Lesson Plan : Biodiversity food chain mobile
Teacher Name: | Jeff Tong |
Grade: | Grade 5 |
Subject: | Science |
Topic: | Biodiversity and food chains - Biodiversity gallery |
Content: | This lesson is used to illustrate the dietary relationships among different trophic levels. Students will develop a sense of where and how different organisms fit together in a food chain. From the gallery and books provided in the gallery, students will learn and describe the characteristics and general information regarding each animal of their food chain. Students can also discover species at risk and should be encouraged to include at least one in their food chains. This lesson is a good way for the teacher to assess students' learning/reserching skills. When finished, students should be able to "link" their chains with each other based on similarities in their mobiles. |
Goals: | 1. To have students develop a sense and appreciation for the delicate balance of food webs and their importance in supporting biodiversity. 2. For students to develop basic researching and observation skills through looking in books and throughout the gallery. 3. Students will learn about species at risk and teachers can introduce the Species at Risk Act (SARA). |
Objectives: | 1. Students will outline, cut out, and color accurate shapes/illustrations of the animals/plants in their chains. 2. Students should be able to relate where an animal/plant is in the chain to the length of string used to attach it to the mobile. The lower the animal/plant is in the food chain, the longer it's string should be. 3. Students should be able to focus on their research in books and intently read the information provided in the gallery. 4. Students will be able to write a short blurb describing each animal/plant of their mobile, including details about their diet, location, threats to their existence, and any other characteristics of their choice. 5. Students will be able to find relationships among other students' food chains and realize that food webs are much more extensive than the individual chains that they make themselves. |
Materials: | For one student: 50 cm of string, two 30 cm pieces of light wire/pipe cleaners For all students: markers, pencil crayons, pencils, scissors, single hole puncher, different colors of construction paper/bristol board/card stock/blank paper, glue. |
Introduction: | 1. Focus on the loss/extirpation of species as a result of habitat loss/hunting/predation/introduced species. 2. Demonstrate the delicate balance of food webs by illustrating the impacts on the web by removing one strand 3. List species at risk, possibly introduce SARA 4. Explain how we can help to reduce/minimize our threat to species at risk or how we can assist in maintaining biodiversity. |
Development: | 1. Illustrate the impacts of removing a strand of the web on the entire web and the effects this has on minimizing biodiversity. 2. Bring children to the biodiversity gallery and show them the interactive food web as well as the different biomes that support different types of food webs. This way, children can get an idea of different webs they can construct. 3. Show students a completed version of the food web as well as the descriptions written on the back of each animal/plant. |
Practice: | 1. Students will decide what type of chain they will produce and research each animal/plant throughout the gallery or in books. 2. Students will outline, cut out, color/illustrate the animals of their chain and write out the descriptions on the back of each. 3. Students will cut lengths of string related to the position of each animal/plant in the chain (the lower the organism, the longer the string). 4. Students will hole punch the top of each animal and tie their respective strings to each. 5. Students will create the wire frame of the mobile by forming two ovals linked together (refer to example). 6. Students will tie the other end of their strings to one of the wire ovals and the other oval can be hung somewhere to display their works of art! |
Accommodations: | N/A |
Checking For Understanding: | 1. Ensure the students understand the relationships from producer to consumer to decomposer. 2. Ensure students understand that species at risk live on the brink of extinction. |
Closure: | 1. Discuss strategies to maintain biodiversity and how they can contribute to this at their own homes. 2. Discuss SARA and ways students can assist wildlife in their community/other communities. 3. Identify aspects of food webs that the students can observe in nature. 4. Offer additional resources the students may be interested in or suggest students keep track of biodiversity issues in the news. |
Evaluation: | |
Teacher Reflections: |
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