5E Lesson Template

LESSON PLAN # _Week 2_Lesson 1_Days 1-2

ClassDay/Time: Mon/Tuesday_
Technology Lesson? Yes No (circle one)

Author: Lauren Benoit

Title of lesson: Who’s Eating You?

Length of lesson: 75 mins

Description of the class:

Name of course: Biology
Grade level: High School

Source of the lesson:

http://www.mysciencebox.org/foodchain/lesson
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/foodchain/

TEKS addressed:

(12) Science concepts. The student knows that interdependence and interactions
occur within an ecosystem. The student is expected to:
(E) Investigate and explain the interactions in an ecosystem including food chains, food
webs, and food pyramids.
(9) Science concepts. The student knows metabolic processes and energy transfers
that occur in living organisms. The student is expected to:

(D) analyze the flow of matter and energy through different trophic levels and between
organisms and the physical environment.

I. Overview
Students will explore the food chain in its entirety. They will learn the food chain
and by the end of the week, they will learn why it is important for us to talk about
this topic in relation to the final project.

II. Performance or learner outcomes

1. SWBAT define and construct a food chain.

2. SWBAT identify the role of organisms within a food chain.
3. SWBAT trace the path of energy through a food chain and understand that
roles of organism in a food chain are not stable.
 III. Resources, materials and supplies needed
Organism Cards
Markers
Construction Papers
Scissors
Glue

IV. Supplementary materials, handouts. (Also address any safety issues

Concerning equipment used)
Project Notebook
V. Safety Issues
Using scissors will be the only safety issue. We will address this by
mentioning laboratory and class room rules.
VI. Accommodations for learners with special needs (ELLs, Special Ed, 504,
G&T)
ELL: Students do hands on activities arranged in groups of three to four, so that
they could learn new vocabulary and ways of describing things from one another.
Pictorial representations are available for students about Food Chain as listed in Dong,
2005. Students come up with their own description (in what’s for dinner engagement)
before using scientific terms. We will try to focus mainly on student-student
interaction, and keep lecturing to a minimum. When questioning the students, we will try
to promote students speaking up even if they are not sure of the right words to describe
something. By focusing on group learning and going around to each group to talk one on
one with students, we will try to make sure everyone was moving forward and
understanding new concepts.
 Five-E Organization
Teacher Does Probing Questions Student Does
Engage: (10 minutes)

Ask one student:

Get students attention so “What did you eat for dinner [I ate spaghetti, with corn
class can begin. last night?" and salad.]

Write responses on the “What ingredients make [Yes, tomato sauce, pasta,
board. “That sounds good. spaghetti, do you know?” ground beef or chicken]
Let’s focus on the
spaghetti.

Ok, so our ingredients are Which of these ingredients [tomatoes]

tomato sauce, which is
made of tomatoes, pasta,
and ground beef.
Make 2 lists that are titled
Plants and Not from Plants.
come from plants?
Which of the ingredients [ground beef]
don’t come from plants?

Good. Plants produce a lot

of the vegetables we use
daily. Because of this I am
going to call plants our
producers. Without them,
we wouldn’t have a lot of
the food we eat regularly.
Let’s look at our list of
ingredients that don’t come Where do our ingredients
from plants. that don’t come from plants [Well the ground beef came
come from? from a cow and etc.]

Right. We are going to call

the cow and the other
animals listed consumers.
Exploration (40 minutes)

Why do you think we call

plants producers and [Plants don’t eat anything
animal’s consumers? and animals have to eat to
live]

Right you are looking at it

in the right but I want to
add something to your
statement.
How do plants receive
energy? [ They get it from the
sunlight]

Right plants make their

own food from a process
called photosynthesis.
Another word for a
producer is called an
autotroph which means
these are organisms that
produce their own energy.
On the other hand,
consumers have to eat
consume other things to get
their energy. Consumers
can also be called
heterotrophs which means
these are organism that
have to eat something else
to produce energy.
[Well, cows eat plants,
Speaking of consumers, tigers even though they are
which animals only eat not on the list eat other
plants? (if animals are not in animals, and humans eat
list, students will still need both animals and plants]
to answer question)Which
are animals that eat other
animals? Which eat both?

Do you know what these [no]

animals are called based on
what they eat?

Good. Another name for

name for animals that eat
plants is herbivore.
Another name for animals
that eat meat or other
animals is called carnivores
and animals that eat both
are called omnivores. All of
these are types of
consumers. Another type
of consumer is
decomposers.
[no]

A decomposer eats dead

matter. So they break Does anyone know what
down dead animals, plants, decomposer is?
and waste. They also help
provide nutrients for plants
to live.

Go back over what was

covered in engagement
saying what a producer is
and an example, and what a
consumer is and their
different types. Students
will write this down in the
vocabulary and lecture
sections of their project
notebook.

As you can see there is

somewhat of a chain of
command going on with
what we have been talking
about. Today we are going
to talk about an essential
part to what we call our
ecosystem. We are going to
talk about food chains.
[ umm, it’s a chain that
shows us how food travels
to us]

Yes, somewhat. A food Based on what we have on

chain is how each living the board, can anyone tell
thing gets its food. me what a food chain is?

Today you are going to be

given organisms cards. In
your groups, you will first
color code each card by
marking each card with a
different color.
Producer-green
Consumer- blue
Herbivore- orange
Carnivore-red
Omnivore-purple

You will then create a food

chain with the organism
cards by cutting them out
and gluing them on the
construction paper given.
There is multiple food
chains so everyone’s wont
be the same.

[two]

So will consumers have one

color or two colors on their
organism card?

Explain :10 ( minutes)

Some of the groups will
come and present their food
chains to the class.
What trends did you see [everyone’s food chain
within everyone’s started off with plants, or a
 presentation? producer]

Right. Every food chain

starts off with a producer.
Each level of consumption
in a food chain is called a
trophic level.

Show a picture of a food

chain with the different
trophic levels.
So what type of consumer is
normally found in the 1st
tropic level, 2nd and 3rd?
(Hint: think about your food
chain)
[in the 1st trophic level
herbivores are normally
found, 2ndcarnivores and 3rd
humans.

Right, herbivores are

normally called primary
consumers because they eat
plants. Those that eat the
herbivores, which are
mostly carnivores are called
secondary consumers and
whoever eats the secondary
consumers are called What level do you think [I don’t know]
tertiary consumers and so decomposers live at?
on.

Decomposers can be at
every trophic level because
they break down dead
matter.

All of this should be

recorded into the student’s
project notebook.
Elaborate (10 minutes):

Refer back to picture.

As you can see, plants are
not the only types of
producers; you can have
plankton and algae. You
can have different
producers based on the
different types of habitats
animals live in. Remember
a producer is an autotroph
and they are any organism
that produces their own
food.

Throughout each trophic
level there is a transfer of
energy. At each level
energy is lost.
Do you think animals can [ I don’t know maybe]
have different roles
throughout the food chain?
Discuss this with your
group.

Yes, animals can have

different roles within a food
chain. For example if a
bear eats a berry, it’s a
primary consumer Why is it a tertiary [because the bear eat the
(herbivore) because it is consumer? salmon, salmon must eat
eating a plant. But when it some other fish which eats
eats a salmon it is a tertiary a producer]
consumer.

Recap over the day’s

materials.
Evaluation(Formative
assessment- 5 minutes):

All materials are picked

up.
Exit Ticket:
Students write down what
role in the food chain is
important and why.
 5E Lesson Template

LESSON PLAN # __Week 2_Lesson 2_Days 3-4

ClassDay/Time: Tuesday/Wednesday_
Technology Lesson? Yes No (circle one)

Author: Lauren Benoit

Title of lesson: “Who’s Eating You?”

Length of lesson: 85 mins

Description of the class:

Name of course: Biology
Grade level: High School

Source of the lesson:

http://www.mysciencebox.org/foodwebs
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/Science/sciber00/8th/energy/sciber/foodweb.htm
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/coyotes/coyotes.html#I

TEKS addressed:
(12) Science concepts. The student knows that interdependence and interactions
occur within an ecosystem. The student is expected to:
(C) compare variations, tolerances, and adaptations of plants and animals in
different biomes;
(D) identify and illustrate that long-term survival of species is dependent on a
resource base that may be limited; and
(E) investigate and explain the interactions in an ecosystem including
food chains, food webs, and food pyramids.

II. Overview
In this 2-day activity, students choose an organism and research its life cycle, food
chain, and habitat. The student research is assembled in one way. The classroom is
cleared of tables and chairs while students use their organisms to create a food web
stretching the length and width of the classroom. Students will also analyze aspects of
their driving question by discussing extinction of species.
 II. Performance or learner outcomes
4. SWBAT conduct independent research by way of researching different food
chains.
5. SWBAT define and construct a food web; discuss difference between food
chain and food web
6. SWBAT define keystone species and explain its importance
7. SWBAT predict how endangered species might affect the ecosystem

III. Resources, materials and supplies needed

Yarn
Scissors
Internet
Index cards

IV. Supplementary materials, handouts. (Also address any safety issues

Concerning equipment used)
Project Notebook
V. Safety Issues
No safety issues. Scissors will not be used by students but by teacher.
Only concern will be with the computers. Strict guidelines will be given according
to where the students should get their information from regarding their food webs.

VI. Accommodations for learners with special needs (ELLs, Special Ed, 504,
G&T)
ELL: Students will do hands on activities individually and as a class, so that they
could learn how to how to describe concepts. Pictorial representations are available for
students about Food Web and Keystone species as listed in Dong, 2005. Students come
up with their own description (in what’s for dinner engagement) before using scientific
terms. We will try to focus mainly on student-student interaction, and keep lecturing to a
minimum. When questioning the students, we will try to promote students speaking up
even if they are not sure of the right words to describe something. By focusing on group
learning and going around to each group to talk one on one with students, we will try to
make sure everyone was moving forward and understanding new concepts.
 Five-E Organization
Teacher Does Probing Questions Student Does
Engage (10 minutes):

Show a video clip from Disney's,

"The Lion King." Use the clip
where Mufasa discusses with Simba
the circle of life.

Thinking about [no]

yesterday’s lesson, do
you think a food chain
shows us the circle of
life?

Why?

Right. Food chains show us a

linear relationship with different
trophic levels but a food web does
not.

[I don’t know]
If a food web shows us
the circle of life, what
do you think it is?
[no]
Let’s look at it like this.
Do animals eat the same
Right, some animals eat the same thing everyday?
thing right. Lions and Tigers both
fed off of gazelles. That means that
both of their food chains have some
of the same animals within them. [a lot of food chains]
Based off of that, a food
web is only what?
Right. A food web is a model that
shows all the possible feeding
relationships between organisms
living in an ecosystem which is
made up of multiple food chains.
[Writes on board until
A good way to think of a food web equation is balanced. ]
is to think of a spider web.
Everything is interconnected.
Exploration(40 minutes):
Today you will research some
organisms from the Great Barrier
Reef.

Your goal will be to become an

expert about this animal. You will
list its food chain, draw a sketch of
what it looks like, what might eat
them, describe its habitat.

You will write all of the

information on the index card
provided.

Students will randomly pull from

the group of organisms:
Sea Snake
Humpback whale
Tiger sharks
Sea turtles
Parrotfish
sea urchins
sponges
Algae
Hermit Crab
krill
panulirid lobster
Crayfish

After students finish their research

move all desks to the side to allow
for an open area in the classroom.
Students will then create a circle
with their index cards in hand. One
student will go to the center of the
circle and present their information.
They will present its organism’s
food chain, and a description of its
habitat. (Students will only be given
1 minute to present). Then I will
ask if anyone has an organism that
is part of the same food chain. That
student will come to the center of
the circle and the 2 students will
connect each other by a piece of
yarn. This process will continue
until all students have presented.

During this I will be copying down

the food web on the board.

After activity is finished, put

classroom back together. Allow
students to copy down what the
food web they created on paper so
that they can put it in their project
notebook.

Explain ( 15 minutes)

Give insight to where the student’s

food web came from, the Great
Barrier Reef is the worlds largest
coral reef system located off of the
coast of Australia. (Show picture of
reef). It is home to millions of
organisms.

Now that we have created our own

food web of the area lets talk about
it trends. Where are the [They are in the same place
producers in the as in the food chain, at the
food web? bottom]

[Yes, they are present, there

As we talked about before, there is
also a transfer of energy within the
food web just like the food chain.
Are their trophic is the primary producers
levels present in the which is the algae, primary
food web? consumers which are krill,
(I will ask a student secondary consumers which
to come up and are the parrot fish and
identify them by tertiary consumers which is
writing them on the the tiger shark]
food web)
At each trophic level energy is lost.

This food web has some of the

same characteristics of a food chain
but their not the same.

[A food web because it

Lets look at the food web a little
deeper.
shows feeding relationships
between all animals. It gives
Which is better a you more of an idea of
food web or a food what the ecosystem looks
chain if looking at like. A food chain is just a
an ecosystem? Is linear relationship it
the food chain doesn’t tell us anything
useful at all? about other animals.]

[there will be a variety of

answers, the crabs would
die because they wont have
anything to eat, which could
Right when situations like this lead to the shark population
happens, everyone in that food web If an oil spill lowering…and so on
is affected. When a species starts to happen and leaked
die off that species becomes into the Great
endangered and that species could Barrier Reef and it
become extinct. killed off all of the
krill (which is a
(I will show a picture of the seat herbivore), what
turtle which is currently would happen to the
endangered) food web?(First I
will show a visual
of this by way of the
food web the class
created and then I
will students will
discuss this in
groups) [students will turn in
responses in essay form for
homework.]
 Well we see what
can happen if krill
were destroyed, but
what If a carnivore
is destroyed? Does
it matter? Which
should we save and
why? (students will
discuss this in their
groups for about 2
minutes, this will be
their homework for
the day)

Elaboration(15 minutes):

Within food webs, there is a type of

species called a keystone species.
This species a species whose very
presence contributes to a diversity
of life and whose extinction would
consequently lead to the extinction
of other forms of life. Keystone
species help to support the
ecosystem (entire community of
life) of which they are a part.

A keystone species of the Barrier

Reef is the Giant Titron Mollusk. (I
will show a picture of this and some
facts) I will tell students that this
organism is the same organism that
is used for a blow horn by most
humans. This organism preys on
the Crown-of-thorns starfish is one
of the major threats to the health of
the Great Barrier Reef. This why
its existence is so important without
it, the food web of the Great Barrier
Reef is affected.

There is a keystone species in

Texas it is the coyote.
Then I will present the case study to
the students.

Do you think there [I don’t know]

are Keystone
species in Texas?
What do you think
it is?

Evaluate (5 minutes):

I will wrap up what we

learned today in class.
Homework:
Does it matter if the extinct
species is an herbivore or a
carnivore? Why?