Term III Assignment

Science
Student teacher(s):
Location:
Grade:
Duration:

Melina Varney and Catherine Brett

Penn Alexander School and Southwark School
First grade
50-60 minutes

Core Decisions of Lesson Design

What
This lesson will serve as an introduction to the concept of food chains and food webs. My goal
in teaching this lesson is that students will understand that animals depend on plants and other
animals in their habitats for food, and that living things are related to each other by the food that
they eat. Students will have the opportunity to model food chains and webs by sorting
organisms in the order of What eats what? and by becoming the organisms in a food web
during a simulation activity. They will also be asked to consider the possible outcomes of the
removal of an organism within a food chain. In terms of scientific practices, my goal for this
lesson is that students gain experience in the processes of developing and using models,
asking questions, and constructing explanations. As a result of this lesson, I specifically hope to
see that students model food chains and food webs accurately, construct sensible explanations
about the effects of alterations to a food chain, generate their own questions about food chains,
and understand how an organism depends not only on its prey for food, but also on the plants
and animals preceding the prey in the food web.

How
This lesson is designed to engage students in doing science by providing lots of opportunities
to interact meaningfully with the concept of food chains and food webs. To activate prior
knowledge and immediately hook students into the lesson, we will begin by creating a sample
human food web as a whole group, through which students provide the ideas for foods to
include. Students will then model food chains themselves by sorting pictures of different
organisms into the order What eats what? Following the picture sort, students will participate
in a simulation activity in which they become the different organisms in a food chain by
standing in a circle and tossing a ball of yarn between the links of the chain. This activity will
model the interconnectedness of the organisms within a habitat and will hopefully push students
to think about the relationships in a food web less linearly. These interactive activities are
intended to generate student interest in the concept of food chains and food webs and
encourage them to ask their own questions about the topic. Then, to elicit higher-order thinking,
students will consider the question: What would happen if an organism within the food chain
were removed? What would be the effect on the other organisms in the habitat? Hopefully, this
question will encourage students to return to their earlier models to construct an explanation.

Comment [NRB1]: In my experience yarn does not

unravel well in this activity. You might want to ask each
child to unroll some before tossing. At least try tossing
first - your yarn may unravel better than mine.
Comment [NRB2]: I am also a little worried about
how well this will work in a small group, as I said in my
initial comments to you, but I will read on to see how
you handle this.

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

Students will work collaboratively throughout the lesson in pairs and in the small group to
encourage the sharing and communication of ideas. To support deeper conceptual
understanding, the focus of this lesson will be on the relationships between plants and animals
in a habitat by the foods they eat rather than on memorizing the terms food chain and food
web. Throughout the lesson, I have built in several places to either challenge the students with
more complex ideas or provide additional scaffolds, depending on students understanding of
this new topic.

Why
The students at Southwark already have some prior knowledge about animal habitats
and animal diets. They recently completed writing compositions about an animal of their choice,
which required them to describe the foods that a particular animal eats. Many of them were
very interested in the fact that some animals eat other animals. Following this unit, the students
went on a field trip to the Natural Academy of the Sciences and actually saw exhibits displaying
animals in their habitats killing and eating other animals. Therefore, I think that a lesson on the
concept of food chains and food webs will draw on these experiences as well as on the
students interests and push them to think more deeply about the interdependency of plants and
animals on each other.
The students at Penn Alexander have science class as a separate special. In that class,
theyre talking about the different states of matter. However, in their regular classroom, the class
has had multiple integrated units focusing on bats, spiders, pumpkins, and apples. Theres
usually not enough time in the day to delve into the science concepts, but students have been
exposed to the idea, through read alouds, of animals eating other animals to grow and plants
depending on water and the sun for their survival. The students also took a field trip to a farm
where they learned about the pollination process, another important way that plants and animals
depend on each other to survive. I made the decision to connect my lesson to concepts from
class to show kids that science isnt a solitary subject thats only experienced in another
classroom.
Furthermore, we participated in an activity at the NSTA conference in which people
represented different organisms in a habitat and tossed a ball of yarn between the links of the
food web. This activity inspired me to create a lesson in which students can do science while
learning about food chains and food webs, so that they have the opportunity to engage actively
in the topic and generate their own questions. This interactive format is designed to allow
students to engage in science content and process simultaneously as they gain experience with
multiple scientific practices, including developing and using models, asking questions, and
constructing explanations. While food chains and food webs are not explicitly prescribed in by
NGSS for first grade, these concepts are important to several important ideas for this age group.
Specifically, this content relates to LS1.C, Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in
Organisms, which states that students should know that All animals need food in order to live
and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light
to live and grow, as well as to, LS2.A, Interdependent Relationships in Habitats, which
contends that students should know that Animals depend on their surroundings to get what
they need, including food, water, shelter, and a favorable temperature. Animals depend on

Comment [NRB3]: There is no harm in using the

terms - and even pointing out the web once you have
one. It is good practice to use the words in context so
the students hear them, just dont hold the students
responsible for them yet.
Comment [NRB4]: My classic example of one of the
two things any elementary teacher will do!

Comment [NRB5]: I am glad they took the trip, and

you are right about those displays. I can think of at
least 3 that show this.

Comment [NRB6]: Right. More typically

fall/Halloween focus. L

Comment [NRB7]: Wow - I am impressed with the

number of field trips.

Comment [NRB8]: Sounds perfect to me!

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

plants or other animals for food. It also draws on the Crosscutting Concepts of Patterns as well
as Cause and Effect.

Comment [NRB9]: Please choose one and explain

your rationale for using it.

Lesson Plan
Goals & Objectives
Content
1. Students will identify food chains and food webs as one way in which plants and animals
are interconnected and dependent on one another in a habitat.
2. Students will demonstrate the relationship between plants and animals in Eastern
Deciduous forests by constructing food chains and food webs that could occur in that
habitat.
3. Students will explore cause and effect relationships as they relate to alterations in food
chains and food webs.

Comment [NRB10]: AKA around here

Scientific Practice
1. Students will engage in a scientific discussion and formulate their own questions
surrounding food chains and food webs.
2. Students will create models of food chains to help deepen their understanding and
represent the dependence and interconnectedness of plants and animals in a habitat.

Standards

Comment [NRB11]: Insert your practices standard,

too. You explained them well above.

LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other
animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow. (K-LS1-1)
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in habitats
Plants depend on water and light to grow. (2-LS2-1)
Cause and Effect
Events have causes that generate observable patterns. (2-LS2-1)

Comment [NRB12]: See above

Patterns
Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed, used to describe
phenomena, and used as evidence. (1-LS1-2)

Comment [NRB13]: Again, see above

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

Materials and Preparation

Instructor needs
Behavior expectations anchor chart
Whiteboard
Dry-erase markers & eraser
Yarn
Paper clips to create chain
Students need
Pencils & erasers
Cards for food web activity
Picture cards for sorts
Exit slips
Clipboards

Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues

Melina: This lesson will take place in a small group learning room. There is one small circular
table where the students will sit for whole group discussion. Behind the table is a counter where
I will place the white board for recording. During the sorting, student pairs can spread out on the
floor. For the yarn activity, the students will stand up around the table to form a circle.
I dont anticipate classroom management issues. However, students dont have much
experience engaging in discussions, so Im going to spend time at the beginning of the lesson
establishing norms to avoid students being disrespectful to their peers. Also, students may get
excited to be out of their usual classroom and be a bit louder than they otherwise would. Again,
Ill talk explicitly beforehand about my expectations and give reminders to any students who get
too loud.
Catherine: This lesson will take place in the school library. Students will sit around a square
table for the whole group discussions, and I will stand at the head of the table beside a white
board. During the sorting, the students can spread out to other tables in the room to work in
pairs. For the yarn activity, students will stand in a circle in an open space in the room.
My biggest management concern is that students may get excited about being out of the
classroom and doing fun activities, so they may become louder and sillier than usual. To
avoid this possibility, I will give students explicit expectation for behavior at the beginning of the
lesson and before transitioning to each new activity. If it really becomes a problem, I may ask
disruptive students to sit out for a particular activity. Sending a student back to class early is the
last resort, but I will make it clear to students that they must behave responsibly to participate.
The students also do not have much experience with group discussions, so I will spend some
time establishing norms for respectful talk.

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

Plan
Task (50-60 min total)
Students will explore the relationship between animals and plants by identifying and modelling
food chains and food webs involving humans and the organisms in Eastern Deciduous forest
habitats.

Comment [NRB14]: Modeling

Hook (15 min) -- whole group

1. Establish norms and expectations
2. Discussion of where our food comes from
a. Pose question What do humans depend on for food? & brainstorm list of foods
that kids recently ate
b. Select several foods (at least one plant, one animal byproduct, and one meat)
c. Ask students what precedes each organism in the food chain (e.g., students say
chicken, I would ask What does a chicken eat?)
d. Establish what plants eat (where plants get their nutrients) -- add soil, the sun,
and water to the board
e. Record on the board using arrows to represent the relationships
3. First food chain picture sort (soil tree leaves worm turkey human)
a. Show pictures of the five components
b. Pose question: Does anyone know what this is called when we show who eats
what? Introduce term food chain and model with connected paper clips
c. Explicitly talk about how the human depends on, not only the turkey for food, but
also the worm, leaves, and soil
Body (25-35 min)
1. Establish that students understand the basic structure of the food chain
With partners -- simple picture sort (4 pictures) of animals found in Eastern
Deciduous forest habitats (repeat additional if needed)
Once groups feel comfortable with task, ask them to add additional pictures (like
sun, soil, and water) to their chain and ask them to think about where the soil
gets its nutrients.
i.
Possible extension: once group comes back together, students will be
asked to share with the group where they think soil gets its nutrients.
Establish the cyclic nature of a food chain
Provide books on food chains and food webs for students to look at if they are
waiting for other groups to finish
2. Establish multiple relationships in one habitat
Groups receive pictures to sort with some shared organisms (e.g., one group
would have a rabbit eating grass, another would have grasshopper eating grass)
Whole group discussion -- ask students what eats grass, different groups would
have different answer, pose open question Can there be more than one possible
relationship in a habitat?
3. Introduce concept of food web through modelling activity

Comment [NRB15]: And be prepared that they may

not know.

Comment [NRB16]: OK, but I am picturing kids

thinking about the worms having mouths and teeth of
the sort needed to eat leaves. So you will need to
either: stick with the worms, but then point out that the
leaves fall from the trees and are broken down by tiny
organisms in the soil, making them into dirt that the
worms can eat (which is adds even more steps to your
food chain, and makes it more accurate) or simply use
blueberries in place of tree leaves and worms.
Comment [NRB17]: You could add that the tiny
organisms are called decomposers for the job that they
do in breaking down dead material into soil so it can be
reused. Some teachers say recyclers.

Comment [NRB18]: Very nice step

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

4.

5.
6.

7.

Each student assigned 2-3 organisms (given pictures) in an Eastern Deciduous

forest habitat, stand in circle
Teacher -- Soil Who do I give my nutrients to?
Student 1 -- Grass!
throw yarn to student 1
Student 1 I get my nutrients from the soil. Who eats grass?
Student 2 -- Deer!
Student 3 -- Rabbit!
Student 1 decides who to throw yarn to
Student 3 Im a rabbit and I eat grass. Who eats me?
Activity proceeds until we reach the top predator who throws the yarn back to soil
(depending on how students do with previous tasks, I will either tell them to throw yarn to
soil and explain that plants and animals decompose into the soil or ask them to figure
out where the yarn goes on their own)
Continue until multiple pathways have been formed and web is appropriately
complex
Come back as a whole group, create poster to which students add their pictures that
reflects connections. Establish definition of food web (ask students what all the strings
looked like) and return to previous question Can there be more than one possible
relationship in a habitat?
Ask students to develop questions about food chains and food webs
Discussion of cause and effect relationships in a habitat (turn and talk and then full
group share)
What would happen to the food web if we got rid of the (primary consumer)?
Students would argue either the predator would have nothing to eat or the
predator would begin eating another animal in the food web
What would happen to the food web if we got rid of (predator)?
Students would probably argue that there would be more of the primary
consumer that the predator usually eats
Stress the importance of balance in a habitat
Present students with the case of grasshoppers (with visuals) -- when there are a
lot of grasshoppers in one place, they become locusts that swarm and can ruin
farmers crops

Closure (10 min)

1. Address unanswered student questions that followed the food web modelling
2. Give students exit slip: What does a (predator) depend on for food?
If students understand interconnectedness of animals in a habitat, they will list
not only the prey, but also those organisms that the prey eats

Assessment
Food chain & food web sorts

Comment [NRB19]: And if they really get this, they

could throw to the soil (or the decomposers) at any
stage.

Comment [NRB20]: OK - if you are going to do the

yarn toss, you should probably skip this. I am just
worried about how complex your tossed web can be if
you only have 4 students.
Comment [NRB21]: Yes or no question. Please
revise.
Comment [NRB22]: You should write these out.

Comment [NRB23]: And often there is not enough

food for all of them.

Comment [NRB24]: I think this is confusing. How

about saying that there is one form of grasshopper
called locusts who.

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

Participation in whole group food web model
Engagement in discussion and ability to justify responses to questions
Exit slip
Informal assessment will be conducted throughout the lesson. While students sort food chains
with their partners, Ill be assessing their knowledge by asking each group to justify their
decision making. Ill be using this information to decide whether I should give students more
complex scenarios (with more decision making involved), or give them additional simple sorts.
Ill also be conducting informal assessments during the whole group discussions, noting whether
students can apply what they learned from the model to respond to the question of Can there
be more than one possible relationship in a habitat? I will also be able to assess the students
ability to apply what theyve learned by asking them to justify what they believe would happen if
the food web were altered. Finally, students will be given a final exit slip that asks them to
answer the question What does a (predator) depend on for food? to determine whether or not
students met the initial objective of understanding plant and animal relationships in an Eastern
Deciduous forest habitat. The food web that we created together will still be on display for
students to reference so that the cognitive load of the task is thinking about relationships rather
than remembering the exact progression we used in the activity.

Anticipating Student Responses and My Possible Responses

Management issues
Scenario 1: Students finish sorts before other groups and start talking or playing around while
they wait for me to check their work.
Response: I will provide books about food chains for students to read while they are waiting for
me or for other groups to finish.

Comment [NRB25]: How many children are you

taking? Shouldnt take long to get to each group to
check their work, right?

S2: Time management. There wont be enough time to talk in depth about everything I want to
cover.
R: I tried to plan more time than Ill need for each part of the lesson. I also planned the lesson
for a time that wont interfere with the students lunch, recess, or special subjects if it goes
slightly over the 50 minute plan. Additionally, I tried to vary the activities enough so that if it is
long, students wont be sitting in their seats the entire time.
S3: Students dont engage in group discussion of concepts.
R: Students will have the opportunity to turn and talk with partners to help them develop ideas
before our full group discussions. Hopefully that will give students time to construct arguments.
However, listening to these conversations will also prove to be an important assessment tool for
me; if students are able to construct arguments with their partners, Ill know that they
understand the material and may just be uncomfortable with the whole group discussion format.
If students also dont engage with their partners, Ill know that the material may be too
challenging and Ill need to further scaffold it.

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

Response to content
Scenario 1: Students dont understand the concept of food chains.
Response: Im beginning by talking about the human diet so that the subject will be introduced
through something familiar to the students. For children who are having difficulty, Ill limit it to the
more intuitive pieces like (grass, rabbit, coyote). Ill return to the kid friendly description that
what were doing is putting animals and plants in order of who eats what. Additionally, students
will be paired up with partners in hopes that at least one student will understand.
S2: Students dont understand the concept of food webs.
R: Ill tell students that a food web is just the many food chains in one habitat. Ill ask them to
think about grass: Does only one animal eat grass?
Question 1: What do humans depend on for food?
Possible Responses: Students will name items like hamburgers, macaroni and cheese,
brownies, where its not as easy to decipher where the food comes from. If students dont list
items in all three of my intended categories (plant, animal by-product, and meat) then I will add
my own foods to the list. If students need an additional challenge, I may ask them where one of
the less obvious items comes from.
Q2: Can there be more than one possible relationship in a habitat?
PR: Students think only one animal can eat the preceding organism because of the linear nature
of our earlier food webs. Ask students to think about a familiar food that multiple animals eat
(e.g., bunnies and people both eat lettuce)
Q3: What would happen to the food web if we got rid of the (primary consumer)?
PR: Students can argue any outcome as long as they have support for their response
Q4: What would happen to the food web if we got rid of (predator)?
PR: Again, students can argue any outcome as long as they justify it
Q5: What does a (predator) depend on for food?
PR: This is the final assessment. Students will probably either say the animal that directly
precedes the predator, or they will list all of the other animals preceding it. If they respond with
the former, Ill know that they havent met the learning objective. If they respond with the latter,
then Ill know they have an understanding for animal interactions in a habitat. Finally, some
students may list all of the other animals in the habitat. I would also accept this answer, as long
as they justified it, due to our discussion of the cyclic nature of food webs.

Accommodations
For students who find the material too challenging
If students find food chains too challenging....

Comment [NRB26]: These can actually be the most

fun because they require multiple steps that all lead
back to the sun.
Macaroni: wheat, (sun) Also egg, chicken, grains, sun.
Cheese: milk from cow, grass/grain.
And if you dont know what something is made from it
is OK to say so, just as long as you have enough
examples so that you can illustrate the concept.
Cereal and milk is often a good place to start.

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

I dont anticipate students will have difficulty with the simple food chain sorts, given that well be
working with familiar animals and they will be the same animals throughout. However, Im
pairing up students intentionally so that students who may struggle will be with a student who
can explain the material and help them understand. During the initial food chain sort, I will be
able to assess student understanding. If a particular pair is having difficulty, I will connect it back
to the human diet to help them understand how food chains work. I will also leave out more
complicated elements, like the sun.
If students find food webs too challenging
After the modelling of plant and animal relationships, if students have a hard time understanding
food webs, I will connect it back to humans to establish that we eat many different organisms
that also eat different organisms.
If students dont understand the difference between food chains and food webs
The main purpose of the lesson is not to learn the vocabulary terms food chain and food
web; that is a secondary concern. The goal is that students will understand one way that
animals and plants in a habitat rely on one another. If the terminology is confusing students, I
will return to the fact that were simply thinking about who eats what.
For students who need greater challenge or finish early
If students finish their simple sorts early, I will ask students to consider where the dirt gets its
nutrients (in hopes that they will discover the cyclic nature). I may also give students additional
organisms that dont fit into the food web, such as a dog or a horse (although I want to stay
within Eastern Deciduous forest habitats so that the point of the lesson doesnt become who
has more prior knowledge on animal diets?). Additionally, there will be books on food chains
and food webs available to early finishers while Im talking with other groups. Ill have students
write their own questions after the modelling activity in order to help students focus their thinking
and hopefully address all areas of interest.

Exit slip:

Comment [NRB27]: Fix throughout.

TERM III SCIENCE -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

Name:
_________________________________________________________________
________

Show What You Know!

What do coyotes depend on for food? How do you know?
_________________________________________________________________
________________
_________________________________________________________________
________________
_________________________________________________________________

Comment [NRB28]: Will you have specifically

introduced the coyote in the first part. We do now see
coyotes in the East, but I have never see one. Fox or
Red-tailed hawk might make a more familiar choice.

10