Lesson Overview
Students construct food webs for three biomes (forest, ocean, desert), trace energy flow from producers to apex predators, and investigate what happens when one species is removed. This lesson develops systems thinking and ecological literacy aligned to NGSS 5-LS2.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Distinguish between producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers
- Construct a food web showing energy flow in a chosen biome
- Analyze the effect of removing one organism from a food web
- Use evidence from the food web to explain why biodiversity matters
Lesson Phases (5E Model)
- 1Play the 'What Eats What?' card game — students match predator to prey in 2 minutes
- 2Ask: 'Is a food chain realistic? Does a rabbit only eat one thing?'
- 3Introduce the idea of a food web — show a simple 6-organism web on the board
- 4Driving question: 'What would happen to this ecosystem if the wolves disappeared?'
Assessment Strategies
Performance Task
Completed food web poster — scored on accuracy of organism roles, arrow direction, and connection count
Written Analysis
Species removal written response — look for cause-and-effect reasoning
Exit Ticket
3-question formative check at end of lesson
Extension Activities
- →Research a real-world trophic cascade (wolves in Yellowstone, sea otters in kelp forests)
- →Use the Science Academy Ecosystem Builder simulation to test species removal digitally
- →Create a public service announcement: 'Why we need ___' for an endangered species in your biome
At a Glance
Grade BandGrades 3-5
Duration60 min
Group SizeSmall groups (3–5)
DifficultyIntermediate
SubjectScience
Lesson Model5E Instructional Model
Materials
- Organism cards (printed & laminated)1 set per group (25 cards)
- Yarn or string (different colors)3 colors per group
- Large poster paper or whiteboard space1 per group
- Markers1 set per group
- Biome scenario cards1 per group
- Ecosystem analysis worksheet1 per student
Key Vocabulary
- Producer
- An organism (usually a plant) that makes its own food using sunlight
- Consumer
- An organism that gets energy by eating other organisms
- Decomposer
- An organism (like fungi or bacteria) that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the soil
- Food web
- A diagram showing the feeding relationships among many organisms in an ecosystem
- Biodiversity
- The variety of different living things in an ecosystem
Digital Tools
- →Science Academy — Ecosystem Builder Simulation
- →Science Academy Lesson: Ecosystem Interactions
