Linking Energy in a Food Chain

Tiffany Bowman
5th grade Life Science

Common Core Standards:

1. Explain how almost all kinds of animals' food can be traced back to plants.
2. Trace the organization of simple food chains and food webs (e.g., producers, herbivores, carnivores,
omnivores and decomposers).
Lesson Summary:
This lesson is designed to help students better understand food webs and the different types of organisms that
make up a food web. Students will explore the roles of organisms in a food chain from producers all the way to
decomposers. Students will get a good understanding of the transfer of energy that takes place in a food web.
Students will then be divided in equal groups and will then choose a habitat of their choice and create a visual
food web by using Prezi or Power Point. Students will explain each organisms role in the food web and
outline the flow of energy using arrows. Students will then present their group projects to the rest of the class.
Estimated Duration:
This lesson will take about 3 hours. I plan on dividing the lesson into five days, with each class period lasting
30-40 minutes
Commentary:
I plan to get students excited about this lesson by sharing an example of a food web using a Prezi. I plan to
allow students to do their own research on the internet, which students usually enjoy doing. I am allowing
students to work in groups and choose their own habitat to do their project on. I think allowing students to
make decisions and to work in groups excites them. I do see the creation of the Prezi or Power Point to be
somewhat challenging, but I will be sure to explain the process and keep the presentations simple, yet effective
for the purpose of this lesson.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:
First 10 minutes: Introductory activity- The teacher will pass out note cards to 5 random students with the
words printed on them: Photosynthesis, Decomposers, Herbivore, Carnivore, and Omnivore. The teacher will

write Producers and consumers on opposite ends of a chalk board or on paper at opposite ends of the
classroom. The teacher will then ask the students with the note cards to group themselves into the
classification that they believe they fall into; the producer or the consumer. As a class, the students and the
teacher will then identify these words and get a better understanding of what these words mean.
10 minutes: The teachers will allow the students to pick a number from a hat numbered 1-5 and then group the
students based on their numbers; ones with ones and so on to form the group that they will work with for the
lesson.
20 minutes: The teacher will allow students to gather in their groups to discuss possible habitats for their food
chain research. Students will also be allowed to do some internet research to look into possible habitats for
their project.
Day 2:
First 10 minutes: The teachers will have each group identify what habitat that they want to do their project on
and make sure that each group has a somewhat unique habitat. No two habitats should be too similar, you want
a variety.
30 minutes: The teacher will pass out printouts with complete instructions of what is expected. Students will
have to identify their habitat on this sheet. On this sheet students (one per group) will have to define the
vocabulary words: Food chain, energy, photosynthesis, consumers, producers, decomposers, herbivore,
carnivore, and omnivore. Students would also have to identify an object or organism in their habitat that
represents the vocabulary words. Students will also need to identify the flow of energy between organisms in
their habitat with arrows. Pictures must be used: either found on the web or photographed by the student with a
digital photograph.
Day 3:
First 10 minutes: Teacher will explain the presentation piece. The presentation must represent the habitat and
include a complete food chain of at least 6 organisms and include all the vocabulary words. The presentation
must also show the flow of energy with arrows or some other kind of obvious sequence indicator.
15 minutes: The teacher will introduce Prezi to the students. The students will be allowed to explore Prezi after
the teacher gives a short explanation and demonstration of the web application.
15 minutes: The teacher will introduce Power Point to the students. The students will be allowed to explore
Power Point after the teacher gives a short explanation and demonstration of the software.

Day 4:

40 minutes: Students will be allowed to get into their groups to work on creating their presentation of choice.
Students will have the full time to work on their project. The teacher will stay close to answer questions and to
help guide the presentations.
Day 5:
20-30 minutes: Students will get 5 minutes per group to share their food chains and to explain their research
with their presentation.

Pre-Assessment:
Prior to the handing out of the note cards, The teacher would give the students a handout on food chains. The
students would be required to match simple definitions to the word that represents them. Students would then
be required to draw a very simple food chain with at least 3 animals.
Scoring Guidelines:
The teacher would then collect the handout and see how much the students already know. Hopefully
students cans identify most words and they all should be able to create a simple food chain.
The teacher will do an exit question at the end of each class that would help him or her to understand where
the students are in understanding the lesson and assignment.
Post-Assessment:
The teacher will use the presentations as a measurement of what the students learned and how they understand
the lesson.
The students will also have a short quiz to make sure that each individual student has a grasp on the lesson and
the vocabulary.
Scoring Guidelines:
The teacher will score the presentations in two ways:

First the students will do a peer to peer evaluation for each member in their groups based on
participation.

Second, the teacher will score the presentation based on creativity, vocabulary used, the
completion of a food chain and the evidence of the understanding of how energy is passed on.

The quiz part will be a wrong or right kind of evaluation. Students who do not do well on the quiz or
the presentation will receive follow up information to help them understand the concepts presented in
the lesson.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Describe how instruction can be differentiated (changed or altered) to meet the needs of gifted or accelerated
students:

For gifted or advanced students the teacher will challenge them to used video and or audio in their
presentations.

Discuss additional activities you could do to meet the needs of students who might be struggling with the
material:

For students that may be struggling the teacher will allow peer-to-peer tutoring inside the groups, as
well as extra instruction using online materials and applications.

Extension
More information on the flow of energy and food chains can be found at:
http://www.ftexploring.com/me/me2.html
Students can play a game to help them understand producers, consumers and decomposers here:
http://www.psd1.org/Page/3672

Homework Options and Home Connections

Students will be asked to work with their parents to break down a dinner they have often and identify where
that food is in a food chain and take it back all the way to a possible producer.
Students will also be allowed to work on their projects via facetime if the technology is available.

Interdisciplinary Connections
Art

Students get to get creative with their presentations.

Students have the option of taking their own photography.

Students get to structure their presentations the way they want as long as the requirements are present.

Language Arts

Students are building vocabulary.

Students are writing complete sentences that identify an organism and its role in a food chain.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers

Computer, printer, Prezi, handouts and note cards.

For students

IPads, Computers, Prezi or Power Point. Digital Cameras if students wish to not use
photos from the web. Flash drives or memory cards.

Key Vocabulary
Food chain, energy, photosynthesis, consumers, producers, decomposers, herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore.

Additional Notes
The timing of the lesson may be shortened or a little longer depending on the knowledge that the students have
already gained on the subject in 4th grade.
This lesson is meant to be very hands on with room for creativity and diversity while focusing on the flow of
energy from producers that use photosynthesis, to the consumers and then the decomposers.