July 14, 2014

Description and Standards

This lesson is intended for high school Biology typically grades 9 or 10. This particular
lesson is geared to teach about food webs and food chains which will be in the Ecology
unit.
The Next Generation Science Standards I am meeting are:
NGSS standards: LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and
populations they can support. These limits result from such factors as the availability of
living and nonliving resources and from such challenges such as predation, competition,
and disease. Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of great size
were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This fundamental
tension affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any given
ecosystem. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)
LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
A complex set of interactions within an ecosystem can keep its numbers and types of
organisms relatively constant over long periods of time under stable conditions. If a
modest biological or physical disturbance to an ecosystem occurs, it may return to its
more or less original status (i.e., the ecosystem is resilient), as opposed to becoming a
very different ecosystem. Extreme fluctuations in conditions or the size of any population,
however, can challenge the functioning of ecosystems in terms of resources and habitat
availability. (HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6)
Moreover, anthropogenic changes (induced by human activity) in the environment
including habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of invasive species, overexploitation,
and climate changecan disrupt an ecosystem and threaten the survival of some
species. (HS-LS2-7)

The technology standards I am meeting are:
ISTE standards: 1. Creativity and innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking,
construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
Rational
This IWB lesson allows students to manipulate and to create food webs and food chains.
This lesson allows for immediate feedback from peers and teacher along with
collaboration. This lesson gets students out of their seats and moving and allows for the
teacher to walk around the room to keep students on task and engaged.
Directions
After delivering a mini lesson on food chains as outlined in slide 3 students are asked to
construct food chains via the IWB. After confirmation, the teacher elicits student ideas
regarding what a food web is. After elicitation the teacher pulls down the screen to
reveal what a food web is and gives a mini lesson. Next students are asked to come to
the IWB and draw in food chains that could be made from the images on the slide.
July 14, 2014
Food Chains and Food Webs
July 14, 2014
A food chain is a pattern in nature in which living things eat and are
eaten by other living things.
Food chains only go in one direction. The arrows point in the
direction that energy is traveling.
The rabbit eats the grass and the owl eats the rabbit
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Now it's your turn! Let's make food chains
_______ ________ ________
_______ ________ ________
_______ ________ ________
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Food Webs are many food chains connected together.
What's a food web?
July 14, 2014
How many relationships can we make?