Garden Lessons: Food Webs Project: Part III (5th Grade)
Grades: 5th Grade
Time Needed: 45 mins
Lesson Objective(s): Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.
Supplies Needed
Poster Boards (1 per student)
Completed example of food web poster board
Markers, glue sticks, etc (in class)
Snack
Harmonica
Introduction (5 mins):
Recall the Food Web game played in Food Webs: Part I… what do we remember about it? What did we learn? Do we remember what Food Webs are? Get a general definition from the class
explain that today we’re going to make a food web on a poster, using those same plants, animals, and bacteria/fungi we used in the game.
Instructions (given to student verbally & on first page of packet):
We’re going to make posters today representing a food web. There are some rules to making the food web:
There are three levels: Decomposers, producers, and consumers. Go over definition of each.
Your poster has to be divided into these levels. On each level, you have to have the definition of each and select 4 plants, animals, or organisms to include (pro-tip: Don’t glue them down until you’ve selected and laid them out!.
Draw arrows between the organisms to signify connection in food web & label arrows either “eats” or “decomposes.”
Activity (30 mins)
Students work on Food Web posters. Bonus points for creativity!
Help students out who get stuck- keep going back to definitions
If students don’t catch onto the definitions/web concept right away- take them step-by-step: folding the poster, labeling the different types, organizing the organisms, etc.
Wrap up (10 mins):
Go around group- chat about posters. Were you surprised by any of the arrows? Why did you choose the items you chose?
Classroom EXTENSIONS
Before: Review food webs and/or check out this video on Food Webs.
After: Make a “class poster” with all of the organisms not used by students in their posters, or make a biome-specific poster. How does it differ? How is it the same?