Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Alexa Troain Date: 2/22/23

Group Size: 24 Allotted Time: 30 min Grade Level: 4

Subject or Topic: Science/Food Chain

Common Core/PA Standard(s)

Standard - 4.1.4.A
Explain how living things are dependent upon other living and nonliving things for survival.

Describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers within a local ecosystem.

Standard - 4.1.4.C
Explain how most life on earth gets its energy from the sun.

Standard- B.4.2.1 Describe how energy flows through an ecosystem (e.g., food chains, food
webs, energy pyramids).

Learning Targets/Objectives
The fourth grade students will produce a chain link by connecting the strips to create an
accurate food chain and complete a corresponding worksheet.
Formative Assessment Approaches Evidence observation or method of collection
1.food chain links 1. check for correct order
2.worksheet that went along with activity 2. graded worksheet
…. …
Assessment Scale for any of the assessments above if needed

Summative if applicable
Subject Matter/Content to be taught in the lesson

Prerequisites

New Key Vocabulary

● Habitat- the place where an animal or plant finds the food, water, shelter and space in
a arrangement they need to survive
● Producer- a green plant that can make its own food through photosynthesis
● Consumer- an organism that eats another organism in order to get its food
 ● Food Chain- the transfer of energy from one organism to the next from sun to
producer to consumer, food chain is just part of the overall food web found in nature.
● Food Web- the interlocking pattern of food chains that actually occurs in nature
● Predator- an animal that catches, kills and eats other animals
● Prey- animals that are killed and eaten by predators
● Herbivore- animal that eats only plants
● Omnivore- an animal that can eats plants and animals
● Carnivore- a meat-eater
● Decomposer- an organism that eats the organic material that results from the death and
decay of other lifeforms
● Photosynthesis- the process by which plants make their own food using carbon
dioxide, water and sunlight.
● Ecosystem- a community of interacting organisms and their environment
● Pennsylvania ecosystem- the specific ecosystem where we live including forests,
lakes, rivers and wetlands.

Content/Facts

Food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive,
while food chains follow just one path of energy as animals find food.

An example of a food chain is the sun provides food for the grass, the grass is eaten by the
grasshopper, the grasshopper is eaten by a frog, the frog is eaten by a snake and then the snake
is eaten by a hawk.

An example of a food web where everything is connected is trees produce acorns which act as
food for many mice and insects and because there are many mice, weasels and snakes have
food. The insects and the acorns also attract birds, skunks and opossums. With the skunks,
opossums, weasels and mice around, hawks, foxes and owls can find food. They are all
connected. Like a spider's web, if one part is removed, it can affect the whole web.

We all get energy from the sun. We couldn't live without the sun. The beginning of the food
chain and food webs is grass or some kind of plant. In order for plants to grow they have to
make their own food and this process is called photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis
includes using carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to make their own food. They make their
own food which allows the rest of the cycle to get their energy from the food they eat. Since
plants make their own food they are producers. After producers make their food, consumers
eat another organism to keep their source of energy.

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies
● The teacher will start by asking the students to tell us what we have done in science for
the past two days.
○ The students should respond with what they have learned and the activities they
did.
● The teacher will also ask students questions about the vocabulary and the activity they
did.
 ○ The teacher can ask questions like, “How are producers, consumers and
decomposers related?”
○ How do plants get their food?
○ What is the difference between food webs and food chains?
○ What does an omnivore eat?
● The teacher will do a short review on the topics in previous lessons.
Development/Teaching Approaches
● The teacher will say, “Today our focus is going to be on food chains. Can someone tell
me what we have learned about food chains so far?”
○ The teacher will call on students to answer.
● The teacher will dive deeper into what food chains are and how they are important.
Students should already have an understanding from the first two lessons, but now we
are only going to focus on food chains.
● The teacher will explain what food chains are again for students.
○ Food chains are a flow of energy, they are how organisms obtain energy
through the food they eat.
○ The food chain is the order of what organisms eat what.
○ An example of a food chain is the sun provides food for the grass, the grass is
eaten by the grasshopper, the grasshopper is eaten by a frog, the frog is eaten by
a snake and then the snake is eaten by a hawk.
○ Food chains start with the sun, then the producers, consumers eat the producers
and other consumers and then the end if the food chain is the top predator. After
the top predator dies a decomposer breaks down the dead material.
● The teacher will show pictures of food chains for better understanding.
● The teacher will give students 5 minutes to look through the food chain books from the
textbook.
● The teacher will then introduce the activity to the students by saying, “Now that we
learned more about food chains, we are going to do an activity to help us understand
food chains. We are going to be creating links. There are two papers for you to cut out
strips and then there is a worksheet that goes with the craft. There are two different
kinds of food chains.”
● The teacher will show the example made by the teacher.
● The teacher will further explain, “You should cut out all the strips and then the
beginning of the food source strip goes first. Glue that together into a circle and then
whatever you think is the beginning of the food chain will link onto that and then so
on. The top predator should be your last link.”
● “I want you to think about the order of a food chain when you are creating these links.”
● The teacher will let the students go around the room to complete the craft.
● The teacher will say, “After you are done, come up to me to get the other worksheet,
which you will be handing in for a grade.”
● The teacher will be walking around the room helping students, checking for
understanding and checking if students are staying on task.
● When they are done with the links, the teacher should check them and then give them
the worksheet. Remind them that they are handing it in for a grade.
● If they finish the links and the worksheet the teacher will tell them they can look at the
text set of books again.
Closure/Summarizing Strategies
● The teacher will end this lesson by asking students to hand in their worksheets because
they will be graded.
● The teacher will then ask the students what they learned today about food chains.
● The teacher will ask if students have questions.
○ the teacher will call on students with questions
● The teacher will do a quick review with the students by asking questions about food
chains.
○ the teacher will call on students.
● The teacher will finally introduce the activity for the next day by saying, “Today we
focused on food chains, but tomorrow we are going to be learning more about food
webs by researching and creating our own food web.”
● The teacher will remind students of their test Monday.

Accommodations/Differentiation
● Anchor chart projected on the screen for visual learners.
● Redirecting when needed.
● Help some students read the worksheet.

Materials and Resources:

Text Set:
1. What is a Habitat? By Lisa M Bolt Simons
2. What Eats What in a Forest Food Chain? By Lisa J Amstutz
3. Who eats what? By Patricia Lauber
4. What if There Were No Gray Wolves? By Suzanne Slade
5. Understanding Photosynthesis by Liam O Donnell
6. Ecosystems- Geography Projects By Pam Robson
7. Because of an Acorn By Lola M Shaefer
8. What if There Were No Bees? by Suzanne Slade
9. Is it a Food Web or a Food Chain by Emily Sohn
 10. Food Chains by ALvin Silverstein

Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels
I had them create the food chain links to show the different elements of food chains and what
they need to go together, but I also had them do a worksheet to show their understanding of the
food chain links they created. On the worksheet they had to write down the correct order of
their food chain. Then they had to name the beginning of the food chain, the producer, the
consumers and then the top predator. They also had to answer two questions that asked what
would happen if one of the animals in the food chain died. They could successfully create the
food chain link. When it came to the worksheet they were confused because there were two
food chain links cut outs. One that included 6 and one that included 4 and each one went along
with a different sheet that corresponded. Some students messed up on the worksheet because
they didn’t have the correct worksheet that went along with their links. The students were able
to answer the questions on the worksheet about the producers and consumers, but they had
trouble answering the ones about an animal of the food chain dying.

All 24 students successfully and correctly created the food chain links.
19 out of 24 students correctly answered the questions on the corresponding worksheet.

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

How would you improve this lesson?

I would improve this lesson by only giving out one form of the worksheet. Since I handed out
two different versions of the activity with different food chains it confused the students when
they didn’t have the corresponding worksheet that went with their food chain links.

How engaged were students?

The students were engaged during the review by answering questions when asked. They were
also engaged during the activity since they had to cut out strips and glue them together. I allowed
them to do the activity in groups but they had to be with someone who had a different set of
links. These groups turned out well because some of them were with students they don’t
normally go with. There were a few groups that were a little off task that I had to redirect.

What went well during this lesson?

This lesson went well because the students seemed to achieve a better understanding of food
chains by creating the links. They showed excitement when I told them they were doing a craft to
learn about the food chains. After the craft I reviewed important information about food chains
and asked the students questions. More students were able to correctly answer the questions.

Additional reflection/thoughts