Food Webs Off The Top Of Our Heads.

By: Alexis Brofford

5th Grade Science

Common Core Standards:

1.LS.1 Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.

1.LS.2 All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.

Lesson Summary:

This lesson is designed to cover some key aspects of life science pertaining to organisms. Students will learn
about the relationship between organisms in various ecosystems and how the organisms get their energy..
Students will learn about the flow of energy amongst organisms in an ecosystem. Students will create a food
web of their assigned ecosystem (terrestrial, aquatic), which will help them learn how energy is passed from
one organism to the next. Students will come to learn that only some of the energy from the previous animal is
taken in by the next and why. Students will identify and select producers, consumers and decomposers for their
food web. They will also classify the roles of organisms as herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. As a class,
students will share each of their food webs.

Estimated Duration:

This lesson will take about 150 minutes, so 3 50-minute class periods.

Commentary:
I will get the students “hooked” to my lesson by showing videos of animals in terrestrial and aquatic
environments. I will ask the students what their favorite non-domestic animals are and then ask them what they
think that animal eats and what that animals eat, and so forth. For example, if their answer is a fox then they
may guess it eats a rabbit and a rabbit eats a carrot. This will get the students thinking about the relationships
between these various organisms. I anticipate the students having difficulty establishing the connection
between every organism in a food web, however, by the end of the lesson plan they should be able to
understand this with ease.

Instructional Procedures:

Day 1:
For the first 5 minutes, students at the start of class will be given a pre-assessment worksheet, to determine
what they already know regarding the roles of organisms in an ecosystem. For the next 10-15 minutes students
will watch a short video that introduces and explains what a producer, consumer, and decomposer are.
Following that instructional video, we will watch another that gives examples and explains the role of
herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. After the video, we will do a 15-minute classroom knowledge check
using Kahoot, in which students will be given a picture of organisms and what they eat. Students will then
select whether the organism is herbivore, carnivore, or an onimvore. they will determine what it is. For
example, a rabbit eating a carrot would be a herbivore. Once completed, if all students successfully complete
the Kahoot with all correct answers we will move on to the next part of the lesson. The second lesson will be a
handout that students will be given a handout that will take approximately 10-15 minutes. The handout will
require them to categorize organisms as consumers, producers, and decomposers and briefly explain why.
Students at the end of the class will be given a post-it note and they will be asked what the major source of
energy an ecosystem is, which is sunlight. I will then collect these and see what students wrote.
Day 2:
For the 5 minutes, we will go over the answers the students put for the end of the day question. As the teacher,
I will inform them that the sun is the primary source of energy in any environment. For about 30 minutes, the
entire class will learn about how the sun is taken in by producers through photosynthesis by plants and into
photosynthetic organisms. We will use Generation Genius online website to help to determine and identify
energy flow in a food web in which we will learn why energy is lost as it passes through organisms. It will
explain how the sun is the primary source of energy and how the producers take it in. It will then explain how
as organisms and animals are eaten by another, energy is lost and what is transferred to the next animal. As the
teacher, I will provide extra explanation and explain that the energy is lost through the daily activities the
animals do. For the last 15 minutes, I will show them the already set up dominos I have and push it over
allowing the dominoes to fall. I will use this as a final reminder and explanation of the flow of energy and
relationship amongst animals. The push of the first domino will cause the rest to fall, this illustrates the energy
from the organism being pushed to the next.

Day 3:
On the last day on the lesson plan for understanding food webs, each student will create their very own. At the
beginning of the class for about 10 minutes I will show a simplified example of a food web that shows a
handful of organisms and I will label them producer, consumer, and decomposer and draw the connection
between them that signifies the passing of energy. The students will then be partnered and assigned terrestrial
or marine ecosystems and will be given a list of ideas for organisms. It will be up to the students to create their
very own food webs using their type of ecosystem and different organisms. They will be required to identify
each animal and label them. I will facilitate this activity and help students as needed. This activity should take
everyone around 20 minutes. After everyone is completed, the students will go up and share their food webs
and briefly explain them. For the remainder of the class, students will take a post-assessment to establish they
have learned all necessary material.

Pre-Assessment:

On day 1, students will be given a pre-assessment worksheet in which they will be asked few questions
regarding some key terms including producers, consumers, decomposer, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore and
food web. They will be asked to attempt to define and explain them and to label some pictures. This will just
give me a bit of knowledge of where they are already at with this subject,

Scoring Guidelines:
I will use my judgment as the teacher to determine whether my students have any prior knowledge and
I will build off that knowledge and close any gaps in knowledge. How much or how little I go into
detail on certain topics will be based on what my students do or do not already know.
Post-Assessment:
Students will not receive an exam or anything of the sort they will be required to do their final food web
assignment and a post-assessment worksheet that asks the same questions as the pre-assessment worksheet. I
will use the answers of the question to determine if the students have successfully learned the subject material.
To do so, I will compare the questions they answered at the beginning to how well they did on their final food
web assignment and post assessment.

Scoring Guidelines:
Students will receive a score and percentage on their post assessment, each question will be worth 2
points for a total of 40 points. Those who score 80 %, also known as a 32/40, or higher will be
considered competent on the material. Those who score lower will be given a chance to redo and
additional material.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Describe how instruction can be differentiated (changed or altered) to meet the needs of gifted or accelerated
students:
-Students who are gifted or accelerated and who already display a clear understanding of the materials will be
assigned a bit more of a challenge. They will be asked to go onto the National Geographic Website and watch
some of the videos and see if they can identify some food webs from each.
-Students who are struggling will be sat with the other students who have a grasp on the material, so that they
help the student fill in some gaps. If more help is needed, the student will do a one on one sit down with the
teacher.

Extension
https://www.generationgenius.com/difference-between-food-webs-food-chains/
https://www.twinkl.com/teaching-wiki/food-web
Students can read through these websites and watch the various videos. Doing so, will help them further
understand food webs, flow of energy, roles of organism, and other key points.

Homework Options and Home Connections

Students will not be given homework, as long they are showing understanding and actively participating in
class activities. Parents, however, are always encouraged to build off of what students learn in class at home.
They can access extra materials and topics of discussion on my class blog.

Interdisciplinary Connections
Art: During the class activities, students are required to use their artistic abilities to draw the animals and
connections between the organisms. Their drawings could be considered an art project.

Technology: In order to do some of the assignments students will be using chromebooks and computers, this
builds off the already existing knowledge of how to use certain softwares, which we learn in various
technology classes.

Social and Emotional Learning- Students participating in class activity and working in groups builds off of the
standards of social and emotional learning. Through collaboration students are building their relationships
skills and decision-making skills.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers -Smart Projector to play videos and show kahoot.

-Dominoes
-Postit Notes

For students -Chromebook

-Computer

Key Vocabulary
Energy Ecosystem
Producers Sunlight
Consumers Predator
Decomposers Prey
Herbivore
Omnivore
Carnivore
Food Web

Additional Notes
As a teacher, I refrain from doing any outside schoolwork at home, so they are able to spend this time with
their families and enjoy being a child. They are welcome to ask me for additional materials to take home if
they like, however, anything they need I will provide in class. I only ask for them to come to school the next
day ready to learn.