Activity 2: Activity Overview
This activity introduces students to food chains and food webs. Although most students will have studied these in earlier grades, it is worthwhile to take the time
to reintroduce the students to the concept that energy flows from producers to consumers in a food chain. This will prepare them for the next activity in which
they investigate energy flow in ecosystems. The vocabulary required to discuss the food web is also reintroduced. By forming a food web with string, it is hoped that students will gain a sense of how dependent one organism is on another.
Preparation and Materials Needed
Preparation
No preparation is required for Part A. However, the diagrams on page 515 are provided on Blackline Master Ecology 2.1: A Food Chain. You may wish to reproduce these for your students to cut out and assemble into a food chain.
For Part B: A Food Web you will need to prepare a name tag for each student.
You will also need to provide each student with an organism card that indicates
what the organism eats and what it is eaten by. See Blackline Master Ecology 2.2: Organism Cards.
Materials/Equipment Needed
• ball of string about 35 m long (one for class)
• plastic name tag holders (one per student) |