Resource: Frog Survival Card Template
Handout: Grassland Food Chain (1 per student)
Handout: What Would Happen If… (1 per student)
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 2 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
Handout: Plywood Venn Diagram (1 per teacher and/or student)
Teacher Resource: Grassland Prairie Ecology Game Directions
Handout: Land, Water, and Air Cards (see Advance Preparation)
Handout: Grassland Prairie Habitat Cards (1 card per student)
Teacher Resource: Environmental Changes Scenarios
Teacher Resource: Food Chain Tower Instructions
Handout: Food Chain Tower (1 per student)
Handout: Food Chain Tower Blank Template (optional: 1 per student)
Handout: Food Chain Tower Fold Book (1 per student)
Resources
Background information on populations, communities, and ecosystems: http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9d.html
Background information on populations, communities, and ecosystems: http://www.education.com/study-help/article/biology-help-life-beyondorganism/
Background information on populations, communities, and ecosystems: http://www.mysciencebox.org/book/export/html/74
World Wildlife Fund, Interactive Ecosystem website: http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/wildfinder/
Virtual Walk in the Woods: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/woods/01.html
Desert Animals: Desert USA website: http://www.desertusa.com/animal.html
PBS – The Silence of Bees video: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/introduction/38/
Teacher Resource: Effects of decreasing Bee Populations: Effects of Destroying Wildlife | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8284088_effectsdestroying-wildlife.html#ixzz1liYjdOJH
U.S. Drought Monitor at: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
Related content in this lesson: http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3748627
Information for students about what can be done to help wildlife and plants: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/kids/kids_help.html Kids Corner
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/pubs/WhatYouCanDo0905.pdf “What You Can Do to Help Wildlife and Plants” – Kids and Classrooms
Texas Parks and Wildlife endangered species website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/endang/index.phtml
Kid Planet: http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/map.html Great site for information on animals around the world.
Road runner information: http://www.birdshome.info/basic-information/869/Roadrunner.html
Grassland Prairies Ecosystem – Bumble Bee:
http://www.ahsd25.k12.il.us/School%20Info/Ivy%20Hill/Prairieanimals/MrsSinenses.html#mouse
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/prairie_animal_page.htm
Freshwater Ecosystem – American Toad:
National Geo pictures: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/freshwater-plants-animals/#/great-egretswetland_176_600x450.jpg
Information about the American toad: http://www.wildanimalsonline.com/amphibians/americantoad.php
Texas Parks and Wildlife: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/amphibian_watch/amphibian_species/
Ocean Ecosystem – Shark:
Smithsonian museum: http://ocean.si.edu/for-educators
Ocean facts: http://aquaviews.net/explore-the-blue/10-amazing-facts-oceans/
Climate kids NASA: http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/bigQuestions/oceanHappening/
Discovery channel: http://dsc.discovery.com/sharks/shark-facts.html
Tundra Ecosystem – Arctic Fox:
Tundra animals: http://www.tundraanimals.net/
Kids geo: http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0166-tundra.php
Color changes in the Arctic fox: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/arctic-animals/#/arctic-fox-winter-ngk1108ca01_14251_600x450.jpg
National Geographic – Artic fox: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/arctic-fox/
Forest Ecosystem – Eastern Box Turtle:
http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=3
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/research/Contribute/box%20turtle/boxinfo.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_5438532_box-turtle-habitat.html
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/species_info/nhfacts/terrapene_carolina.pdf
http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/teach/for141-241/coursematerials/Temperate%20Forests%20FOR%20141-241%20compressed.pdf
Suggested Books:
Brandenburg, J. (1996). An American safari: Adventures on the North American prairie. NY: Walker Books for Young Readers.
Capeci, A. (2004). Food chain frenzy. New York: Scholastic.
Cerullo, M. (2003). Everybody’s somebody’s Lunch. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
Cerullo, M. (2005). Life under ice. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
Cole, J. (1996). The magic school bus gets eaten. A book about food chains. New York: Scholastic.
London, J. (1993). Voices of the wild. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
McKinney, B. (2000). Pass the energy, please! Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications.
Advance Preparation
1. For the Ongoing Performance Task: Copy the Handout: Performance Task: Part 2 – Weather. (1 per student) Instruct students to use their
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 3 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
collected weather data to complete the task.
2. Students should be observing the terrarium (or aquarium) habitats from Units 07 and 08 and recording changes to the organisms. Students may
also want to note any changes in the habitat or environment as a tie in to this lesson.
3. For the Engage – Populations and Communities within an Ecosystem: Copy the Handout: Animal Population Cards onto sturdy paper. Laminate
them for greater durability. Cut the cards out, and place them in resealable, plastic bags. One set of cards will be needed for the whole class
(Cards are designed for 20 students. If you have more students, make an extra set.). Copy the Teacher Resource: Population Community
Poster (1 set) onto cardstock.
4. Advanced Preparation for Explore/Explain Days 3–8 Population and Communities: This is an ongoing project, and there are several options of how
to use the handouts with these Explore/Explain activities. Prior to the lesson, look through the PowerPoint notes on each slide. A copy can also be
printed from the options in the PowerPoint. Compare the presentation to the student Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Deserts. Make any
necessary plans or modifications to the note taking process.
OPTION 1 – FAN FOLD OPTION 2 – Individual Information Booklets
OPTION 3 – Student Science Notebooks
Utilizing either Option 1 or 2, the fan fold or individual books can be glued into science notebooks.
5. For the Explore/Explain – Use the Handout: Frog Survival Card Template to create the cards for the game. The cards will need to be printed on
colored paper or highlighted. The colors needed are: orange, blue, yellow, and green. Students will need six squares of each color. Use the
Optional Teacher Resource: Frog Survival Card Template if you want the cards to be exactly the same size. (Orange cards = food, blue cards =
water, yellow cards = shelter, and green cards = space) Mark half of the orange cards with the letter D. Mark half of the blue cards with the letter P.
Mark half of the yellow cards with the letter T. Mark half of the green cards with the letter X. Each card will need either a piece of strong sticky tape
or the “loop” side of Velcro™ attached to the unmarked side. The “hook” piece of the Velcro™ needs to be attached to the blow out party favor.
6. For the Explore/Explain – The Grassland Food Chain – Literature and Writing Connection: Find a book on the grassland/prairie ecosystem or a
website that students can view. (See the online resources section for recommended websites.)
7. For the Engage – Changes to the Environment: Gather the materials in advance. Plywood will be needed for this activity. There are also ideas on
substituting materials in the Teacher Notes. Copy multiple sheets of the Handout: Land, Water, and Air Cards and cut the cards apart.
8. For the Explore/Explain – Examining the Impact of Environmental Changes: Visit the website U.S. Drought Monitor at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.
On the homepage, there is a map of the U.S. that is updated periodically to show the status of the drought stages across the country. Alternatively,
the homepage could also be printed. Several copies could be printed for using in small groups.
9. For the Elaborate: Gather materials for the Food Chain Tower. See the lesson for details and options for a delivery method.
10. For the Evaluate: There are two options for the Performance Indicator. See the lesson for details. Create a plan, and gather materials in advance
for this Performance Task.
11. Prepare attachment(s) as necessary.
Background Information
This lesson bundles student expectations that address interactions among living and nonliving components within ecosystems. In this lesson, students will explore a variety of
environments and see how the interactions among the living and nonliving components within the various ecosystems contribute to each organism’s ability to survive and
reproduce.
Prior to this unit, in Grade 2, students identified and explored how animals and plants met their basic needs from habitats within the environment. They have also examined how
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 4 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
weather related factors in the environment affect living things. During this final unit, in Grade 3, students draw upon many of the Key Understandings introduced throughout the
year. Earlier in the year, students investigated matter and energy, including the Sun and its impact on weather and the water cycle. They have studied processes that form and
change different physical features of the Earth. This investigation of ecosystems refocuses students’ attention on the importance of the Sun to all life on Earth and the notion that
we are all connected in a delicate system. Environmental changes, whether natural or man-made, impact the balance in nature. How well organisms are able to adapt to those
changes determines their survival.
Students will also explore patterns, systems, and cycles within environments by investigating characteristics of organisms, life cycles, and interactions among all components of
the natural environment. Students examine how the environment plays a key role in survival. The students will learn and understand that when changes in the environment occur
organisms may thrive, become ill, or perish.
For information on populations, communities and ecosystems, please visit the following websites:
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9d.html
http://www.education.com/study-help/article/biology-help-life-beyond-organism/
http://www.mysciencebox.org/book/export/html/74
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Instructional Procedures
Ongoing Performance Indicator – Performance Task: Part 2 –Weather
Notes for Teacher
NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1
1. Before starting Unit 09, students will revisit the Performance Task from Unit 03:
Weather Here and There.
2. Part 2 of the Performance Task involves students using collected weather data to write
an essay on how weather affects daily activities.
3. The Handout: Performance Task: Part 2 – Weather provides a guide and rubric for
students to follow as they write. The Teacher Resource: Performance Task Rubric:
Part 2 – Weather is provided for assessing student’s completed essays.
ENGAGE – Populations and Communities within an Ecosystem
Attachments:
Handout: Performance Task: Part 2 – Weather (1
per student)
Teacher Resource: Performance Task Rubric:
Part 2 – Weather
Suggested Day 2
1. Students will need their individual science notebooks or three sheets of paper for this
activity.
2. Distribute the Handout: Animal Population Cards evenly among the class. If students
sit in groups, ensure that all of the students have a different card.
3. At their table groups, instruct students to take turns sharing the animal on their cards.
When they share, they will need to:
Say the name of the animal.
Share where they think the animal lives, what it eats, and its special features or
structures (fur, limbs, etc.).
4. As the groups share, actively monitor the conversations. This will allow for a quick,
formative assessment of students’ understandings of animals and environments.
Materials:
paper (plain, 3 sheets per student or student science
notebooks)
chart paper (per class) – Optional
Attachments:
Handout: Animal Population Cards (1 class set)
Teacher Resource: Population Community
Posters (1 class set)
Instructional Notes:
5. As students are working, write the words: Organism, Population, Community, and
Group Size: The suggested cooperative group size is four students.
Ecosystem on the board or chart paper. As the activity progresses, add additional
If table groups are larger, consider dividing them up before the
information or illustrations next to each word so that students have a clearer idea of the
activity to no more than six students. There are six different animal
definition.
cards, so all of the animals do not need to be present at the first
6. When the group has finished sharing their ideas, facilitate a group discussion. Direct
student attention to the four words Organism, Population, Community, and
Ecosystem.
Ask:
What do these words mean to you?
Provide think time for students. Ask them to Think-Pair-Share their ideas with a
partner.
7. Facilitate a class discussion on the word organism. Ask students to share what the
word means. Guide students to the understanding that organisms are living things.
cooperative group. However, you need to have several cards of each
of the animals represented in the whole class.
Think-Pair-Share is a cooperative learning strategy:
Pose a question. Provide students time to Think
about it.
Students Pair up with a partner and Share ideas
with each other.
Students Share ideas with whole group.
8. Say:
When you were sharing your animal card with your group, did you notice if
there were any of the same kinds of animals in the group? Students should
answer that there was not a similar animal in their group.
Your card represents only one organism or an individual organism. Let’s
Last Updated 01/11/13
Using Think-Pair-Share is one way to help students think about the
topic and build some background knowledge.
page 5 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
create a working definition in our notebooks, along with a drawing of your
individual organism.
Source: Dr. Spencer Kagan
Kagan Learning
http://www.kaganonline.com/
9. Provide time for students to draw their animal, label it as an “organism”, and write a
working definition for the word “organism”. Students can also add labels to their animal
to highlight the important and unique physical characteristics. Alternatively, if you do
not want to reuse these cards, students could glue them in their notebooks (or on
paper) and add the labels and definition.
Extend the lesson by visiting the World Wildlife Fund’s interactive
ecosystem website at:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/wildfinder/
10. Display the Organism Poster from the Teacher Resource: Population Community
Posters. Students can use this poster as a resource. Since this is an Engage activity,
accept all working definitions. (See a sample of this poster on the next page.)
Sample:
The class can take a virtual field trip to anywhere in the world to see
the type of ecosystem and biomes that include the plant and wildlife
that makes up these regions.
The Instructional Focus Document (IFD) defines :
Population – all the organisms of the same species that live in the
same place at the same time.
Community – populations that live in the same place at the same
time.
Share these definitions with students.
11. Inform students that they will be forming new cooperative groups for the next step of
the activity.
Misconception:
12. The procedure for forming a new group is:
Students may think nonliving components are not as
Silently: Stand up, and push in your chair.
important as living components.
Students will need their notebook, pencil, and animal card.
Remain silent throughout forming your group.
Hold the card to where others can see the picture on the card.
Check For Understanding:
You will walk around the room and look for similar pictures; once you find them, form
a group and wait for instructions.
As students share their ideas in groups, actively monitor the
13. Ask students if they are still alone. Students will say no because they are now in a
group. Discuss with students that a group of the same kind of living things are called a
population.
conversations. This provides a quick, formative assessment of
students’ understandings on animals and environments.
14. Remaining with their newly formed group, students will need to create a drawing and
write a working definition of a “population”. As students are working, display the
PopulationPoster (included in the Teacher Resource: Population Community
Poster) to use as a reference.
Sample:
15. Ask students to stand in their groups and hold up their animal card. Instruct students to
look around the room to see how many groups are represented. They should see the
following groups: jackrabbit, hawk, deer, wolf, grasshopper, and kangaroo rat.
16. Say:
These are all populations of animals, and animals are living organisms. The
living organisms/animals are sharing the same space.
These populations of animals live in habitats. A habitat is the place where a
population lives. Habitats vary in size.
A “community” includes all of the organisms, sometimes hundreds of
different types, in a given area. Several different populations are usually
found in a community.
17. The next concept to introduce is community. A “community” includes all of the
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 6 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
organisms, sometimes hundreds of different types, in a given area. Several different
populations are usually found in a community.
18. Ask students to add community to their science notebook. Place the Community
Poster (Teacher Resource: Population Community Posters) in the room for
students to use as a reference. (See the sample below.)
19. Introduce the next term: Ecosystem. An ecosystem is all of the living and nonliving
factors in a given area and how they affect each other. Ecosystems can be small or
large areas. Instruct students to add ecosystem to their notebook.
20. This Engage will serve as the foundation for the next series of Explore/Explain lessons
that investigate different ecosystems. “Population” and “communities” will be terms
referred to most often.
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Populations and Communities in the Desert
Suggested Day 3
1. In the next series of Explore/Explain activities, students will look at the diversity of plant
and animal life in six different ecosystems:
Attachments:
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Deserts (1 per
student)
Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project
Instructions
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem
Snapshot – Deserts
Handout: Who Am I? Cards (1 class set)
desert
grassland
freshwater
ocean
forest
tundra
2. In each Explore/Explain, there is a PowerPoint presentation that will include a snapshot
or detailed look at one of the animals of this ecosystem. The presentations will also
include an example of a community of animals that are found in this this ecosystem as
well as basic facts about the ecosystem’s landscape, climate, and plant life.
Instructional Notes:
Desert Online Resources:
Desert Animals: Desert USA website:
http://www.desertusa.com/animal.html
3. This is an ongoing project, and there are several options of how to use the handouts
with these activities. (Details are in the Advance Preparation.)
4. Distribute a copy of the Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Deserts (1 copy per
student).
See the References at the beginning of the lesson for more
websites on deserts.
5. Depending on the option of how to utilize the snapshot books, instruct students to fold
the paper to the marked line. (Refer to the Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot
Project Instructions.)
The animals highlighted in the Ecosystem Snapshots are chosen to
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 7 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
6. As the class views the PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Deserts, allow time for
students to take notes. Assist students in the note taking process. Alternatively, some
of the notes can be filled in prior to making the copies for the class.
7. The Key Understandings for this part of the lesson cycle are:
represent the six animal kingdoms. This is not directly taught, but
gives students exposure to the concept and builds the background
schema for future grades.
Science Notebooks:
There are special populations of animals unique to the desert.
These animals have special adaptations to help them survive the harsh climate.
The roadrunner is an example.
These populations form communities in the area.
The desert is a very dry ecosystem, with extremely warm temperatures.
There is very little precipitation in the desert.
(Refer to the PowerPoint and notes for more details.)
Individual science notebooks can be utilized throughout this lesson.
Notes can be glued into the notebook, and reflections can be added
after an activity to make content connections.
8. Lesson Wrap Up: Who Am I?
Pair students up. Ask each student to stand and turn away from each other. Walk
around the room, and tape one of the animal pictures from the Handout: Who Am
I? Cards to the back of each student. Make sure that the partners do not see each
other’s animals.
In each group, there should be a Partner A and B.
Inform students of the directions: Partner A will turn around first so that he/she can
see Partner B’s back. Partner B will begin to ask Partner A questions about his/her
animal. Partner A can only answer by saying “yes” or “no.”
Remind students that the picture cards are desert animals they learned about in the
lesson.
Provide one minute for the clues, and then the partners will trade roles. Partner A
will now ask questions about his/her animal. Partner B will answer with “yes” or “no”
answers.
After both partners have had one minute to answer “yes” and “no” questions, they
should make a prediction about the animal taped to their back. After making the
prediction partners may reveal their partner’s animal.
9. If time is limited, the teacher can also give clues about the desert animals and have the
class formulate predictions.
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Populations and Communities in the Grasslands
Suggested Day 4
1. Distribute a copy of the Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Grassland Prairies (1
copy per student).
Attachments:
2. Depending upon which option is utilized for the project, instruct students to fold the
paper to the marked line. (Refer to the Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot
Project Instructions.)
3. As the class views the PowerPoint Ecosystem Snapshot – Grasslands Prairies,
allow time for students to take notes. Assist students in the note taking process.
Alternatively, some of the notes can be filled in prior to making the copies for the class.
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Grassland
Prairies (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project
Instructions (from previous activity)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem
Snapshot – Grassland Prairies
Instructional Notes:
For teacher resources, lessons, and interactive student websites on
4. The Key Understandings for this part of the lesson cycle are:
There are special populations of animals that are unique to the grassland/prairie.
These animals have special adaptations to help them survive.
Bumble bees are essential in the grassland community. They help in pollination and
allow many species of wildflowers to flourish.
These different populations form communities in the area.
The grassland/prairie has numerous grasses and plant varieties.
The grassland/prairie has a moderate climate and moderate precipitation.
the grassland/prairies ecosystem, refer to the resource section
located at the beginning of the lesson.
It is important that students know that there are many areas of the
world that have grasslands. Prairies are just one example of a
grassland ecosystem. Savannahs, like the ones located in Africa,
are another type of grassland. Species vary from region to region,
but the plant and climate characteristics are similar and determine
the classification as grassland.
5. Lesson Wrap-Up: 3-2-1
This can be a written or an oral activity.
Ask students to think of:
— 3 - important facts from the activity
— 2 - interesting things they have learned
— 1 - question they still have
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Populations and Communities in the Freshwater Ecosystems
Suggested Day 5
1. Distribute a copy of the Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Freshwater (1 copy per
Attachments:
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 8 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
student).
2. Instruct students to fold the snapshot book to the marked line. (Refer to the Teacher
Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project Instructions.)
3. As the class views the PowerPoint Ecosystem Snapshot – Freshwater, allow time for
students to take notes. Assist students in the note taking process. Alternatively, some
of the notes can be filled in prior to making the copies for the class.
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Freshwater (1
per student)
Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project
Instructions (from previous activity)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem
Snapshot – Freshwater
4. The Key Understandings for this part of the lesson cycle are:
There are special populations of animals unique to the freshwater ecosystems.
These animals have special adaptations to help them survive.
The American toad is an amphibian that can be found in freshwater areas.
The different populations of animals form communities in the area.
The freshwater ecosystems climate varies due to location.
(Refer to the PowerPoint and notes for more details.)
Instructional Note:
For teacher resources, lessons, and interactive student websites on
the freshwater ecosystem, refer to Resources and References
located at the beginning of this lesson.
5. Lesson Wrap-Up: Hand Up, Stand Up, Pair Up:
Ask students to raise their hand and listen for instructions.
Ask students to stand up. Find the person closest to them, and pair up.
Ask the students questions about the key ideas from the lesson; the partners will
take turns discussing their ideas.
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Populations and Communities in the Oceans
Suggested Day 6
1. Distribute a copy of the Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Oceans (1 copy per
student).
Attachments:
2. Instruct students to fold the snapshot book to the marked line. (Refer to the Teacher
Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project Instructions.)
3. As the class views the PowerPoint Ecosystem Snapshot – Oceans, allow time for
students to take notes. Assist students in the note taking process. Alternatively, some
of the notes can be filled in prior to making the copies for the class.
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Oceans (1 per
student)
Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project
Instructions (from previous activity)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem
Snapshot – Oceans
4. The key understandings for this part of the lesson cycle are:
There are special populations of animals unique to oceans, from shelled species to
mammals.
Each animal has special adaptations to help it to survive.
Sharks are among the animals with special adaptations. They are one of the top
predators of the ocean.
The populations of animals form communities in the area.
(Refer to the PowerPoint and notes for more details.)
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Populations and Communities in Forests
Suggested Day 7
1. Distribute a copy of the Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Forests (1 copy per
student).
Attachments:
2. Instruct students to fold the snapshot book to the marked line. (Refer to the Teacher
Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project Instructions.)
3. As the class views the PowerPoint Ecosystem Snapshot – Forests, allow time for
students to take notes. Assist students in the note taking process. Alternatively, some
of the notes can be filled in prior to making the copies for the class.
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Forests (1 per
student)
Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project
Instructions (from previous activity)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem
Snapshot – Forests
4. The Key Understandings for this part of the lesson cycle are:
Instructional Notes:
There are special populations of animals unique to forests.
These animals have special adaptations to help them to survive.
The Eastern box turtle is an example of an animal with special adaptations.
The populations of animals form communities in the area.
(Refer to the PowerPoint and notes for more details.)
This lesson focuses on the temperate deciduous forest. In North
America, these forests are located in the Eastern region of the
United States. There are many places in the world that have different
kinds of forests. Tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests are
other kinds of forests. Even though forests can seem vastly different,
there are some similar characteristics that they share in order to be
classified as forests.
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Populations and Communities in Tundra
Suggested Day 8
1. Distribute a copy of the Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Tundra (1 copy per
student).
Attachments:
Handout: Ecosystem Snapshot – Tundra (1 per
student)
2. Instruct students to fold the paper to the marked line.
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 9 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
3. As the class views the PowerPoint Ecosystem Snapshot – Tundra, allow time for
students to take notes. Assist students in the note taking process. Alternatively, some
of the notes can be filled in prior to making the copies for the class.
Teacher Resource: Ecosystem Snapshot Project
Instructions (from previous activity)
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem
Snapshot – Tundra
4. The Key Understandings for this part of the lesson cycle are:
There are special populations of animals unique to the tundra.
Animals in the tundra have special adaptations to help them survive.
The Arctic fox is an example of an animal with special adaptations. The coat of the
Arctic fox changes color for camouflage as the seasons change.
The populations of animals form communities in the area.
The tundra’s climate is harsh and cold.
(Refer to the PowerPoint and notes for more details.)
5. Lesson Wrap-Up: Write About it
Provide students with some reflection time about the tundra. Use sentence starters,
such as the following, to help students.
Sentence Starters
I learned...
I'm beginning to wonder...
I have a question about...
I'm beginning to understand...
I want to know…
I think…
Today, I understood…
I was surprised that…
I would still like to know more about…
I am still confused about…
6. If time allows, students can decorate the front or back of their snapshot book.
ENGAGE – What’s For Dinner?
Suggested Days 9 and 10
1. Instruct students to work with partners to discuss what they each had for dinner the
Attachments:
previous night. As they are discussing dinner, instruct students to think about the
Teacher Resource: What’s For Dinner?
organisms that were part of this meal. (For example, if students had a hamburger, one
Handout: Food Chain Creation (1 per student)
organism that was part of the meal is a cow. The ground beef for the burger came from
a cow.)
2. Poll the class:
Ask:
Misconception:
How many of you had only plants for dinner last night? (Compare to
herbivores.)
How many of you only had animals (meat) for dinner last night? (Compare to
carnivores.)
How many of you had both plants and animals (meat) for dinner last night?
(Compare to omnivores.)
Students do not understand that animals’ energy
comes from the Sun.
Instructional Note:
It is very important to discuss that the Sun is the beginning of the
food chain; this is where all energy originates. The Sun provides the
energy necessary for the plants to make their food.
3. Say:
Let’s pretend that one student in our class had spaghetti and meatballs for
dinner.
4. Choose six helpers to come up to the front of the room. Choose one student to be the
one who had spaghetti and meatballs.
5. Distribute the posters from the Teacher Resource: What’s For Dinner? Each of the
helpers holds one poster. Instruct the student who had the spaghetti and meatballs for
dinner to hold that poster and stand by the teacher.
6. Say:
Let’s help (say student’s name) think about the main ingredients that go
into spaghetti and meatballs.
7. Write ideas on the board; the main ideas should include: pasta, sauce, and meat.
(Keep it simple: Use pasta, sauce, and meat as an example.)
8. Say:
We know that these ingredients were purchased from a grocery store, but
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 10 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
let’s think beyond that.
Are the ingredients for the pasta, sauce, and meatballs made from plants or
animals? Choose several students to make suggestions, and then write down the
answers next to the ingredients.
pasta –plants
sauce – plants
meatballs – animal
9. Review with students that plants are producers and animals are consumers. Add this to
the chart.
pasta –plants (producers)
sauce – plants (producers)
meatballs – animal (consumers)
10. Say:
A food chain tells a story about the flow of energy between organisms.
Sometimes we think about a food chain as “who eats what.”
We will look at our ingredients for dinner as they are represented in a food
chain.
Let’s start with the sauce.
Ask:
Where does the sauce come from? A plant – tomato
Who has the card that we need to make the sauce? The student holding the
tomato poster.
11. Review with students that food chains show the flow of energy from one organism to
the next.
12. Say/Ask:
The tomato represents the sauce. What eats the sauce? (The students
should answer with the student’s name that had the spaghetti for dinner.)
13. Instruct the student holding the tomato sign walk to over to the student who had
spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Instruct the student holding the tomato sign to hold
the sign in one hand and extend their arm, pointing to the student who had the dinner.
Say:
Extending the arm and pointing is representing the energy flow of a food
chain. Discuss that the energy flows from producer to consumer.
14. Review the terms below with students.
Producers – organisms that use energy from sunlight to make their own food
(plants)
Consumers – organisms that eat producers or other consumers
15. Repeat the same strategy with the pasta. The pasta comes from grains. Grains, such
as wheat, oats, rye and barley, are plants. The student with the grain poster will need
to stand by the spaghetti and point to that student to show the energy flow.
16. The final example will be the meatballs. The remaining students should be the grass
and the cow. Instruct students to put these pictures in the appropriate order.
19. Inform students that there is one more thing to add to this food chain - the Sun.
Say:
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 11 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
The Sun’s energy is the first part of the food chain. Plants need the Sun’s
energy to produce their food.
20. Facilitate a class discussion on all of the chains that it took just to create dinner.
Discuss that there are many interactions among living things necessary in order to eat
and survive.
21. Distribute the Handout: Food Chains Creation (1 copy per student). Read over the
instructions. Students will cut out the pictures and sort them into different food chains.
Students will then choose three food chains to glue in their science notebooks. Remind
students to draw the arrows showing the transfer of energy from one organism to the
next.
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – The Pond Food Chain and Frog Survival
Suggested Days 11 and 12
1. Each student will need six squares of each color. Use the Optional Teacher Resource:
Frog Survival Card Template if you want the cards to be exactly the same size.
orange cards = food
blue cards = water
yellow cards = shelter
green cards = space
Materials:
yellow, blue, green, and orange paper (see Advance
Preperation, per class)
blow-out party favors (see Advance Preperation, 1
per student)
Velcro™ (hook­and­loop tape or strong tape for
cards, see Advance Preperation, per class)
2. Prepare the cards with the following:
Mark half of the orange cards with the letter D.
Mark half of the blue cards with the letter P.
Mark half of the yellow cards with the letter T.
Mark half of the green cards with the letter X.
Attachments:
3. Party favor blow­outs will need to have a small piece of Velcro ™ attached to the end
(1 per participant).
4. Instruct students that they are going to be frogs that live in a pond, located in a
freshwater ecosystem.
5. Utilize the PowerPoint: Ecosystem Snapshot – Freshwater to review the diverse
animal and plant populations of this ecosystem.
Optional Teacher Resource: Frog Survival Card
Template
Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Ecosystem
Snapshot – Freshwater (introduced in a previous
section)
Instructional Notes:
The sticky hand party favors could be substituted for the party favor
blow-outs.
6. Ask:
What do frogs need to survive? (Review with students the four basic needs:
food, water, shelter, and space.)
Blow-outs party favors
7. Share with students that the frog must have these basic needs:
Food: How do frogs get their food? They use their tongues to catch mosquitoes,
flies, fish, birds, and water insects.
Water: Keeps the frog’s skin moist, provides the environment for the frog to lay its
eggs, and for survival of the tadpole.
Shelter: Places to hide from predators
Space: Pond area
8. Spread out the colored cards on a blanket or a table top, Velcro™ side up.
Alternatively, the cards could be spread among table groups. If the teacher chooses to
distribute the cards among the table groups, ensure that the color cards are evenly
distributed.
9. Say:
Sticky hand party favors
For an inexpensive alternative, try using classroom objects that can
mimic a frog’s tongue (using strong tape for “stickiness”.)
TEKS Connection: This activity directly covers TEKS 3.9B and
discusses changes in the ecosystem due to the removal of a part of
the food chain.
Science Notebooks:
Each of you is a frog. Frogs don’t us their legs to capture food, so you
cannot use your hands. Use the party favor (with Velcro™ on the end) to
capture as many bugs as you can. Each card is a bug. Remember, frogs
need to eat a lot of bugs to survive, so catch as many bugs as quickly as
you can.
A very important part of the inquiry cycle is to provide students time to
extend their learning to real world application through reflection.
10. Provide 3–5 minutes for this activity. After the time period, if there are still cards on the
blanket or table top, ask why some cards are left over. (Those bugs got away.)
11. Instruct students to sit in a large circle. Explain that each frog must have at least five
cards to survive. (Instruct students who have less than five to step into the middle of
the circle and sit down.)
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 12 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
12. Say:
Turn your orange food cards over. Everyone with an orange card, stand up!
If your orange card has a “D” on it, you’ve just become someone else’s
dinner!
What eats frogs? Allow for various responses. (Students with these cards will step
into the middle of the circle and sit down.)
Turn the green space cards over. Green stands for the space you need! If
your green card has an “X” on it, your puddle was filled in by someone
wanting to build a house or a shopping center. (Students with these cards will
step into the middle of the circle and sit down.)
Turn the blue water cards over. Blue is the water you need.
If your blue card had a “P” on it, your water was polluted.
Ask:
What pollutants might affect frogs? Pollutants might include oil, pesticides,
soapy water, trash, and other contaminants. (Students with these cards will step into
the middle of the circle and sit down.)
Say:
Turn the yellow shelter cards over. Yellow is the shelter that you need.
If your yellow card had a “T” on it, the tree or bush shading your pond was
cut down. Since there are no trees to shade the pond, more sunlight is
reaching the pond. The Sun has caused the water to evaporate. The pond
dried up before you could go from the tadpole stage to the adult frog
stage. (Students with these cards will step into the middle of the circle and sit
down.)
Ask:
How many of you captured at least one card of each color – orange, green,
yellow, and blue and at least five cards with insects? If you are missing any
one of these colors, you did not survive. (Instruct those particular students to
step out from the circle.)
13. The remaining frogs survived. Instruct the students who survived to show their cards.
Ask them again what frogs need to survive – food, water, shelter, and space. If no
frogs survived, you may wish to discuss what happened to this frog species’
population.
14. Provide time for students to reflect on this activity. In their individual science
notebooks, have students answer the following questions.
Why did some frogs die? Answers may include habitat loss, pollution, predators, or
the plants used for shelters were removed.
What would happen to the pond’s food chain if the frog was removed due to
disease or pollution? Answers may vary, but students should realize and be able to
describe the relatedness of all organisms in a community.
What would happen to the food chain if the population of one of the organisms was
to double? Answers will vary depending on the organism that doubles in size.
15. Say:
Ecosystems have a fine balance among living organisms and nonliving
components. If one part of the food chain is removed or affected, the other
parts of the food chain are also affected.
16. Allow students to share their notebook reflections with the class.
17. (Optional Closing Activity) You’re Dinner!
This game is played like Red Light, Green Light. Choose two students to be frogs.
Have music to play for the activity.
Have the frogs turn around where they cannot see the rest of the class. Students
will stand up when the music starts to play. They will begin to move around (Set the
parameters, i.e., move in place, around desk area, around classroom. Include
safety expectations.).
Frogs will pick a time to yell “Dinner Time!” and turn around. The music will
stop, and anyone left moving is dinner!
Ask the students if they know what they were acting as. Insects
Discuss with students that frogs only eat moving insects.
EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – The Grassland Food Chain – Literature and Writing Connection
Last Updated 01/11/13
Suggested Days 13 and 14
page 13 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
1. Read a book about the grassland/prairie ecosystem.
OR
As a class, visit a website about the grassland/prairie ecosystem. (See resources at
the beginning of the lesson for a list of websites.)
Materials:
book (about grassland/prairies, 1 per teacher)
2. Say:
Attachments:
A predator is an organism that eats another organism.
Prey is the organism that the predator eats.
Handout: Grassland Food Chain (1 per student)
Handout: What Would Happen If… (1 per student)
3. Distribute the Handout:Grassland Food Chain (1 per student).
4. Provide instructions for creating a complete grassland food chain.
5. Provide time for students to complete the food chain. The handout can be folded and
glued into students’ science notebooks.
Instructional Notes:
TEKS Connection: The What Would Happen If ties directly in TEKS
3.9B and covers how changes in the food chain affect ecosystems.
6. Say:
Remember that ecosystems have both living and nonliving components. If
one part of an ecosystem changes, it will affect many other parts.
The What Would Happen If…
Provides students with an opportunity to critically think through how
one link in the food chain can impact the entire ecosystems’ balance
of predators, prey, and producers.
7. Ask:
What would happen to the food chain if a specific organism was removed?
Answers may vary depending on the organism removed. The discussion on this
should include the idea that when an organism is removed, other organisms will
either increase or decrease depending on where they are in the food chain. Some
organisms thrive, and some might perish.
Read more: Effects of Destroying Wildlife | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/info_8284088_effects-destroyingwildlife.html#ixzz1liYjdOJH
8. Facilitate a class discussion focusing on the freshwater and grassland food chains that
the students learned about. Discuss the consequences of the removal of the animals.
Have students share their ideas regarding the balance of the ecosystem. They should A video on the disappearance of honey bees from ecosystems can
be viewed at: PBS Online: The Silence of Bees:
have the understanding that if one part is disturbed or removed, then the entire
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-theecosystem will be affected.
bees/introduction/38/
9. Remind students that animals and plants depend on one another for survival; this is
called interdependence.
Misconceptions:
10. Say:
Bees have been moving from the fields and meadows. Bees are known for
their ability to pollinate. Without bees, pollination would decrease. Plants
would not get fertilized, germinate, and produce more plants. This affects
the whole food chain.
Students may think a change in the prey population
has no affect on the predator.
Students may think that varying the population size
of a species will only affect the others that are
directly connected through a food chain.
11. Distribute the Handout: What Would Happen If… (1 per student).
12. Inform students of your expectations for their writing. Allow time for students to
complete the handout.
13. Say:
Recall the activity that we did about frog survival. Frogs encountered many
situations that affected their survival.
You experienced frogs having their homes polluted, food supply
decreased and their habitat destroyed. Now, we will consider other
scenarios that a frog might encounter.
14. Ask:
What might happen if the frog’s food supply increases? When food is
plentiful, a population generally increases. When the population increases, more
food is needed for that population. Often, there is not enough food for all of the
animals, so the weaker animals die.
What might happen if the population of a frog’s predators increases? If the
number of predators increases, then the number of frogs will generally decrease, or
go down.
Do all changes to the environment impact living things in the same way?
Justify. No, some changes will benefit some organisms while other changes may
cause the organism to perish.
ENGAGE – Changes to the Environment
Suggested Day 15
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 14 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
1. Remind students that ecosystems are systems that have a very delicate balance.
Materials:
2. Ask/Say:
What are the two basic parts of an ecosystem? Living and nonliving things
We have been studying about ecosystem interactions. Can humans affect
the balance of an ecosystem? How? Accept all answers but lead students to
understand that humans affect their ecosystem.
3. Instruct students to travel outside to a preselected habitat study area. Inform students
that they will be observing organisms in the habitat study area. Upon entering the
predetermined field habitat study area,
Ask:
What observations can you make about this area? Answers will vary.
What kind of plants do we see? Answers will vary.
What kind of animals do we see? Answers will vary.
Are there any animals that we cannot see? Answers will vary. Students may
respond about animals under the ground or in the air.
What could we use to look at our area more closely? Answers will vary. Use of
a hand lens will help them see smaller animals.
Is this area a habitat? Answers will vary, but lead students to the understanding
that this is a habitat for some animals such as earthworms.
What kinds of interactions are occurring within this system? Answers will
vary. Lead students to understand that all of the components are ultimately
connected.
plywood (2’x2’ piece, see Instructional Notes for
other options, 1 per class)
hand lenses (1 per student or 1 per partner to
share)
Safety Notes:
As with any field experience, make sure that students understand
your clear expectations of safety. Scout out the habitat early. Check
for poisonous plants and other unsafe conditions. Check student
health forms to identify students that may have allergies.
Instructional Notes:
Plywood can be substituted for a material that would cover
approximately the same area. For example, a container lid with
something to weigh it down on top should produce the same
results.
Allow the students to move to the area of the school where your
habitat study is going to occur. This area should be relatively
4. Show students the two-foot square plywood.
Ask:
undisturbed. It should be a low-traffic, grassy area.
What do you notice about this plywood? Students should be able to describe
the plywood in terms of its physical properties, including size, shape, color,
transparency, flexibility, and mass.
Do you think that sunlight will pass through this plywood? Answers will vary,
but students should be lead to understand that wood will not allow sunlight to
penetrate.
What do you think will happen if we place this piece of plywood over an
area of this habitat for 24 hours? Answers will vary.
What things do you think will be the same as it is now? Answers will vary.
What things do you think will be different than it is now? Answers will vary.
Instruct students to record their observations in their journals.
5. Place the two-foot square plywood over a section of the habitat, and leave it for twentyfour hours.
EXPLORE – Changes to the Environment
Suggested Days 16 and 17
1. Safety Note: The teacher should wear gloves when picking up the plywood. Students
WILL NOT assist the teacher with the removal of the plywood. Check for animals that
could cause harm, such as scorpions, brown recluse spiders, or fire ants.
2. Remove the plywood after checking for safety. Allow students to make observations
again using the hand lenses. Allow students to record their observations in their
science notebooks.
Materials:
music to play
hand lenses
masking tape
3. Ask:
Attachments:
What things look the same? Answers will vary.
Are there any changes from yesterday? Answers will vary. The grass may begin
to appear flattened. Organisms may have moved either in or out of the region.
Why might these changes have happened? Living organisms respond to
changes in their habitat. Animals that need the light move out to the light. Animals
that seek shade may move under the plywood.
What advantage do animals have over plants when their environment
changes? Animals have the power of movement. They can move in and out of
situations. Most plants are anchored and cannot move.
How did the habitat change? Answer will vary. The temperature under the
plywood was different. The amount of sunlight was also different.
Why would living organisms leave? To seek light or a change in temperature
Why would organisms stay? Answers may vary, but should include that all their
basic needs were met.
Last Updated 01/11/13
Handout: Plywood Venn Diagram
(1 per teacher and/or student)
Teacher Resource: GrasslandPrairie Ecology
Game Directions
Handout: Land, Water, and Air Cards (copy
multiple sheets and cut apart)
Handout: GrasslandPrairie Habitat Cards (1 card
per student)
Teacher Resource: Environmental Changes
Scenarios
Safety Notes:
page 15 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
Why would organisms move to live under the plywood? Organisms may seek
out the plywood to get into the shade or because their bodies are soft and the
plywood offers them extra protection.
What might happen to the habitat if the plywood was left for a week? A
month? Answers will vary, but lead students to the understanding that the changes
in the color of the grass would get more pronounced. More organisms would leave
the area and/or come into the area. Moisture might accumulate.
Wear gloves when picking up the plywood. Check for animals that
could cause harm, such as scorpions, brown recluse spiders, or fire
ants. Ensure that students are not close to the area when you are
monitoring the ground for safety.
Science Notebooks:
Students should have an opportunity to reflect on the effects of
4. Upon returning to the classroom, assist the students in a compare and contrast of their
pollution on an ecosystem.
field information by creating a Venn diagram. See the Handout: Plywood Habitat
Venn diagram.
5. Use the Venn diagram as a guide, and facilitate a discussion about the effects of
changing a habitat.
Say:
You will be playing a Prairie Ecology Game to explore the effects of other
changes, both natural and man-made, on the environment.
6. For this game, students will be assuming the role of a prairie animal. Use the Teacher
Resource: Grassland Prairie Ecology Game Directions, Handouts: Land, Water,
and Air Cards and Grassland Prairie Habitat Cards, and Teacher Resource:
Environmental Changes Scenarios to conduct this game.
7. Students should have an opportunity to reflect on the effects of pollution on an
ecosystem. A three-sentence summary is one strategy for summarization.
EXPLAIN – Examining the Impact of Environmental Changes
Suggested Day 18
1. Project the website U.S. drought monitor at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.
On the homepage, there is a map of the U.S. that is updated periodically to show the
status of drought stages across the country. Alternatively, the homepage could also be
printed. Several copies could be printed to be shared in small groups.
2. Ask students if they see any areas that are in the exceptional drought stages. Explain
to students that Texas periodically has years of extreme drought.
Materials:
book (age-appropriate, about endangered
habitats/wildlife, 1 per teacher)
3. Ask:
What is a drought? Explain to students that a drought is where there are long
periods of no or very little rainfall.
What do you think happens to the land and plants when droughts occur?
Students will have various answers, such as lakes may dry up, crops won’t grow,
and animals won’t have enough food. Share that when plants die and conditions are
dry, the fire danger increases.
How does this affect farmer’s crops? Students will have various answers. Share
with the class that crops may not produce as much food or none at all.
How about animals? How are they affected by droughts? Allow for various
responses.
Instructional Notes:
This part of the lesson will discuss the impact of droughts and
floods. This might be a sensitive subject for students if they have
personally experienced these events. Take precaution when
discussing sensitive issues.
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
4. Say:
Major droughts, which are long periods (months to years) of little or no
rainfall, affect animals. Animals must have water, so when there is no
water, they move to find new water sources. Some may even perish if they
do not find a new source of water.
5. Ask:
If droughts are periods in weather that have little or no rain, then what are
the conditions in extreme weather known as flooding?
6. Allow time for students to think about this question. Continue by facilitating a discussion
focused on the fact that droughts and floods can have major and lasting effects on
plants and organisms in an ecosystem. Living organisms include humans.
7. Say:
An animal’s habitat must supply the needs of organisms, such as food,
water, temperature, oxygen, and minerals. If the population's needs are not
met, it will move to a habitat that can supply their basic needs. If needs are
still not met, the organism will perish. Perish means to die.
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 16 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
8. Ask:
Do all changes to the environment impact living things the same way?
Students should answer no.
Why, or why not? Answers may vary.
9. Say:
We discussed that some living organisms perish, or die, and some may
move to another area.
10. Explain to students that any change in the environment, such as the climate of an area,
can affect the plants and animals living there as well as the makeup of the entire
ecosystem. (Provide the following examples to help students understand this.) Some
species are already responding to a warmer climate by moving to cooler locations. For
example, some North American animals and plants are moving farther north or to
higher elevations to find suitable places to live. Climate change also alters the life
cycles of plants and animals. For example, as temperatures get warmer, many plants
are starting to grow and bloom earlier in the spring and survive longer into the fall.
Some animals are waking from hibernation sooner or migrating at different times.
11. Ask:
Do you think that some living organisms might thrive, or do well, when
some changes occur? Answers may vary.
Why or why not? Answers may vary.
12. Discuss with students that in some cases environmental changes may have some living
organisms increase, or thrive. Students should add the word thrive to their science
glossary. A definition for thrive is: a living organism grows and produces successfully.
13. Say:
Climate change in some areas is causing the region to become warmer or
colder. While some animals are affected by the warmer climate in a
negative way, insects such as mosquitos thrive and populate. This change
affects the entire ecosystem.
14. For more examples of living organisms thriving with environmental changes, visit
http://blog.earth-touch.com/nature-news/7-animals-thriving-on-a-warmer-planet/.
15. Write the words extinct, endangered, and threatened on a chart.
Ask:
What do these words mean to you?
16. Give some examples of organisms that would be included in each category, such as:
— Extinct: dinosaurs, saber­toothed tigers, wooly mammoths
— Endangered: manatees, grizzly bears, condors
— Threatened: prairie dogs, spotted owls, sea turtles
17. Share a book with students about changes to the environment which impact living
organisms and the balance of an ecosystem. Use pre-reading strategies to introduce
the book, activate prior knowledge, and set purposes for listening.
18. During or after reading, discuss any problems and solutions suggested in the book.
19. Ask:
Environmental changes affect living organisms, sometimes in negative
ways. Why do you think that people are concerned when a plant or animal
becomes threatened or endangered? Answers may vary, but students should
be able by now to relate the interdependence and connectedness among all living
things.
ELABORATE – Putting It All Together
Suggested Days 19 and 20
1. Instruct students to sit in an area where the teacher can demonstrate how to build a
food chain tower. The tower represents the grassland prairie ecosystem.
2. Use the Teacher Resource: Food Chain Tower Instructions and the Handout: Food
Chain Tower.
3. First, follow the instructions on how to build the tower. Demonstrate to students how to
Last Updated 01/11/13
Materials:
cardstock (see lesson for details and alternatives, 1
sheet per student)
science notebooks (1 per student)
page 17 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 22 days
create the tower, step by step.
4. As you put the tower together, focus the discussion on the role of: producers,
consumers, and the energy flow of the food chain.
5. Distribute to each student one blank piece of construction paper or card stock paper
and one copy of the Handout: Food Chain Tower Blank Template.
6. If students are creating their own food chains, have them create a draft in their science
notebook and share the idea with you before creating the food chain tower.
OR
Distribute to each student a piece of construction paper or card stock and one copy of
the Handout: Food Chain Tower.
Attachments:
Teacher Resource: Food Chain Tower
Instructions
Handout: Food Chain Tower
Handout: Food Chain Tower Blank Template
(optional: 1 per student)
Handout: Food Chain Tower Fold Book (1 per
student)
7. Allow time for students to build their food chains towers. If students created an original
food chain, provide the opportunity for students to share their ideas with the class.
8. Distribute the Handout: Food Chain Tower Fold Book. Students will need one copy
each. They will fold it in half lengthwise and cut along the lines to make flaps. Inside
each flap they can write about the animal and the energy flow. Remind students to add
the arrows of the energy flow in the food chain on the front of the fold book. They may
also include such terms as producer, consumer, predator, and prey. Additions or
deletions to this activity are up to the individual teacher.
9. Ask:
What if the mouse was removed from the food chain? How would the
grassland ecosystem be affected?
10. Students should discuss the impact on the ecosystem with the removal of this animal
in order to review these important concepts:
Ecosystems have a fine balance among living organisms and nonliving factors.
If one part of the food chain is removed, or affected, the other parts of the food
chain are affected also.
EVALUATE – Performance Indicator
Suggested Days 21 and 22
Grade 03 Science Unit 09 PI 01
Materials:
Create a project, such as a display, report, puppet show, etc., to illustrate and describe the habitat
needs of different populations in an ecosystem. Include information about the flow of energy through
food chains and the possible effects on these interactions due to a change in the environment.
OR
Write a story that describes a day in the life of an assigned organism as it meets its need for survival.
Describe interactions within the ecosystem, including the flow of energy through food chains and
changes in the environment, which contribute to and threaten the organism’s survival.
materials for project (various depending on student
choice, per class)
Standard(s): 3.2A , 3.2F , 3.9A , 3.9B , 3.9C
ELPS ELPS.c.5G
1. Gather materials for the project that students will be working on for their Performance
Task. Utilizing books from the library and class notes in their science notebooks can
help students with this task.
2. Two days are provided for the PI. However, the Elaborate could be reduced to 1 day,
making the Evaluate 3 days. A third day can be used for students to present their
projects to the class.
3. Share Performance Indicator rubric or expectations with students prior to students
beginning the assessment.
4. Answer any questions students may have regarding the assessment.
Last Updated 01/11/13
page 18 of 60 Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Performance Task: Part 2 - Weather
You have been learning about how different living things like to live in places that
suit their needs.
For example, polar bears love the Arctic climate where winter temperatures can
plunge to 45º below 0 Celsius. Polar bears have physical characteristics and
certain behaviors which make Arctic locations suitable habitats.
Humans like to live in places that are suitable for their needs, too. Think about how the weather
affects people’s decisions about their daily activities and behaviors.
Using the weather data you have collected, write about which of the locations would be the better
place for you to live. Include the following things in your composition:

Based on the weather data you have collected, where would you prefer to live?

Give at least three reasons why you prefer the weather in that location, and give specific
examples from the data to support your opinion.

Be sure to include how the weather in that location would (or does) affect your daily activities
and behavior or those of other people in the local community.
Place a check () in
the box to show that
you have completed
each item.
I listed the place that I would
prefer to live.
I gave three or more reasons why
I prefer the weather in that
location.
I gave specific examples from the
data to support my reasons.
I explained how the weather in
that location would affect my
activities and behaviors (or those
of other people in the community).
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Performance Task Rubric: Part 2 - Weather
Criteria
3
The response contains
the required elements.
All of the required
elements are included.
Provides reasonable
conclusions or claims
that can be supported
by the collected data
1
0
A few of the required
elements are missing.
Many of the required
elements are missing.
No response
The conclusions or
claims reflect the ability
to analyze and interpret
the data.
Most of the claims
reflect the ability to
analyze and interpret
the data.
Some of the claims
reflect the ability to
analyze and interpret
data.
The claims have no
relationship to the data.
Provides specific
examples from the data
to support their claims
Provides many
accurate examples to
support claims
Provides some
examples to support
claims and most of
them are accurate
Provides few examples
or the examples are
not accurate
No examples from data
are given.
Includes examples of
activities or behaviors
that reflect the
preferred weather
conditions
Includes many
examples of activities
or behaviors that reflect
the preferred weather
conditions
Includes some
examples of activities
or behaviors; most
match the preferred
weather conditions
Includes few examples
or the activities or
behaviors described do
not reflect the preferred
weather conditions
No examples are
given.
©2012, TESCCC
2
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Animal Population Cards
jackrabbit
jackrabbit
jackrabbit
jackrabbit
kangaroo rat
kangaroo rat
kangaroo rat
kangaroo rat
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 3
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
©2012, TESCCC
wolf
wolf
wolf
wolf
hawk
hawk
hawk
hawk
01/11/13
page 2 of 3
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
deer
deer
deer
deer
grasshopper
grasshopper
grasshopper
grasshopper
Photos courtesy of G. Venegas, U.S.Fish and Game; released to public domain, and clip art
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 3 of 3
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Individual Organism
jackrabbit
An “organism” is any living thing.
Examples:
humans
plants
animals
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 4
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Population
A population is a group of the
same kind of organisms.
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 2 of 4
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Community
A “community” includes all of the organisms
in a given area. Several different
populations are usually found in a
community.
hawks
rabbits
deer
field mice
plants
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 3 of 4
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Ecosystem
All living and nonliving components in a
defined area and how they affect one
another
Pictures courtesy of clip art and A. Venegas
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 4 of 4
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Ecosystem Snapshot – Deserts
Featured Population – Roadrunners
Animal Facts
The Desert Ecosystem
plant life -
landscape -
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Photos courtesy: clip art and Wikimedia:
released to public domain
climate -
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Instructions on Ecosystem Snapshot Project
Option 1 – The Fan Fold
This is a fan fold, also known as an accordion fold.
1. On the right hand side of each ecosystem snapshot handout, there is a
black line.
2. Fold the paper in half to the black line.
3. Fold the part of the paper that is after the black line
backward. (This is also known as a tab.)
4. Fold all of the ecosystem snapshots the same way. You
can fold each of them as they are introduced and add to
the fan fold as they are taught throughout the lesson
cycle.
5. You will want to place the glue on the folded tab side. You will then glue the next snapshot
handout with the straight side onto the tab.
Glue on the folded tab.
6. Connect all of the snapshot handouts the same
way.
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Option 2 – Individual Snapshot Books
1. The tab can be used to title the book, or it can be cut off.
Option 3 – Science Notebooks
1. Individual Ecosystem Snapshot books can be glued into the science notebooks.
(OR)
The fan fold can also be glued in the science notebook.
Photos courtesy of J. Shinners
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 2 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Who Am I Cards
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Photos courtesy of clip art and G. Venegas
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 2 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Ecosystem Snapshot – Grassland Prairies
Featured Population – Bumble Bees
Animal Facts
plant life -
climate -
landscape
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Pictures courtesy of clip art, Wikimedia commons; released
to public domain, and Joshua Tree and Living Desert
Museum
The Grassland Ecosystem
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Ecosystem Snapshot – Freshwater
Featured Population – American toad
Animal Facts
The Freshwater Ecosystem
climate -
landscape ©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Pictures courtesy of clip art, Wikimedia; released to public
domain
plant life -
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Ecosystem Snapshot – Oceans
Featured Population – Sharks
Animal Facts
The Ocean Ecosystem
plant life -
landscape -
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Pictures courtesy of clip art
climate -
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Ecosystem Snapshot – Forests
Featured Population – Eastern Box Turtle
The Forest Ecosystem
Animal Facts
plant life:
landscape:
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Photos courtesy clip art
climate:
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Ecosystem Snapshot – Tundra
Featured Population – Arctic Fox
Animal Facts
The Tundra Ecosystem
climate:
landscape:
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Pictures courtesy clip art, Wikimedia; released to public
domain, and USFWS; released to public domain
plant life:
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 9 Lesson: 01
What’s for Dinner?
Dinner: Spaghetti and Meatballs
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 6
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 9 Lesson: 01
Pasta
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 2 of 6
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 9 Lesson: 01
Grain
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 3 of 6
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 9 Lesson: 01
Tomato
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 4 of 6
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 9 Lesson: 01
Grass
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 5 of 6
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 9 Lesson: 01
Cow
Pictures courtesy clip art
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 6 of 6
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Food Chain Creations
These are pictures of
animals that live in the
forest ecosystem. Use
them to make as
many food chains as
you can.
Choose three
examples of forest
ecosystem food
chains that you have
completed, and glue
them in your science
notebook. Remember
to label the pictures
and draw arrows to
show the energy flow
from one organism to
the next.
mouse
clover
oak tree/acorn
slug
falcon
fox
squirrel
caterpillar
ant
cardinal
maple tree
bear
owl
turtle
rabbit
Pictures courtesy of clip art
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Frog Survival Card Template
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Grassland Food Chain
Cut out the pictures, and glue them in order to create a grassland/prairie food chain. Make sure to include the
animal’s name, and write if it is a producer or consumer.
sunflower
fox
bee
blue jay
--------------------------------------------------------------Cut here ----------------------------------------------------------------Grassland Food Chain
©2012, TESCCC
Pictures courtesy of clip art
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
What Would Happen If…
This just in! Scientists have noticed that in some of the fields and meadows in Texas, all of the bees
are missing. The scientific community is asking for your help! They need you to write about how the missing
bees will affect the prairie food chain.
Have you seen
this bee?
©2012, TESCCC
Pictures courtesy of clip art
You will need to write a letter informing the scientists about how the food chain will be affected. What will
happen to plant life? Include which animal populations will increase and those that might decrease. What
happens to the balance between predators and prey?
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Plywood Habitat Venn Diagram
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Grassland Prairie Ecology Game Directions
Materials:







same number of chairs as students
Handout: Land, Water, and Air Cards
masking tape
Handout: Prairie Ecology Cards (1 per student)
tape or CD player
music
Teacher Resource: Environmental Changes Scenarios
Advance Preparation:
Based on the class size, select which cards you will use from the Handout: Prairie Ecology Cards.
The cards that you select will determine how many Land, Water, and Air cards you will need to have
for the chairs. For example, the number of Land cards that you put on chairs will have to equal the
number of Prairie Ecology Cards that have the notation, “Land”.
Safety Note:
Remind students of safety rules and behavioral expectations before playing the game.
Directions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Arrange the chairs in a double line, back to back. (similar to the set-up for musical chairs)
Tape the Land, Water, and Air Cards randomly on the front of each chair.
Give each student one Prairie Ecology Card.
Inform students that this is the animal that they will be during the game.
Draw their attention to the Land, Water, or Air notation on their card.
Briefly discuss how animals depend on the land, water, or air for survival.
Instruct students to walk around the chairs while the music plays (just like the game musical
chairs).
8. When the music stops, students must find and sit in a chair that matches their card’s notation. (A
“Land card” taped to the chair should match a “Land animal” in the student’s hand.)
9. In the first round, all students will be able to find a chair. They all survive.
10. Explain to students that environmental changes to this ecosystem (as well as others) are
happening every day.
11. Read one of the Environmental Changes Scenarios and its corresponding notation.
12. Ask how this change would affect animals that depend on that part of the ecosystem for survival.
13. Remove a chair with the appropriate notation, and start the music again.
14. Continue the game in this way until only one student and chair are left. Ask what would happen to
this animal without the other animals? It would not survive either.
15. Ask students if they can think of ways that we might be able to avoid endangering the wildlife of
the prairie and other types of ecosystems. With each suggestion that is given, replace one of the
chairs.
16. Summarize by stating that although there are natural disasters and changes that affect
ecosystems, there are many things that people can do to protect the environment and support
species of animals that are threatened or endangered by natural or human actions.
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Land, Water, Air Cards
LAND
WATER
AIR
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Grassland Prairie Habitat Cards
I am a bull snake. I slither through
the prairie grasses.
I am a coyote. At night, you can
hear my cry. I run in a pack and
live in a den.
Land
Land
I am a prairie chicken. I do a dance I am a quail. I have a distinctive
to attract a mate.
call.
Land
Land
I am jackrabbit. I thump my back
feet to signal danger.
I am a prairie dog. We live in
colonies called “towns”.
Land
Land
I am a mouse. I carry seeds in my
mouth. I feed at night.
I am a burrowing owl. I live in
abandoned prairie dog towns.
Land
Land
I am a pronghorn. I can run very
fast to avoid predators.
I am a tarantula. I am a large, hairy
spider.
Land
Land
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 3
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
I am a red-tailed hawk. I can spot a I am a Canada goose. I migrate
prairie dog or mouse from high
through the prairies between my
above the grasslands.
summer and winter habitats.
Air
Air
I am a prairie falcon. I have
pointed wings and a long tail. I
dive through the air to capture my
prey.
I am a scissortail. My tail feathers
are split in half. They form a “V”
when I fly.
Air
Air
I am a barn owl. I have a huge
wing span, and I make no sound
when I fly though the air.
I am a bat. I am a farmer’s friend. I
consume thousands of insects
every night and I pollinate plants.
Air
Air
I am a honey bee. I pollinate crops I am a meadowlark. I sing a
and wildflowers. I make honey.
beautiful song.
Air
Air
I am a monarch butterfly. I have
brown and orange wings.
Air
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 2 of 3
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
I am a mosquito. When it rains on
the prairie, I deposit my eggs in
standing water.
I am a catfish. Using whisker-like
barbels, I find my food at the
bottom of a lake or stream.
Water
Water
I am a bullfrog. I find a lot of
insects to eat near a pond or lake.
I am a beaver. I depend on water
to transport building materials and
food to my lodge.
Water
Water
I am a largemouth bass. I’ll eat
just about anything that gets in or
close enough to water.
I am a minnow. I am a very little
fish. I dart through the water to
escape predators.
Water
Water
I am a perch. I am a yellow fish
with orange-yellow fins.
I am a snapping turtle. I have a
large head with powerful jaws. I
bite!
Water
Water
I am a mallard duck. I depend on
the prairie wetlands for food,
shelter, and water.
Water
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 3 of 3
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Environmental Changes Scenarios
Read an environmental change for each round of the Prairie Ecology Game. Remove a
chair that matches the part of the ecosystem that is affected by the change. As the
game progresses, choose scenarios, as needed, to eliminate available chairs.
1. A land development company clears many acres of prairie land to make way for a
new neighborhood. LAND
2. A petroleum refinery in the area has increased production. Smoke and fumes from
the refinery pollute the air. AIR
3. A nuclear waste storage facility leaks radioactive material into the groundwater. The
groundwater has dangerous effects on nearby water systems. WATER
4. There have been many days of high temperatures and very little rain. Grass fires
have destroyed thousands of acres of the prairie, eliminating the homes of many
animals. LAND
5. The smoke from the grass fires has drifted into the air, above much of the nearby
area. AIR
6. An eighteen wheeler carrying gasoline hits an icy spot on the road and spills
thousands of gallons of gas onto the land. LAND
7. Laura Lawless throws a coke can into the creek. WATER
8. Trees, growing near a creek, are cut down to allow for highway construction. LAND
9. Erosion of the exposed soil runs off into the creek, clouding the water. WATER
10. The number of cars on the country roads is increasing rapidly. The exhaust fumes
drift into the air. AIR
11. A playa lake, which supports migratory birds, is drained. WATER
12. Hunters illegally kill a large number of quail and pheasant. This reduces the prey
needed by other prairie animals. LAND
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
13. Clueless Community has introduced a foreign species of fish into the nearby
wetland areas. This species is killing off the native minnows and small fish and
upsetting the ecosystem balance. WATER
14. Rainforests in South America are being cut down and cleared. These forests
supply much of the world’s oxygen. AIR
15. A farmer plows up 640 acres of prairie land to plant a crop of peanuts. LAND
16. The fertilizer used by the farmer on his crops drains through the soil into the
underground water. WATER
17. Herbicides from a crop duster plane drift on the wind. AIR
18. A flood overfills the nearby water treatment facility and washes untreated waste
and sewage into nearby streams. WATER
19. Neil Negligent allows his car air conditioner to leak coolant, destroying the ozone.
Air temperatures increase. AIR
20. Farmers poison the nearby prairie dog towns to rid their crops of the rodents. LAND
21. A local stream is polluted when Laura Lawless dumps her old refrigerator at the
site. WATER
22. Litterbug Luke throws a bag of trash out of his window. LAND
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 2 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Food Chain Tower Instructions
Materials:

blank cardstock (1 piece)

cardstock, with the Food Chain Tower printed on it (1 piece)

scissors

tape or glue
Procedure:
1. Take the blank sheet of card stock, and roll the paper vertically. Tape or glue the roll together.
This will be used as a stand for the food chain.
2. Next, take the Food Chain Tower, roll it up vertically, and tape or glue it together.
3. Lightly press down on the roll, so it will be easier to cut.
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
4. Cut on the dotted lines to create five rings. (See the pictures below.)
5. The food chain is now ready to be sorted and displayed on the blank paper roll. Have students sort the food chain in
order from bottom to top, starting with the producer to the top consumer. If demonstrating only, have students assist in
the building of the food chain. A blank template is provided for students to create their own food chain tower.
Photos courtesy of J. Shinners
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 2 of 2
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Food Chain Tower
Consumer - owl
________________________________________
Consumer - snake
________________________________________
Consumer - mouse
Consumer - grasshopper
____________________________________________
Producer - Grass
_____________________________________________
©2012, TESCCC
Pictures courtesy of clip art
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Food Chain Tower Blank Template
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Producer – Grass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
©2012, TESCCC
01/11/13
page 1 of 1
Grade 3
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Food Chain Tower Fold Book
Consumer - owl
______________________________________________
Consumer - snake
_______________________________________________
Consumer - mouse
_______________________________________________
Consumer - grasshopper
______________________________________________________
Producer - grass
______________________________________________________
©2012, TESCCC
Pictures courtesy of clip art
01/11/13
page 1 of 1