Ecosystems

Lesson 1

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources:
• Large poster paper (1 sheet per group) Excellent website for your own
background understanding:
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils (1 basket per http://highered.mcgraw-
group) hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072919876/69533/e
• Access to the internet for research of ecosystems ng40007_ch06.pdf

• Ecosystem Summary Chart if no internet is

available (cut up the chart into 6 strips; 1 strip per
group)
• Ecosystem Card (cut up)
• Chalk/whiteboard for demo
• Poster with ecosystem definition
• Assessment for Ecosystems handout (1 per
student)
• Optional: Which Ecosystem? Handout

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Ecosystem Posters 1 of 8
Goal/Objectives of Activity:
Goal: The purpose of today’s lesson is to help students think about varying ecosystems and what
lives/grows in that system.

Objectives: Students will be able to give a short verbal definition of the term “ecosystem.” Students
will be able to name 3 specific ecosystems and 2 plants/animals likely to reside in each one.

Activity Instructions:

Pre-Assessment:
Hand out the Pre-Assessment for Ecosystems. Tell the students that it’s okay if they do not know
the answers. Tell them to take their best educated guess and that they will retake the assessment at
the end of the unit to see what they have learned. Collect assessments and set aside for grading.

Transition Strategy: Up to you. You can make it personal or skip.

Opening:
Activate prior knowledge.
1. Have the word ECOSYSTEM written large on the board. Ask the whole group, “Today we’re
going to learn about ecosystems. Does anyone have any idea what an ecosystem is? You
don’t have to say a whole definition. Give me any word you think might be related to an
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 ecosystem. What might be included in an ecosystem? Take your best guess.” Shout outs work
well here. Write down the words as the students say them out loud. Don’t say whether they’re
right or wrong. Encourage participation.
2. Next, say, “Okay, good list. An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms
and their physical environment.” Have a large premade poster with that definition on it. Hang it
up. Have it up in the room during the unit. Most likely, the students will have said things like
plants, animals, water, where you live. Say, “I think you guys got some of those elements
down. Let’s see if I can draw you an example of what an ecosystem is. You’re going to help
me out.”

I DO/WE DO:

Read the following narrative (paraphrase/edit as you see fit). As you narrate, draw the
elements on the board (by the end of your narrative, your final product should roughly
resemble the pond image below. Don’t worry if you’re a bad artist. Do your best).

1. Consider a small puddle at the back of your home (draw a puddle). In it, you may find all sorts
of living things, from microorganisms, to insects and plants (draw a fish, frog, plants, ask
students for suggestions of plants/animals if you want. Label as you go).
2. These may depend on non-living things like water, sunlight (draw sun), turbulence in the
puddle (draw ripples), temperature (heat rays), atmospheric pressure and even nutrients in the
water for life.
3. This very complex, wonderful interaction of living things (point to animals) and their
environment (point to sun, soil, air) is an ecosystem.
4. An ecosystem is like a very close-knit community. Anytime a ‘stranger’ - living thing(s) or
external factor such as rise in temperature- is introduced to an ecosystem, it can be disastrous
to that ecosystem. This is because the new organism - or factor- can distort the natural
balance of the interaction and potentially harm or destroy the ecosystem. (Ask students for an
example of a ‘stranger’ to an ecosystem– they might say a car, trash, humans, or a different
animal - draw it in).
5. Usually, biotic members of an ecosystem, together with their abiotic factors depend on each
other (write biotic and abiotic next to your pond). This means the absence of one member, or
one abiotic factor can affect all parties of the ecosystem. (Pause here to write the words biotic
and abiotic to the side of your drawing). Say: Does anyone know what those words mean?
Let me give you a clue. The fish, plant, fly are biotic. The sun, rock, soil, and air are abiotic.
Can you guess what each word means? (Point to the items in the drawing and repeat the clue
a few times. Give them time to get it.)
6. Unfortunately ecosystems have been disrupted, and even destroyed by natural disasters such
as fires, floods, storms and volcanic eruptions. (draw a fire in the background) Human
activities have also contributed to the disturbance of many ecosystems. (draw a stick figure
dropping trash)
7. Now, I just drew a basic ecosystem for you as an example. There are also very specific types
of ecosystems that exist in different parts of the world and they have special names. I’m going
to break you up into groups and assign you a specific type of ecosystem. As a group, you will
read/research your ecosystem and create your own poster.

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YOU DO:
1. Divide youth into teams of 3
2. Ask one member from each team to come
forward and draw an Ecosystem Card
3. Once they have drawn the card ask youth to
create a poster of their ecosystem, including
animals, plants, organisms, type of weather,
sun, soil, climate, etc. that you would expect
to find in this ecosystem. If the students have internet access, have them research their
ecosystem online* and take notes before beginning their poster. If there is no internet access,
give each group the Ecosystem Summary Chart (only give the group the section for their
ecosystem; have these pre-cut). Have one student read the sheet aloud to the group before
they begin the poster. Roam around during this process to make sure students are working
together to decide what to draw on their poster. Possible check-in questions as you roam: Tell
me about your ecosystem. What plants or animals are you going to include? Who is going to
draw the _________? Can you think of a place on Earth that looks like this? What’s the climate
like? How are you going to show that on your poster? (Also, if students stress over how to
draw specific animals/plants, tell them to do their best. Don’t draw for them.)
4. Explain that they will need to share their poster with the entire group, describing each of the
elements they included in the poster.
5. When each team has finished, have the teams share out to whole group.

Bonus Activity:
1. Leave the posters hanging up on the wall. Have students return to whole group seating.
2. Hold up cutouts from the Which Ecosystem? handout. Ask, “Okay, now that we’ve learned
about all the ecosystems, in which ecosystem do you think a camel would live?” Have one
volunteer come up and tape the square on the right poster. Ask another volunteer if she
agrees/disagrees and why. Repeat with as many cards as you see fit.

Debrief:
1. Take the posters off the wall so the kids can no longer see them (Keep them in good condition.
You need these posters for Lesson 4).
2. Ask these questions to check for understanding:
• Who can give me a very short, clear definition of the word “ecosystem”?
• Who can name one specific type of ecosystem and one plant or animal that might
live there? Cover 2-3 ecosystems. Once or twice, ask the volunteer whether the
plant/animal they named is biotic or abiotic.
• Just to be sure, ask students one more time abiotic and biotic factors. Is the wind
abiotic or biotic? (abiotic) Is a rock abiotic or biotic? (abiotic) Is a flower abiotic or
biotic? (biotic) Is the sun abiotic or biotic? (abiotic) Is the water in a lake abiotic or
biotic? (abiotic) Make it quick, use shout outs.
3. Ask these questions to help students make connections:
• How would you describe the ecosystem in which you live?
• What is one thing you would change in your ecosystem and why?
• In what ways are all of the participants in an afterschool program essential parts of
the ecosystem?
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 4. Ask these questions to help students with critical thinking:
• What is one thing you see humans doing that might harm an ecosystem?
• What is one thing humans can do to help protect an ecosystem?
5. Go through the standard Review and Reflect questions.

Tips/Things that work well:

To “fun it up,” print out a small cutout of a favorite cartoon character, for example, Elmo. Tell each
group they have to paste Elmo onto their ecosystem poster. It makes for hilarious posters and share
outs as students explain why they made a scarf and earmuffs for Elmo, and why his cheeks are
colored in blue. Because it’s cold in the tundra! Why does the polar bear look so angry? Because
Elmo is disrupting the natural balance of the ecosystem.

FYI: Make sure that the Grassland group chooses either prairies OR savannahs draw on their poster.

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 Ecosystems
Lesson 2

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources:
• Ball of yarn. You’ll need a whole skein (large Excellent background for you:
ball), just in case. http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/lessons/lessons/by-
broad-concept/life-science/food-chains-and-webs/
• Food Chain Cards—1 for each youth—way to
attach the picture to the shirt front of the youth
for all to see
• Food Web Poster (1 per whole class)
• Chalkboard/whiteboard

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Food Chain to Food Webs 2 of 8
Goal/Objective of Activity:
Goal: The purpose of this lesson is to understand Food Chains and Food Webs, and how they are
different, and what would happen to an ecosystem if one of the things in the ecosystem would
disappear.

Objective: Students will be able to give a verbal definition of food chains and food webs. Students
will be able to explain the role of the sun in food chains/webs. Students will be able to explain the
difference between a producer and a consumer in a food chain and give one example of each.

Activity Instructions:

Transition Strategy:

Stand at the board. Ask a few kids to share what they ate for lunch that day and what you ate. For the
purposes of the lesson, make your lunch include some kind of meat. Example, “Today we’re going to
talk about food. Can I get some volunteers to share out what they ate for lunch today?” (sandwich,
pizza, applesauce, chips) “Mmm. That all sounds yummy. I had a chicken sandwich today.” Draw a
picture of yourself with an arrow pointing to a chicken. Ask, “What do you think the chicken ate before
it became my lunch?” (They might say corn, bugs, worms.) Say, “Good answers. I’m going to go with
a specific bug, how about a caterpillar?” (Draw an arrow from the chicken to the caterpillar.) Ask,
“What do you think the caterpillar ate before the chicken got it?” (They might say flowers, clover,
leaves, plants.) Say, ”Good answers. I’ll go with plants.” (Draw an arrow from the caterpillar to the
plant.) Say, “Now here’s a trick question: What did the plant ‘eat’?” (They might say water, soil,
nutrients in soil.) Say, “Yes, that’s technically true. But what does a plant need in order to use the
soil, water, and nutrients?” Hopefully they guess sun, but if not, give them a hint. “That’s right. I’m
going to put the sun up here; it provides the energy all living organisms need for life.” Draw the sun
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slightly above everything else. Here’s an example of a basic food chain. Yours will look a little
different with the person and chicken. Also, your arrows will be going in the opposite direction for
now. Don’t sweat it, just get the basic idea down.

Opening:
Point at your picture, and repeat again what it is: “So the sun helps the plants grow, and the plants
feed the caterpillar, and the caterpillar feeds the chicken, and the chicken feeds me. Mmmmm.
Yummy.” As you say this, draw the arrows from one element to the other, and say, “See? You can
also draw the arrows in the opposite direction to show the connection.” Ask, “Can anybody tell me
what this is?” Write “Food _________” above the picture. If they don’t guess food chain, give them a
hint like, “What’s it called when one thing is linked to another?” (Let them do shout outs.) “Yes, a
chain! This is a food chain. Today we’re going to create food chains and a food web. But first, let’s do
some review from the last lesson.”

Activate prior knowledge. Say, “So all of these elements are interconnected. You could say they
are a part of a community where one needs the other to survive. What’s that called again – we talked
about it yesterday?” (Ecosystem!) Point to the caterpillar. “Is it abiotic or biotic?” (Biotic!) “Now, what
element in this chain could be considered a disruption to the ecosystem?” (You!) “Yeah. It’s true, and
we’ll discuss that more later.” Write down the words herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, consumers,
and producers on the board. Some of you may already know these words, but let’s review just in
case.

Get a student volunteer to stand at the board with you with a marker. Say, “Does anyone know what
an herbivore is?” (an animal that eats mostly plants) Write down the definition. Ask the group, “Which
animal on this food chain is an herbivore?” (Have students give answers and ask the volunteer to
label the chicken and caterpillar with a big “H”)
Say, “Does anyone know what a carnivore is?”(an animal that mostly eats other animals) Write down
the definition. Ask what animal on the food chain is a carnivore. Technically, there isn’t one on your
picture, so let them figure that out as they try to answer. Explain that they will encounter carnivores in
the activity today.
Say, “Does anyone know what an omnivore is?”(an animal that eats both plants and animals) Ask,
What animal on the chain is a an omnivore?” (you, chicken) Have the volunteer label them with an
“O.”
Say, “So a producer is something that uses the sun’s energy to feed itself. Producers are also the
food that most other organisms eat. So producers give energy to other organisms. Which one of the
elements on my food chain is a producer? (The plant). “Yes, all plants are producers. We’ll label it
“Producer.”
Say, “A consumer is an animal that eats or consumes other animals and plants. Everything else on
the food chain is a consumer.” Label them “consumers.”
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Say, “The consumers at the top of the food chains are called predators. Think of bears, lions, hawks.
Predators usually don’t have other predators who eat them, which is why they’re at the top. Who is
the predator in this food chain?” (You) Label it. “Okay, so let’s see what happens when we make lots
of food chains.”

I DO/We DO/YOU DO:

What you will do:
1. Distribute the Food Web Cards attached to this lesson plan, one per youth
2. Explain that they are going to stand in a large circle and introduce themselves to the group as
the card they received. One very responsible student will need to stand in the center of the
circle and be the sun.
3. Explain that together you will all create multiple Food Chains.
4. Make the circle. Then start the first food chain—remind youth that food chains begin with the
sun nourishing some sort of plant, which is eaten by some sort of critter until it gets to the top
of the chain. For example: Sun to Flowers to Rabbit to Hawk. Since there is no animal that
eats hawks, the food chain is complete and the ball of yarn will come back to the sun, which is
in the center of the circle. Create the Chain: As you go through this Food Chain, hang onto
one end of the yarn and toss the ball to the flower. The flower will then toss the ball of yarn
(holding on to an end of the yarn) to the rabbit, who in turn will pass it to the hawk. The hawk
will return the yarn to the sun.
5. Once you have the yarn returned to the center, ask for another person who believes that the
sun will directly affect them and begin the food chain, and then talk through the chain, and then
pass the yarn to create another web. Remember, flowers could be used more than once as
could beetles, etc. The first toss for the sun always needs to be to some sort of plant.
6. When you have completed numerous chains and everyone has at least one piece of yarn,
carefully lay the web down on the floor in the center of the circle. (Be very clear here. Tell them
all to stop, and on the count of three, sit down at once while still holding on to their ends of
yarn. The web should be at lap-level at this point so the students can easily see what it looks
like, but make sure they are hanging on to their ends so the yarn is still fairly taut.)
Discuss the following:
1. Have we made food chains? (Yes, lots of them!)
2. What do all of our food chains look like together? (They’ll probably say spider web. Say, “Yes,
that’s true. This is a food web!”)
3. What is the difference between a food chain and food web? (A food web is made up of several
food chains. A web is more complicated than a chain because it has connections among the
chains.)
4. Who is holding the most pieces of yarn? (The sun.)
5. Why? (Because each food chain starts with the sun.)
6. Who else is part of many food chains? (Green plants)
7. What would happen if all the green plants died? (Nothing else in the food web could survive.)
8. What would happen if one of the predators died? (No one would eat the smaller consumers,
like the mouse or frog, which would lead to overpopulation and an imbalance in the
ecosystem.)
9. How could we show what could happen if one kind of plant, such as all the grass died? (The
student representing grass should let go of his yarn ends so the strings go slack.)
10. What happened to those chains? (They get weak or collapse where the grass used to be.)
11. If all the grass is gone, who may have trouble getting enough food? (Identify all the animals
that were in food chains that included grass. This will be tricky, so walk the Grass through it. A
good way to do this is to have the Grass, still seated, gently tug on ONE of his yarn ends so
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 that the next organism connected to him should feel the tug at their end. Have them let go of
that one yarn piece and say, “So the Grasshopper is affected!” Then have the Grass keep on
pulling at that same yarn end. The next animal after Grasshopper (or whatever animal it is)
should feel the tug and let go of their yarn piece. Say, “And now the Bird is affected.” The
Grass keeps pulling once more. They should get it by then. Then choose one of those animals
that “died” in the Grass chain. Ask them to tug one of their yarn ends to see who is connected
to them. They should also knock out other individuals. Don’t rush this. It could get confusing.)
12. What happened to our food web? (It is much weaker, less complex, and less strong. And
eventually, it falls apart.)
13. Why should we be concerned about each kind of plant or animal? (Because other plants and
animals in the food web may depend on it.)

Debrief:

1. Have everyone sit down where they are, carefully laying the web down. The sun can move to
the outer circle. You can hang up the Food Web Poster during the debrief for reference.
2. Ask these questions to check for understanding:
• Who can give me a very short, clear definition of the term “food chain”? How about a
“food web”?
• Look at your labels. Stand up if you think you are a carnivore. (Have the students
silently look around at the standing organisms. Say, “What do you think? Are there
any organisms you’re confused about?” If there is any confusion, clarify it.) Repeat
the process with herbivore, producers, and consumers.
3. Ask these questions to help students make connections:
• If one food chain were disrupted, what do you think would happen to an ecosystem?
• What abiotic factors can affect a food chain? Give an example. (drought, change in
average temperature)
4. Ask these questions to help students with critical thinking:
• What is one thing humans do that might affect a food chain? (overfishing or hunting,
polluting environment and killing one or more species, introducing invasive species
to ecosystems)
• Is any one organism more important than another in a food chain? For example,
what’s more important, grass or a hawk? Explain your answer. Refer to the food web
activity if you can. (They should observe that all organisms, whether it’s a lowly
clover or a super cool hawk, play important roles in food chains/food
webs/ecosystems….we are all interconnected)
5. Go through the standard Review and Reflect questions.

Tips/Things that work well:

Know your space: The food web activity will require a big space. You’ll need enough space for the
whole group to stand comfortably in a circle. Plan this out ahead of time.

Actively facilitate during the food web activity. Please go over rules: gentle tossing, no hard tugging
on yarn, no tying knots, etc. You, the teacher, will spend a lot of time inside the circle, helping the
yarn get from one student to another. For example, if kids have trouble knowing whom to throw to,
give suggestions or prompting questions: “Whom should the grass throw to? What do you think
would eat the mouse? If you think you would eat the mouse, shout out your organism’s name so we
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can pass it to you.” You don’t need to over correct, but if the plants keep throwing straight to
predators, for example, you should step in. When you do step-in, use the moment to activate
vocabulary from the opening discussion. For example, you might say, “Is the owl an herbivore or a
carnivore? Yes, that’s right, she’s a carnivore, so there should be other individuals between the
berries and the owl. Who thinks they should be next in the food chain? Why? If you’re convincing,
maybe the berries will throw to you!” Repetition of vocabulary is always a good thing. You want them
to hear these terms used correctly as much as possible. It’s a really good way to informally assess
understanding.

Also, make sure each student has the yarn tossed to him/her at least once. Say, “Wait a minute!
The beetle is standing there and no one has eaten him yet! What would happen to the ecosystem if
no one ate the beetles? Yes, that’s right. There would be an overpopulation of beetles in the
ecosystem. Then beetles would create a disruption in their ecosystem and move on to then take over
world! Just kidding! Or am I?”

FYI: raccoons are omnivores and eat berries, fruits, nuts, insects, frogs, mice, squirrels, snakes,
birds…students may not realize this while they are doing the food chain activity.

Reminder: This is not the appropriate age group to start discussions about the politics behind GMOs
and factory farms. Stick to the basic science. Middle school and high school are better age groups
for debating ethical issues.

Fun it up!: Elementary school kids love the “Ew! Factor.” For the opener, you can show them your
leftover lunch and have them try to guess what that “mystery meat” is.

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 Ecosystems
Lesson 3

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources:
• Poster paper You should read
• Crayons, colored pencils, markers through the Levels of
Belonging in and
• Pencils
Ecosystem packet for
• Levels of Belonging in an Ecosystem packet (1 per student)
background info
• Ecosystems: Levels of Belonging handout (1 for each pair of
students)
• Color poster of a tapeworm

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Handout and Poster 3 of 8
Goal/Objective of Activity:
Goal: The purpose of today’s lesson is develop a more complete understanding of ecosystems,
including levels of belonging to the ecosystem, and also the relationships that exist within the
ecosystem.

Objective: Students will be able to describe two specific relationships between organisms within an
ecosystem and provide one example of each relationship.

Activity Instructions:

Transition Strategy: Up to you.

Opening: Edit this narrative as you see fit. It’s not necessary, but it does provide a fun little
transition into the activity.

Show the poster of the tapeworm. Ask students if they know what it is. (Worm!) Ask if they know
where it lives. (Dirt! Ground!) Say, “There are worms that live in the soil, like the earthworm. But this
is a different type of worm. It’s called a tapeworm, and it lives inside other animals, like dogs, cats,
and HUMANS.” Pause for the Ewwwws! and Grosses! Explain that tapeworms live inside the
intestines of other animals and suck out all of their nutrients. Have a piece of yarn cut out that shows
how long an average tapeworm could get. Have two kids stand up in front and stretch out the yarn to
its full length. Say, “Can you imagine a worm that length living inside you? Now, if this worm were
living inside my body (you might want to bunch up that yarn and hold in front of your stomach) and
eating up all my nutrients, would that be helping me or harming me?” (Harming!) “What do you think
would happen to me if I didn’t do anything about it?” (You wouldn’t get any food. You would get sick.
You might die.) “Now, the weird thing is, as sick as I might get, I probably would not die. Why is that,
do you think? Why wouldn’t the tapeworm want to kill me?” (It would have nowhere to live and
nothing to eat.) “That’s right. This tapeworm is like a very bad house guest who just won’t go away.

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Do you think I’m getting anything beneficial in this relationship?” (No!) “In science, there are many
different types of relationships organisms have with each other. In this relationship between myself
and this worm here, I am called the host and the worm is called a parasite. Have you ever heard that
word? Maybe your older sister calls you a parasite sometimes? It means you take and take and give
nothing back, and also, you’re annoying. Ha! Don’t worry. Tapeworms don’t live inside ALL humans.
It’s very rare. I don’t want you to think you have a tapeworm. You’d feel sick and would know. Okay,
now that we have been grossed out a little bit, let’s do some quiet work and look at other types of
relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.”

YOU DO:
What you will do:
1. Divide the group into pairs
2. Distribute copies of the Levels of Belonging in an Ecosystem packet (one per student) and one
Ecosystems: Levels of Belonging handout to each pair. Have them do pair-readings with each
other and then work on the handout together.
3. Share with youth that they will select one of the relationships discussed and create a poster that
will represent that relationship. Make sure you assign these 8 terms: commensalism,
competition, mutualism, predator-prey, parasite-host, decomposers, consumers, and
producers. If you have extra students, you can either double up on terms or make groups of 3
students. Make sure the parasite-host group does not use the tapeworm example.
4. As students work, make sure you circulate and ask questions/clarify.
5. When all posters are complete, bring the group back together to share the posters. As the groups
share out, make sure you ask clarifying questions. For example, While the predator-prey
relationship sounds mean and cruel, why is it important to have these relationships within
ecosystems? (maintain balance within the food chains) Decomposers sound super gross, but why
is it important to have them in the ecosystem? (Break down waste, make new nutrients to feed
other organisms)

Debrief:

1. Ask these questions to check for understanding:

• Who can describe one type of relationship between organisms? Cover 2-3
relationships.
2. Ask these questions to help students make connections:
• What relationship did we see the most in yesterday’s food chain/food web activity?
3. Ask these questions to help students with critical thinking:
• What kind of relationships do humans have with other plants and animals?
4. Go through the standard Review and Reflect questions.

Tips/Things that work well:

Relationship Cheat Sheet: Sometimes, student might have a problem coming up with real world
examples of commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, etc. Here are some examples you can give
student as you circulate:

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Parasite and host: fleas and dogs, aphids and plants

Commensalism:
• barnacles and whales - barnacles live on whales; they don’t harm the whale, but they do us
the whales for transportation
• remora sharks and whales - the remora sharks attach themselves to whales, use them for
transportation, and eat their food scraps

Mutualism:
• oxpecker (a kind of bird) and the rhinoceros or zebra - Oxpeckers land on rhinos or zebras and
eat ticks and other parasites that live on their skin. The oxpeckers get food and the beasts get
pest control. Also, when there is danger, the oxpeckers fly upward and scream a warning,
which helps the symbiont (a name for the other partner in a relationship)

• bee and flower - Bees fly from flower to flower gathering nectar, which they make into food,
benefiting the bees. When they land in a flower, the bees get some pollen on their hairy
bodies, and when they land in the next flower, some of the pollen from the first one rubs off,
pollinating* the plant. This benefits the plants. In this mutualistic relationship, the bees get to
eat, and the flowering plants get to reproduce.

FYI: The word organism keeps coming up. At the most basic level, it means, “An individual living
thing.” It’s in their packet, but it’s good to have that in your head from day one.

Know your students: If you think your students are super sensitive, do not do the tapeworm intro,
or perhaps talk about the scenario of a tapeworm living inside a dog rather than a human.

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 Ecosystems
Lesson 4

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources
• Day #1 Ecosystem Poster
• Crayons, colored pencils, markers
• A white board for the opening lesson with your pond ecosystem drawing from
Lesson 1 pre-drawn and ready to label.
• Large poster paper with the definitions of aquatic, terrestrial, micro, messo,
biomes, habitat already written on it. Or you can have these pre-written on the
board next to your ecosystem drawing. These definitions are included in the Tips
section.

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Poster 3 of 8
Objective/Goal of Activity:
Goal: The purpose of today’s lesson is to review the Ecosystem Poster created during lesson #1 and
refine this poster based on the knowledge gained over the past lessons.

Objective: Students will be able to correctly identify, classify, and label the terms food chain,
consumer, producer, predator, prey, decomposers, mutualism/parasitism/commensalism,
micro/messo/biome, and aquatic/terrestrial (verbally and on paper)

Activity Instructions:

Transition Strategy: Up to you.

Opening:

I DO/We DO: Have another large example ecosystem drawing on the board. It should look exactly
like the little pond drawing you made during the narrative of Lesson 1 (but without any labels, and
leave out the sun). Explain to the students that you will be labeling the drawing with all the new things
you have learned about. Use the basic narrative below, edited to fit the plants and animals in your
drawing.

Today we’re going to review all the things we’ve learned about over the past three lessons. I’m going
to give you back your ecosystem posters (hold up the pile of posters), and you’re going to add in all
the new words and relationships we learned about. But first let’s do it together. Here’s the drawing I
had on the board during our first lesson. This was my original “poster.” I’m going to ask you how I
should label each of the organisms or relationships, or if I am missing anything…

13
 1. How am I going to label all the animals here? Biotic or abiotic? (biotic; label a few, not all)
2. How about the plants? Are they biotic or abiotic? (biotic; label a few, not all)
3. What’s the difference between biotic and abiotic? (biotic means living organisms and abiotic
means non-living elements or factors) So what are some abiotic elements I can label up here?
(rock, soil, maybe draw some wind or heat rays to show temperature)
4. What gives energy to all the organisms in the ecosystem? What am I missing? (The SUN!)
5. Can we label a food chain in here somewhere? We can add more plants and animals if we
need to. (draw an arrow from a plant to the insect to the frog) What might eat a frog? (raccoon
or hawk; draw one in and then draw an arrow from the new animal to the frog) Great, we have
a nice food chain in there now.
6. Let’s label the elements in the food chain. Which organisms are consumers? (hawk, frog,
insect; label) Which organisms are producers? (plant) Where does the plant get its food? (it
uses the energy from the sun to make its own food; label the plant “producer” and draw an
arrow from the sun to the plant)
7. What is a predator and what animal can we label a predator? (high on food chain, hawk; label
it)
8. Can someone give me an example of mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism that I could
show on my poster? (parasitism - aphid on your plant; draw it in and label it)
9. How about decomposers? What does a decomposer do and what kind of animal could we put
in here to represent a decomposer? (breakdown decaying matter, turn it into nutrients for new
life; mushrooms and cockroaches; label it)
10. Okay, now I’m going to teach you some new terms. (hang up your poster with the new terms
written on it) Read the definition for each word. Have the students apply it to your ecosystem.
(it is terrestrial and micro scale)

YOU DO:
1. Have youth return to the team they were in on Day #1
2. Ask youth to add anything that they believe would be necessary in the Ecosystem based on
the information they’ve gained over the past few lessons, including the new terms from today.
3. Once they have completed any additions and/or corrections, explain that youth will present to
the whole group. You will ask them to identify the following as they present:
a. Which level of scale is the ecosystem you illustrated on your poster? (Micro, Messo,
Biome) Justify your answer.
b. Is this an aquatic ecosystem or a terrestrial ecosystem? Justify your answer.
c. Identify at least 2 food chains within your ecosystem. What is the relationship among
the parts of this food chain? Relationship with other biotic entities within the
ecosystem?
d. In your opinion, what would be the single entity you could remove from the ecosystem
that would have the LEAST effect on the rest of the ecosystem? Which would have the
most effect?
e. What abiotic influences affect your Ecosystem?
4. Collect posters at the end of the lesson and keep for assessment purposes and possibly as
models for lesson 8.

14
Debrief:
• In what ways was this lesson collaborative?
• In what ways will you be able to use the information from today in school tomorrow? In your
life?
• The ecosystems you guys created were all balanced communities. Look at the ecosystem
around you. Is it balanced or imbalanced? How can you tell? Can you give an example? Are
there clear relationships between organisms?
• If you wanted to change one thing within your ecosystem, what would it be and why?

Tips/Things that work well:

Background Information:
Ecosystems can be put into 2 groups. If the ecosystem exists in a water body, like an ocean, freshwater or puddle, it is
called an aquatic ecosystem. Those that exist outside of water bodies are called terrestrial ecosystems.

Scale is another word for size. To make things simple, ecosystems can be classified into three main scales.
Micro:
A small scale ecosystem such as a pond, puddle, tree trunk, under a rock etc.
Messo:
A medium scale ecosystem such as a forest or a large lake.
Biome:
A very large ecosystem or collection of ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic factors such as an entire Rain forest with
millions of animals and trees, with many different water bodies running through them.
If we are just looking at animals, we would discuss their habitat. A habitat is the place (ecosystem) in which animals live.

15
 ECOSYSTEMS
Lesson 5

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources
1 Baggie of sample seeds per group. Each baggie should contain This lesson is from:
1 of each seed. If you can only get 4 types of seeds, that’s okay. http://sbsciencematters.com/4th/
Substitutions are also okay: life/4.8SeedAdaptationsforDispe
• burrs (you can probably forage for these outside) rsal.pdf
• foxtails (you can forage for these as well, though they may
be harder to find)
Read the original lesson plan if it
• dandelions (you’ll need them when they’re already white, helps you.
the kind you blow on to make wishes. Yellow ones will not
work as they have not “seeded” yet.)
• berries (any berry with seeds - whatever is cheapest)
• sunflower seeds (get the cheapest kind with the shell still
on)
• pine cones (you might have to get these at a craft store, but
again, they’re not necessary)

Seed Adaptations recording sheet (one per group)

Chalkboard/whiteboard for intro discussion. It should have the

example chart already drawn on it so you can fill it in with the kids
during the opening.

Optional Materials for Bonus Activity: Materials for designing

seeds: beads, Playdough/clay, tape, toothpicks, cotton, bits of
paper, glue, tape, yarn, etc. (there should be enough material for
each group to design their own super seed)

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Seed adaptation observation and chart 5 of 8
Goal/Objective of Activity:

Goal: The purpose of this lesson is to understand how organisms have developed specific traits or
characteristics that help them adapt to their natural habitat/ecosystem.

Objective: Students will be able to give a short definition of the word adaptation and give one
example of how adaptations help organisms survive within their specific ecosystems.

Activity Instructions:
Transition Strategy: Up to you.

16
Opening:

Have the students seated in their groups with their Seed Adaptation handouts. Each group should
have a burr in front of them, but do not give them the baggies with the rest of the seeds yet. Ask them
not touch anything or look at the sheet until you tell them to.

Write the word “adaptation” on the board. Explain that both plants and animals develop
characteristics or traits that help them survive in their natural habitats. These adaptations are
specifically designed to help the organism thrive in its specific ecosystem. For example, plants and
animals that live in the desert have adaptations that help them survive in really hot temperatures with
very little water. Ask students if they can think of an example of a desert animal and one of its
adaptations. Plants and animals that live in cold waters have adaptations that can help them survive
in really frigid temperatures. Ask students if they can think of an animal that lives in cold waters and
one of its adaptations.

I DO/We DO:

Say, “Today, we’re going to observe different kinds of seeds and try to figure out how their traits or
characteristics help them survive in their specific ecosystems. Seeds need to be adapted for
dispersal. Dispersal is how the seeds are spread out into the environment so they can eventually
grow into full-sized plants. Let’s look at a burr on your table and the Seed Adaptation handout.” (hold
up a burr and a handout, continue with the rest of the narrative below)

1. The first thing you need to do is sketch a picture of the seed in the first column. I’m going to do
it on the board here, and a recorder needs to do it on your group handout. (draw the burr and
label it “burr” in the appropriate box)
2. The next column asks you to write down the burr’s characteristics. That means you should
describe how it looks, feels, its shape and texture. How would you describe the burr? Shout
out some traits you notice. (record them as the students say them)
3. In the next column, write down the purpose of those characteristics/traits. For example, why do
you think a burr has tiny hooks? Raise your hand and give me your best guess. (So it can stick
to things)
4. In the next column, write down how you think the seed is dispersed or spread throughout its
ecosystem. Raise your hand and give me your best guess. (Carried by animals on fur)

The example chart on the board will eventually look like this:

Sketch Characteristics Possible Dispersal

Purpose/Advantage
Tiny hooks, roundish It is not very noticeable Carried by animals
small, very clingy, light and clings to fur or
clothing

Burr

17
You DO:
1. Tell the students that they will continue to fill out the chart using the different seeds in their seed
baggie.
2. Circulate as they work, making sure that everyone is participating.
3. When the groups are done, have them share out. Students can stay in their seats for this. Ask
each group to share out its findings on one of the seeds so that by the end, all seeds have been
covered.

Bonus Activity:
1. Tell students that they will have an opportunity to apply what they know about seed
adaptations for dispersal.
2. Seat students in groups of 4 of 5 (in order to share materials) and ask them to discuss a
particular ecosystem or biome. Make a list of some of the biotic and abiotic factors found in this
area.
3. Then ask each student to design a 3-D version of a seed that is adapted for dispersal in this
ecosystem. Provide materials from Art from Scrap or other sources for students to build their
seeds. As students wait for materials, they can begin by sketching some ideas for their seed
models.
4. Ask groups to share their ecosystem and its abiotic and biotic features and then describe how
their seed is adapted to the environment.

Debrief:
You probably will not have time for a separate debrief. If you do, here are some sample questions:

5. Ask these questions to check for understanding:

• Who can give me a very short, clear definition of the word “adaptation”?
• Who can name one specific type of adaptation of one of the seeds we just observed,
and what is its purpose.
6. Ask these questions to help students make connections:
• How can an abiotic factor in an ecosystem affect an organism’s adaptive traits? Give
one example.
• How can an adaptation help an animal survive within its food chain. Explain using a
specific example.
• How are humans adapted to their environments? Give one example.
7. Ask these questions to help students with critical thinking:
Often, humans can change biotic and abiotic factors when they settle within an ecosystem.
Why is this problematic in terms of plants and animals and their adaptations? Give one
example.

Tips/Things that work well:

Even more adaptation fun!: If students liked learning about adaptation, you can also
do the Blubber Glove experiment, which talks about how marine animals are adapted
to arctic waters. The full lesson plan is here (and is included next as Lesson 5b):

www.gma.org/surfing/antarctica/blubber.html

18
 Ecosystems
Lesson 5b

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources
4 large re-sealable clear plastic bags (gallon size) This lesson is from here:
1 pound of solid vegetable shortening (such as http://www.gma.org/surfing/antarctica/
Crisco) blubber.html
duct tape
1 bucket of cold water with ice cubes
1 watch with a second hand or a stop watch weights
(stones or weights used on a balance)

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Blubber Gloves 5b of 8 (addition or alternative choice to lesson 5)
Goal/Objective of Activity:
Goal: The purpose of this lesson is to understand how organisms have developed specific traits or
characteristics that help them adapt to their natural habitat/ecosystem.

Objective: Students will be able to verbally explain how blubber helps certain animals adapt to life in
frigid waters.

Activity Instructions:

Transition Strategy: Up to you.

Opening:

1. Discuss how quickly our bodies are chilled in cold water. What do we do to stay warm? (move
around, wear insulating wetsuits, get out of the water).

2. Ask students to list ways in which animals are able to stay warm in cold water (blubber, air in
feathers, oil on fur, low surface area to volume ratio). Explain that these are called “adaptations.”
Write it on the board (or make connections/review from the Seed Adaptations lesson if you’re doing
both lessons. Explain that most organisms are well-adapted to the ecosystems in which they live.
Explain that today, you’re all going to watch a mini-demonstration to see how blubber works.

19
I DO/We DO:

How do Antarctic animals stay warm in bone-chilling water?

1. Have 1volunteer student cover one hand with a plastic bag.

2. Put a generous amount of solid shortening into another bag. Have the student put
the plastic-covered hand into the bag with the shortening. Knead the shortening to
make sure the hand is completely surrounded by shortening.
3. Wrap duct tape around the portion of the bag covering your wrist to seal the bag
(optional).
4. Cover the other hand with two plastic bags (without shortening). This is the "control."
5. Place both hands simultaneously into a bucket of cold water. Have the student
describe what each hand feels like. How cold is the control hand? How much
warmer is the blubbered hand?
6. Have a student time how long each hand remains underwater.
7. Whales, Weddell seals, and penguins all have blubber. Discuss how the solid
shortening is like the blubber that these Antarctic animals have.
8. Discuss what other advantages blubber gives marine animals besides warmth.
(buoyancy)
9. Remove the bags from the students' hands and seal the bags so water won't get in.
Attach weights to the outer bag of each "glove." Put the bags into the bucket of
water. How much weight can each bag hold before it sinks to the bottom of the
bucket? Conclude with standard debrief questions.

20
 Ecosystems
Lesson 6

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Time (minutes):

• 5 copies of each of the A-Z Books listed below:
o Prairies Alive
o Deep Trouble: The Gulf Cast Oil Spill
o Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis
o Violent Weather
o The Firefighter
• Chart paper (1 per group)
• Markers, crayons, colored pencils
• White board/chalkboard for discussion

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Reading A-Z books, poster chart 6 of 8
Goal/Objective of Activity:
Goal: The purpose of today’s lesson is to look at natural events and determine both the positive and
negative effects of natural disasters (and one manmade disasters).

Objective: Students will be able to describe 2 examples of natural or manmade disasters. Students
will be able to identify at least one positive and one negative effect of each disaster.

Activity Instructions:

Transition Strategy:

Opening/I DO/We DO:

On the board, have the word TSUNAMI written down. Underneath, draw a two-column chart. One column should be labeled
“positive effects” and one column should be labeled “negative effects.” As the students respond, record their answers into a
chart:
a. Does anyone know what a tsunami is? (big wave) Yes, that’s right. It’s a huge wave that’s caused when an
earthquake happens offshore. (draw a huge wave above “tsunami”)
b. So far, we’ve been talking about factors that affect the balance and relationships within ecosystems. But there
are also huge events called natural disasters. You’re going to read about some of them today and make a
chart poster that covers their effects on ecosystems.
c. So when a tsunami - the huge wave 10-100 feet high - hits the shore, what are some of the effects? (destroys
homes, causes flooding) Are those positive or negative effects? (negative; write them down in the negative
effects column.) Try to tie in the effects to terms from this unit. Say, is it just human homes are that destroyed?
(No, animals and plants as well) Now, if the tsunami destroys the clam population of a coral reef, for example,
what else is affected? (Anything that eats the clam, also, anything the clam eats)
21
 d. Sometimes, there are natural disasters that have some surprising positive effects. Can you think of any
positive effects of tsunamis? (it’s hard to think of any for tsunamis, but if you or the students have any ideas,
add them)
e. Tell the students that you will be assigning a book to each group, and they will be in charge of making their own
chart for different disasters.

YOU DO:
1. After you have had the discussion, divide the youth into 5 groups. Ask one member from each group to select one of
the books listed above.
2. Explain that the group will read the information in the book and determine what effects these different natural disasters
have on the Ecosystem. Remind them that some effects are positive while others are negative. If you have time, you
should read through the books yourself before the lesson. Notice that they describe the natural disasters, but do not
necessarily list the positive and negative effects. The students will have to think about it, which is great. As you walk
around and check-in with the groups, ask them guiding questions. It may be easier for them to first describe the effects
on humans and human environments. That’s okay. That’s a great starting point. You should then ask them guiding
questions that help them think about the effects on more natural habitats/ecosystems. Here’s a sample line of
questioning: It says can hurricanes cause what kind of weather? (high winds and flooding) What kind of damage can
high winds and flooding cause to human homes? (wipe away houses, damage roads, take down trees, etc.) What kind
of damage can they cause in natural habitats? (the same…destroy animal homes/habitats, wipe out plants and trees)
Are the effects similar? Are there any differences? (for some of the disasters, there will be no positive effects)
3. Explain that each group will be responsible for creating a poster chart that shows the natural event and then the positive
and negative effects of each. Some of the groups will have to make 2-3 mini-charts (for example, one of the books
covers thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes)
4. When the groups are finished they will share the information and chart with the other groups. Note: Some of the
information will be repetitive. For example, the prairie and firefighter both both deal with fires. Tell students that that’s
okay as they present.

As the groups share out, ask clarifying questions and help students make connections to previous lessons. Here are the
types of questions you can ask specific groups:
1. Where do tornadoes usually occur in America? (in America, places in Great Plains region like Oklahoma, Kansas,
Nebraska,Texas) What type of ecosystem is it - hint; it’s one of the ecosystems from the first lesson?
(grassland/prairie)
2. What natural disasters do we have to deal with here in California? (earthquakes, wildfires)
3. For the oil spill presentation, remind the students that this is a manmade disaster, not a natural disaster, but we
included it to see the wide effects of manmade disasters to our ecosystems.

Debrief:
8. Ask these questions to check for understanding:
• What is one surprising fact you learned today?
• Who can identify one natural disaster and a positive and negative effect it has on
ecosystems?
9. Go through the standard Review and Reflect questions.

22
 Ecosystems
Lesson 7

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources
• cooking oil mixed with black tempera paint in a squeeze bottle Lesson is from:
• pans of water tinted with blue food coloring (you can buy http://www.gma.org/surfing/h
aluminum food trays at Smart & Final. Around 8in x 8in is fine uman/savethebay.html
or whatever is available) (1 per group and 1 for your demo)
• sand or gravel (to create the sandy “shore” in one corner of the
tray; you can skip this if you don’t have time to raid a nearby
sandbox)
• one wide-mouthed glass bottle with cap for the opening
demonstration (one for the demo)
• water
• a cork or any toy that floats (one for the demo)
• cotton balls (4 balls per group)
• cut-up nylon panty hose (2”x2” squares, 2-3 pieces per group)
• paper towels (2-3 1in. squares per group)
• popped plain popcorn (no salt or butter, 3-4 pieces per group)
• sponges (cut up into small pieces, 1 per group)
• sand (1/4 cup per group)
• gauze bandage pads (2-3 pieces per group)
• drinking straws (cut into thirds, 3 pieces per group)
• rope/string (whatever kitchen string or yarn you have, 3 strips
per group, about 8 in. long each)
• turkey basters or eye droppers (1 per group; you can skip
these if they’re hard to find )
• popsicle sticks (2 per group)
• liquid dishwashing detergent diluted (1 small Dixie cup per
group)
• Oil Spill Observation Handout (1 per group)
• Board where you will model the chart handout
• Environmental Damage from 2010 Oil Spill poster (1 per
class)

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Oil Spill Clean Up 7 of 8
Goal/Objective of Activity:
Goals: Students will explore the effects of manmade disasters as well as ways in which scientists
have tried to solve the problems created by these disasters.

Objectives: Students will be able to name two specific ways a manmade disaster affects an
ecosystem. Students will be able to perform an experiment and describe methodology, make
predictions, and record observations and results.
23
Activity Instructions:

Transition Strategy: Up to you or skip it.

Opening:
Have a whole group discussion that activates prior knowledge and reviews terms from previous
lessons.

Say, “Last time, we discussed the effects of natural disasters on ecosystems. Can someone give me
an example of a harmful effect of a natural disaster from yesterday’s reading?” (hurricanes can lead
to flooding and the destruction of habitats “Can someone give me an example of a beneficial or
helpful effect of a natural disaster?” (wildfires can clear dead brush and lead to new growth) “Today,
we’re going to look at the effect of manmade disasters on ecosystems. Specifically, we’re going to
look at the effect of an oil spill on the ecosystem. One team studied oil spills during the last lesson.
Can two people from that group review what an oil spill is and some of the negative effects an oil spill
has on an ecosystem?” (Put their chart from the last lesson up on the wall for the students to refer
to.) Their mini-review should include the following:

• What is an oil spill?: A massive spill of crude oil usually caused by accidents involving oil-
drilling sites or ships transporting oil.

• Negative Effects: fish/seafood supply, polluted shorelines, polluted coastal waters, cost of
clean up, breakdown of tourism economy, polluted air/chemical fumes

If the students are missing any information from their mini-review presentation, help them fill in the
blanks. You can remind them of the recent oil spill in the Gulf Coast in 2010. Then point out this
observation, “While natural disasters usually have both positive and negative effects, it is very difficult
to think of positive effects for manmade disasters. Can you think of a positive effect of an oil spill?”
(I’d give you an example, but I can’t think of one. The same goes for other chemical spills,
uncontrolled fires caused by arson, etc). Then ask the students, “What should humans do about
manmade disasters? For example, what should humans do about an oil spill?” (Stop it! Clean it up!)
“Yes, I agree. Humans have a responsibility to protect ecosystems. Today, we’re going to do an
experiment where we try to clean up an oil spill. First, I’m going to show you what happens when oil is
leaked into the ocean.

The demonstration below should be shown to the whole group. Again, edit the narrative (in italics) as
you see fit:

1. To demonstrate what happens in an oil spill, fill a clear glass/plastic bottle two-thirds full of water.
Add 1-2 drops blue food coloring to make the "ocean." Imagine this is the ocean inside this
bottle.
2. Pour 1/2-inch or more of cooking oil into the bottle. This is the "oil spill." Where does the oil
congregate? (It floats on the surface) What happens to an object (a cork) that you drop into the
bottle? (It becomes coated with oil)
3. Put on the cap and shake the bottle vigorously (like storm or wave action). What happens to the
oil? (Some of it mixes with the water)
4. Ask, What would happen to organisms that float on the surface (sea birds, ducks, seaweeds,
24
 planktonic animals) or that need to come to the surface to breathe (whales, seals, sea turtles).
(They'd be coated with oil.)
5. Say: Over time the water and oil mix somewhat and that some of the oil (which is heavier than this
cooking oil) will sink to the bottom of the ocean. What would happen to flounders, sea urchins,
lobsters, crabs, and other bottom dwellers? (They would be harmed as they ingested the oil; it
would disrupt the food chain)
6. What do you think humans should do when they cause an oil spill? (Clean it up!) That’s right.
When the spill in 2010 happened, the oil company responsible had to pay for the cleanup.
Who do you think cleans it up? (scientists who have studied the best cleanup methods,
ecologists who assess the damage to the environment, and volunteers like you who go out
and help clean the beaches and the animals)
7. Hold up images from the 2010 BP oil spill off the Gulf Coast (Environmental Damage from 2010
Oil Spill poster). Ask students to describe what they see in the photos.

I DO/WE DO:
Now what we’re going to do is test out what different items work the best in cleaning up an oil spill.
Have your demonstration tray ready up front. Say: Here is my sandy shore and the nice clean
ocean. There was an accident on the nearby oil rig which is releasing 3 million gallons of oil into the
ocean each day! Ack! (squirt black oil into the water at far end of tray) We need to try to stop the oil
from spreading and reaching the shore. How are we going to do that? Have all the clean up materials
up front. Ask students which item they want to test out. Have them choose an item to test or choose
one for them, like the straw. On the board, have the observation chart ready to fill in. Fill it out with the
kids as you go through the demonstration. Write down the material you’re going to test. Call on a
student to describe what method you’ll use and enter it into the chart. Remind students that some
materials may be used in more than one way. Have another student predict what will happen; enter
prediction into the column. Do the demonstration and have students observe the results. Call one
student up to look closely at the tray and describe what happened; record in last column of chart.
Your chart will look like this:

Oil Spill Observation Chart

Material Method Predictions Results

(What did we do?) (what we think will (what happened
happen) and WHY)
Plastic drinking Use the straw to blow air and push It will push the oil where we It was hard to control where
straw oil to corner edge want it to go the oil went; it spread the
oil out more when you blew
straight down and from the
side

See if three straws will float on The straws will keep the oil The straws floated away
surface and form a floating barrier in one small area of the tray from each other and then
(contain it) sank…need a way to keep
them together/afloat

25
YOU DO:
1. Divide students into groups of 3-4 and assign them to a lab set up. Have a member from each
group come up and select 3 materials to test. Students have to try to clean up an oil spill
before it pollutes the ocean, animals, and shoreline.
2. To a large pan of water with a sandy shoreline (mound of sand at one end), add cooking oil to
simulate a spill.
3. Let each team of 3-4 students choose 3-4 different clean-up materials to test.
4. Have students make a plan for how they will use each material, then test it, and record results
on handout. As they work, circulate and observe their process and glance at their charts. Ask
guiding questions.
5. Call students back to whole group. Have students share out results. Discuss why their efforts
worked or didn't work. Did any of the materials surprise them? Was all the oil removed?
6. How well might their methods work on an actual spill?

Debrief:
Discuss what kinds of equipment actual oil spill clean-up personnel use (such as oil containment
booms, skimmers, dispersants, oil absorbing materials, etc.) and how similar they are to items the
students used. Fun fact!: Explain that they also use dog and cat hair to clean up oil spills. During the
BP oil spill clean up, volunteers asked people to save and send in bags of their pet hair. They turned
the hair into large mats - imagine big blankets made of dog hair - that they put on the surface of the
water. The mats would quickly suck up and trap the oil.

1. Make connections:
• Make a list of the life in a marine environment near you (herons, egrets, anemones, mussels,
seagulls, seastars, seaweed, dolphins, fish). How would each organism be affected by an oil
spill?
2. Activate prior knowledge:
• Take one of the animals from the previous question. Ask, what happens to an ecosystem if
most of the mussel population disappears? (other organisms in food chain are affected)
3. Critical Thinking:
• What animals are most vulnerable to an oil spill? Why? (Those that can't move; filter feeders
like oysters, barnacles, and clams; those that surface often; those that depend exclusively on
marine life for their food supply.)
• How are humans affected by oil spills? fish/seafood supply, polluted shorelines, polluted
coastal waters, cost of clean up, breakdown of tourism economy, polluted air/chemical fumes
• What can we as consumers do to mitigate oil spills? (Drive less, lower thermostats, use
alternative forms of energy, use fewer oil-based products, demand, and be willing to pay for,
safer transport mechanisms like double-hulled tankers.)

Tips/Things that work well:

Preparation: This is a very popular experiment, but it is preparation heavy. Make sure you have all
the materials you need at the front of the room for the whole-group demonstration. Then, make sure
you really map out where you’re going to put the “lab tables.” Also, make sure the individual “lab”
tables are set up before you start the lesson for the day and that students do not touch them until you
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have explained the experiment and gone over safety rules. You MUST review safety. The experiment
involves oil and water, which can get very messy, slippery, and dangerous if students are not
following directions. There is NO splashing. Students need to walk - not run - to and from the
materials table. Straws are for blowing out air or floating; students should NOT use the straws to suck
up oily water. If you’re worried about the straws, just remove them from the experiment. The cooking
oil and tempera paint are non-toxic, but we still DO NOT want students ingesting anything. During the
experiment, keep a very close eye on the lab groups. Science experiments can and should be fun,
but they must be safe, first and foremost.

Also, you should definitely try the bottle and tray experiments yourself before the day of the lesson.

FYI: At first, let students choose 3-4 materials to test. But if they want to do more, let them. They can
just record results on the back of their handout. You might also want to make sure each of the
materials is being tested by at least one of the groups. For example, the panty hose work really well,
and it would be a shame if no group discovers this!

FYI: This is a rather lengthy experiment (1.5 hours total, most likely). If you’re worried about time,
you may want to cut out the review session and go straight into the demonstration.

Bonus Activity:

After the activity, maybe the next day as a mini-lesson/revisit, ask the students if they want to see
what happens to a bird feather in an oil spill. Have 2 feathers and 1 tray with clean water and 1 tray
with oily water ready.

Examine a bird feather. Oiliness on the feather keeps the feathers from becoming waterlogged.
Notice how it can fluff up after it's handled. Drop the feather into a pan of clean water. Does it float?
Press gently in a paper towel. Shake it off. Get it as dry as you can. Does it still fluff up? Drop a bird
feather into the pan of water and oil. What happens to it? Allow the feather to dry naturally with the oil
on it. Does it still fluff up? Drop it into a pan of water. Does it still float as well as it did before? These
tests indicate that the feather has lost its ability to insulate, and to resist water. Ask the students what
they think happens to the birds during an oil spill.

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 Ecosystems
Lesson 8

Group Grade(s) 4&5 Week Day

Materials/Equipment: Resources

• Legos or other building blocks

• Cardstock
• Small pebbles, sand, or dirt (clean, please)
• Small plants (they should be real like twigs or branches with leaves, but they don’t
have to be alive; this is not a terrarium where they’re going to try to keep the plants
alive and growing…again foraging outside is great)
Glue (Elmer’s white and glue sticks)
• Scissors
• Tape (clear or masking, whatever’s available)
• Crayons, markers, colored pencils
• Clear bowls (large enough to be a dome) or round aluminum food containers with
clear plastic tops (Smart and Final carries these) OR just have kids make a diorama
and use shoeboxes OR just clean out your trays from the oil experiment and
reuse…make it easy
• Plastic critters—bugs, frogs, etc. (OR just have students make these animals out of
cardstock or an artbox full of craft supplies…corks and peanut shells make great
animal bodies)
• Ecosystems Post Assessment handout (1 per student)

Activity Name: Rotation or Session #

Building a biosphere 8 of 8
Goal/Objective of Activity:
Goal: The purpose of today’s lesson is to create a biosphere that would sustain life on the moon,
using all of the information gained over the past 7 lessons.

Objectives: Students will be able to make 3 observations about ecosystems, synthesizing

information learned from the previous seven lessons. Students will be able to identify most of the
necessary elements and relationships within in an ecosystem.

Activity Instructions:
Transition Strategy:

Have all of the posters created during the unit hung up around the classroom. Tell students how
wonderful the posters are and how much they’ve learned over the past few lessons. Try to give some
specific validations. For example, “I just want to give a shout to Helen for helping me set up the oil
spill experiment. I would also like to acknowledge Joey for being brave and speaking for his group
during the poster share out.”

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Opening:
Say, “Today, I have some bad news for you. One, this is last day of the unit, which I’m sad about
since I’ve been having so much fun learning about ecosystems with you. Two, I really hate to tell you
this, but we’re all going to have to move to the moon and build a new world.” (pause for the quizzical
looks) “Yep, that’s right. We can’t live on Earth anymore because all the ecosystems have been
destroyed! We don’t know why, but I’m sure you guys have some guesses…” (overpopulation,
destruction of food chains, depletion of resources!) “So you, as the young scientists you are, will have
to create a brave new world - no, a brave new ecosystem - where all the plants and animals can live
in a balanced community. Do you think you can do that?” (Yes!) “We’re going to do a fun activity
where we build the perfect ecosystem. Don’t worry about gravity or air, we’ll sort that out later. What
you need to do is put in all the things, all the biotic and abiotic elements, all the food chains -
everything you need to create the best ecosystem possible. And then you have to write a paragraph
where you tell the story of your new ecosystem and everything that goes into it. Are you ready to get
started?” (Yes!)

“Now, I’m not going to demonstrate for you, because I think you have all the knowledge you need
now. You’ll be in groups with some supplies and one tray/dome, and your biosphere needs to fit in
there. Everyone needs to work together to discuss what elements to add to the ecosystem. I’ll let you
know when you should start writing your paragraph. Let’s review some crafting rules, and then we
can get started. Are there any questions?”

YOU DO:
What you will do:
1. Put students into groups of 3-4. Have some materials at each group station, with maybe some special materials up at
the front.
2. Have them start building. If they need more direct instructions, give them some suggestions as you circulate. Ask them
what kind of climate it is, what kind of animals they’ll have, if they have this kind of animal, what will it eat, etc.
3. After about 30 minutes, get their attention. Say they can keep on building for the next 20 minutes, but that a recorder
needs to start writing down the story of their ecosystem - it should have a name - and an explanation of all the
components they included.
4. When they have completed the biosphere, have groups share with one another. As they share, ask some clarifying
questions, and these can serve as your “checking for understanding” review for the day.

Debrief:

Ask these questions to help students make connections:

• What is one thing you learned during this unit that will change the way you think about the
world around you?
• What is one thing you or your family could do to help preserve ecosystems?

POST-Assessment: Tell the students that they will now take the same quiz they took on the first day
of the lesson. The quiz is for us to see what they have learned throughout the 8 lessons. Remind
students to try their best, and if they do not know an answer, to take their best guess. Pass out tests,
collect for later grading and recording.

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