teaching searchlight books what is a food web? · pdf filegrassland food webs in action. ......

Copyright © 2013 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Lerner Digital™ and Lerner eSource™ are trademarks of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.lernerbooks.com

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ISBN 978-1-4677-1567-6

Interest Level: Grades 3–5

Reading Level: Grade 3–4

Teaching Searchlight Books™ What Is a Food Web?

Titles in this series:Desert Food Webs in ActionForest Food Webs in ActionGrassland Food Webs in ActionLake and Pond Food Webs in ActionOcean Food Webs in ActionTundra Food Webs in Action

StandardsNext Generation Science Standards• Developing and using models (Scientific and Engineering

Practices)• Energy and matter (Crosscutting Concepts)• LS2A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems• LS2B Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems• LS4B Natural Selection

Common Core Reading (Informational Text)• Key Ideas and Details• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas• Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Common Core Speaking and Listening• Comprehension and Collaboration

Multiple Intelligences Utilized

• Verbal-linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic, visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist


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ISBN 978-1-4677-1567-6

2 T E A C H I N G W H A T I S A F O O D W E B ?

Prepare•Preparetoelectronicallyshowthe

diagram in Look at Diagrams p. 6.•CopyLookatDiagramsp.6for

each student. Alternatively, you might ask students to copy the questions into their notebooks when you show the diagram electronically.

Pretest•Whatkindsofpicturesandartcan

you find in science books?

•Whydoyouthinksciencebooksinclude pictures and art?

Model•ShowLookatDiagramsp.6

electronically.•Explainthepurposeofadiagram

and point out major features, such as the title, labels, caption, and colors.

Practice•InvitestudentstosearchfordiagramsintheWhatIsaFoodWeb?books.

•Studentswillrecordwheretheyfound each diagram and then answer the questions in Look at Diagrams p. 6.

Read•ReadachapterofaWhatIsaFoodWeb?bookthatcontainsadiagram.

Discuss•Didstudyingthediagrambefore

you read the chapter make it easier to understand the information in thatchapter?Whyorwhynot?

•Wouldyouchangeanythingonthediagram?Whatwoulditbeandwhy?

•Whichfeaturedoyouthinkismostimportant on any diagram?

Evaluate•EvaluateLookatDiagramsp.6for

completeness and accuracy.

Lesson 1Understand Diagrams

Materials•WhatIsaFoodWeb?series•LookatDiagramsp.6•pencils

PurposeStudents will use diagrams to gather information.


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Prepare•CopyGrasslandsEnergyPyramidp.

7 for each student. Alternatively, divide students into groups and make one copy of Grasslands Energy Pyramid p. 7 for each group.

Pretest•Whatisenergy?Wheredoesenergy

come from? How do you use energy?

Read•ReadbooksfromtheWhatIsaFoodWeb?series.

Model•Drawapyramidontheboard.

Divide the pyramid into four horizontalparts.Frombottomto top, label the rows producers, first-level consumers, second-level consumers, and third-level consumers. Label the area below the pyramid decomposers.

•Explainthatscientistsdrawpyramids like this to explain how energy moves through a food web.

•Explainthatenergygetslostat each level of this pyramid. Producers use energy to create food. Consumers use it to move around, keep warm, and have babies.

•Askstudentswheretheywouldputa tree, a squirrel, a snake, and a fox on the pyramid. Label these parts of the food web on the pyramid.

Practice•Studentswillcutouttheboxes

from the bottom of Grasslands Energy Pyramid p. 7.

•Studentswillgluetheproducers,consumers, and decomposers on the correct levels of the pyramid.

Discuss•Whyaretheremorelivingthingsat

the bottom of the pyramid? •Whyaretheresofewthird-level

consumers?•Whathasthemostenergyinthefoodchain?Whydoyouthinkthatis?

Evaluate•CollectGrasslandsEnergyPyramid

p. 7 and assess for comprehension.

PurposeStudents will learn about how energy is transferred in an ecosystem.

Lesson 2Energy in a Food Web

Materials•WhatIsaFoodWeb?series•GrasslandsEnergyPyramidp.7•pencils


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ISBN 978-1-4677-1567-6


Prepare•Gatheroldnaturemagazinesor

other magazines that include pictures of plants and animals. Alternatively, collect a list of websites that have downloadable pictures. A few examples include www.exploringnature.org, nationalgeographic.com, and http://www.naturephotographers .net/.

•Cutoutorprintpicturesofaproducer, a consumer, and a decomposer to model the activity.

•Dividestudentsintosixgroups,onefor each book in the series.

Pretest•Whatisanenvironment?•Whatareproducers,consumers,

and decomposers?•Whatisafoodchain?

Read•ReadbooksfromtheWhatIsaFoodWeb?series.

Model•Explainthatstudentswillbe

working in groups to make food chains for different environments. Assign a different environment to each group.

•Invitestudentstolookatp.4oftheWhatIsaFoodWeb?booksto see an example of a food web diagram.

•Demonstratehowtogluethepictures of a producer, a consumer, and a decomposer to a larger sheet of paper. Demonstrate how to draw colored arrows between them to represent energy movement.

Practice•Groupswilllookthrough

magazines or websites to find pictures of producers, consumers, and decomposers in their assigned environments. Students may also draw their own pictures.

•Groupswillcutoutorprintpictures and glue them to poster paper.

•Studentswilladdcoloredarrowsand a key to their food web posters to show how energy is transferred between the plants and animals.

Discuss•Displaythecompletedfoodwebs

in the classroom.•Dosomeplantsoranimalshave

more connections than others? Whydoyouthinkthatis?

•Wherewouldahumanfitintothisfood web?

Evaluate•Evaluatecompletedfoodwebs

for completeness and accuracy. Evaluate how well groups worked together to complete the assignment.

PurposeStudents will make a food web that shows producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Lesson 3Build a Food Web

Materials•WhatIsaFoodWeb?series•oldmagazinesoraccessto

online images and a printer•posterpaper•paper•crayonsorcoloredpencils•scissors•glue•pencils


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Prepare•Cutseventystripsofgreenpaper

to represent lichens.•Cuttheothercolorsof

construction paper into name-tag-sized pieces. You will need about sixteen yellow pieces for lemmings, six red pieces for foxes, and three brown pieces for bears. Each student will get one of these three colors, so adjust the numbers accordingly.

•Punchholesinthetoptwocornersof the colored pieces of paper and tie strings through the holes, so students can wear them as

necklace-style identification tags.•Arrangetousethegymoranopen

playing field for the game.•PlantoshowTundraTagDirections

p. 8 electronically.

Pretest•Whathappenstotheplantsand

animals in an environment if there is a fire?

•Whathappensifonepopulationgetstoolarge?Whathappensifitgets too small?

Read•ReadbooksfromtheWhatIsaFoodWeb?series,focusingonTundraFoodWebsinAction.

Model•Usingthediagramonp.4ofTundraFoodWebsinAction,describe a food web that contains lichens, lemmings, foxes, and bears.

•Explainthatstudentswillplayagame to show what happens in this ecosystem.

•Thegreenpaperstripsrepresentlichens. The yellow name tags represent lemmings. The red tags represent foxes, and the brown tags represent bears. Each student will play one of these roles in the game.

•ReviewTundraTagDirectionsp.8with students.

Practice•PlayTundraTag.

Discuss•Talkthroughthescenarioslisted

at the bottom of Tundra Tag Directions p. 8.

•Discusshowpeoplefitintothefood web and the impact they can have on the food web.

•Discussthecomplexityoffoodwebs and ecosystems.

Evaluate•Evaluateparticipationinthegame

and students’ comprehension of the topic.

PurposeStudents will learn that food webs are constantly fluctuating.

Lesson 5Tundra Tag

Materials•WhatIsaFoodWeb?series•TundraTagDirectionsp.8•greenstripsofpaper•brown,red,andyellow

construction paper•string•holepunch•paperlunchbags

Copyright © 2013 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Lerner Digital™ and Lerner eSource™ are trademarks of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.lernerbooks.com ISBN 978-1-4677-1567-6

6 TeachingWhatIsaFoodWeb?

Name Date

Look at Diagrams

Directions:Usethediagramtoanswerthequestionsbelow.

1.Whatisthetitle of this diagram?

2.Writetwoofthelabels used on this diagram.

3.Whatishappeninginthisdiagram?

4.Whatisthepurpose of this diagram?

HOW PHOTOSYNTHESIS WORKS

A water lily’s leaves turn sunlight, carbondioxide, and water into food for the plant.

sunlight

carbon dioxide

oxygen

water(from roots)


7 TeachingWhatIsaFoodWeb?12

Teaching Food Webs

Grasslands Energy PyramidName

Producers

Decomposers

1st Level Consumers

2nd Level Consumers

3rd Level Consumers

Name

Grasslands Energy Pyramid

Third-Level Consumers

Second-Level Consumers

First-LevelConsumers

Producers

Decomposers


8 TeachingWhatIsaFoodWeb?

Tundra Tag Directions

Players: 20–30 studentsMaterials: identification necklaces (lemming, fox, and bear), brown bags (stomachs), green paper strips (lichens)Goal: To discover what happens to a food web under various circumstances.

1. Spread fifty green strips (lichens) around the playing area.

2. Hand out identification tags and brown bags to all the students.

3. (30 sec.) All lemmings enter the game. They try to get as many lichens in their stomachs

as possible.

4. (1 min.) All foxes enter the game. They try to tag the lemmings. If they tag a lemming,

the lemming has to give the fox all of their lichens. The fox puts the lichens in its own

stomach. The tagged lemming has to stand near the teacher.

5. (2–3 min.) All bears enter the game. They try to tag the foxes. If they tag a fox, the fox

has to give the bear all of its lichens. The bear puts the lichens in its own stomach. The

tagged fox has to stand near the teacher.

6. Theteachercallsout“Freeze!”andhastheplayerschecktheirstomachs.Thosewithout

food in their stomach have to stand near the teacher. As a class, discuss which animals

survived and which animals died.

Play the game again, using one of the following scenarios:

•Therehasbeenafireonthetundra.Lichensburnquicklyandgrowbackslowly.Playthe

game with half the number of lichens. Discuss the result of the fire after the game.

•Adiseasehasspreadthroughthelemmingpopulation.Manyofthemdied.Playthegame

with half the number of lemmings. Discuss the effect of disease on a food web.

•Awildliferestorationprojectwasstartedinthetundra.Peoplewerenotallowedtowalk

or drive over the tundra surface. Lichens and other plants slowly grow back. Add twenty

lichens to the game and play. Discuss how this impacts the food web.

teaching searchlight books what is a food web? · pdf filegrassland food webs in action. ......

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