Lesson Plan

Grade: 5th  

Lesson Objectives

• Students will be able to classify animals as herbivores, omnivores, or carnivores.

• Students will be able to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the different organisms in a food chain.

Instructional Technique

• Whole class discussion (teacher directed)

• Independent practice (on website)

• Group work (creating own food webs)

Instructional Materials

• Computers

• https://pbskids.org/plumlanding/games/ecosystem/mountain_scramble.html

• Learning about Food Chains in an Ecosystem worksheet

• Directions worksheet on how to navigate the website

• Six pieces of large white paper (poster size)

• Markers

• Pencils

• Headphones

Theoretical Perspective

The food chain is an important concept for students to learn because it helps them understand the connections of plants and animals in ecosystems. Without knowledge about the ecosystems, students will not be able to realize how some animals can’t live without the other plants or animals in an environment. They understand how living things respond to and are influence by their environment and gain a visual picture of the system.

Procedure

• Introductory Activity: Teacher lead discussion on what a food chain is

• What are the parts of a food chain?

• Review vocabulary words and brainstorm examples of each

• Herbivore→ eat plants (ex: cow, sheep, rabbit, deer)

• Omnivore→ eat plants and meat (ex: humans, chickens, bears, pigs)

• Carnivore→ eat meat (ex: fox, wolf, lion, shark)

• Step-by-step

• First, the teacher will ask the students if they have any questions on what an ecosystem is and what it includes.

• Then, the teacher will pass out the handout that gives detailed directions of how to get to the website and how to navigate through it.

• The teacher will then walk around the classroom making sure the students followed the directions to the website.

• After a few minutes or so, the teacher will ask for a student volunteer to hand out the website worksheet titled: Learning About Food Chains in an Ecosystem.

• While the students work, if the teacher realizes that most students have completed the worksheet except for a couple, she will pair up students who feel comfortable on this topic with the students who are still working.  

• After all students finish the website worksheet, the teacher will split them into groups of 5 and give them each a large sheet of white paper.

• The teacher will instruct the students to work as a group to select 10 kinds of plants and/or animals to create their own successful food web for their ecosystem. There must be at least 2 producers, 2 consumers/pray, and 2 predators. They will draw their food web on their sheet of white paper.  (The teacher will verbally explain the directions and write them on the whiteboard.)

• Closure

• After students are done completing the food web activity, the teacher will gather the class back together to discuss the following questions:

• What makes an ecosystem survive or fail?

• What is the relationship between the different organisms in a food chain/web?

• Adaptations for different learners

• Peer partners for students who are struggling

• Challenge question for fast learners

• Headphones for students who have trouble focusing (while explore the website)

Evaluation

• Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to classify animals as herbivores, omnivores, or carnivores.

• The teacher will gauge and document the level of student understanding of this objective through the successful completion the website worksheet and selecting animals for their food web.

• Students will be able to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the different organisms in a food chain.

• The teacher will gauge and document the level of student understanding of this objective through the successful completion of the website worksheet and food web. The teacher will also observe each student’s level of engagement in the closing circle discussion.

• Concerns or questions about teaching this lesson:

• Internet won’t work

• Students don’t know which animal is which (there are only pictures of them on the website, no names)

• Not all students have computers or not enough school computers are available

• Some students may just try to rush and finish the lesson by clicking random pictures and not understanding the influence one has on the other.

• Will students remember the difference of herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore by the time they get to the worksheet since they were brought up in introduction?