The Arctic Food web
Learning Sequence
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Introduction
During this clip, we explore the evolution of the mighty blue whale and its role in the Arctic food chain.
We will ask your students to research more information on the Arctic food chain and then relate that research back to the food chain in their own locality.
Once your children understand that every part of the food chain plays a significant role in the overall well-being of an ecosystem, they will start to learn how to protect each part.
We will also bring the learning back to us as human beings and start to clarify where we fit into the grand scheme of things.
This week we will be discussing the food chain and food webs and how animals and plants interact to help each other survive and thrive. We will also demonstrate your place in the food chain too!
The food chain is something that we can find right outside our door, in fact, we are actually part of the food chain. This week we are going to study the food chain of the Arctic and conduct some research on the mighty blue whale.
Then we are going to ask you to research your local food chain and think about ways in which you can protect it and make sure that every part of the chain is taken care of.
The bumble bee may be small, but it is the foundation of all life on Earth!
Keywords
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Introduce the spelling word list and choose from this list of tasks that can be repeated and expanded upon if necessary.
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Copy the words into a spelling list/vocabulary book for later reference.
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Put each of the new words into a sentence and underline the new vocabulary in red pencil
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Place the words in alphabetical order in a list.
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Use a dictionary to define each of the words and place them into a vocabulary book.
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Try to represent each of the words using a picture or a symbol and play the guessing game. (which image is matched to which word)
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Write a paragraph containing all of the new vocabulary.
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Make a vocabulary wall containing all of the new words.
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Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the words and create a synonym list.
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These words will help you during this course. You may already know some of these words however practice makes perfect!
First, read the words and then try to define them as simply as possible.
An example has been completed for you. You can write these into your books, and draw a picture to match or simply complete the task card.
Read and Discuss: Warm-Up Activity
This comprehension activity allows your students to gather a deeper understanding of the food chain whilst demonstrating the importance of using a variety of research methods to gather valid and unbiased information.
Allow students to work in groups or teams to answer the questions below.
Listen to the video with Danielle and read the following task cards and try to answer the questions below.
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What do producers actually produce and can you name one from the Arctic region?
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Name 3 consumers from the Arctic.
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If you were walking in a forest, what decomposers would you see at the base of trees?
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How did whales evolve to live in the ocean?
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What is special about a whale’s heart and the size of its veins?
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What job does Danielle do for a living, and what does this job involve?
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Why is sea ice so important when it comes to the food web in the Arctic area?
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How big can a blue whale grow?
Food Webs - Find the Balance
Once the children have completed this simple task, we want them to discuss the two questions listed below and start to think about the fine balance in nature.
When the balance that nature provides is disrupted, we find that the systems that nature provides start to fail. Our job as human beings is to identify and maintain this balance.
Use the task card opposite to connect the animals within this food web that consume each other.
Remember that within a food web animals can consume various other species, but think carefully about what would happen if any of the species listed were to vanish and become extinct.
Once you have completed the task card, work with the people in your group to answer the following questions:
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What would happen to the number of frogs if the snake was extinct?
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What would happen to the birds if the ant was removed from the food web?
Research Task - Your Local Food Web
Students are encouraged to use the environment outside to hunt for and identify 2 producers and use these as the basis for the research on their local food web.
Once the children have found 2 producers that grow locally, they can then start to find out which primary consumers eat these particular plants and from there the secondary consumers and so on until they reach the top of the food chain.
The children must make sure that they do not include human beings in their food web.
Students are requested to use the food web task card to help them research and create their very own version. They will then use this graphic to teach a younger class in your school about the importance of nature and the connections between all living things.
Now it’s your turn to create your very own food web for the area in which you live. In order to create your food web, we need to start at the very bottom of the chain and find out the producers which grow in your area.
Take some time to head outside and find 2 producers in your playground, garden or on your route to school. Make a note of them and then you can start your research.
Once you find your producers, it is time to see what it is that consumes them until you find the animals at the top of the chain.
Use the task card as an example of what a food web looks like and use this as an example when creating your very own for your local area. Remember not to include yourself in this food web and to label everything on the diagram.
Make sure your design is beautiful and clear as you will be using this to teach some of the younger children in your school about the importance of nature and all living things.
Teaching a Lesson - Giving Service
As always, we want your students to feel that they are learning for a purpose. During this activity we want your students to visit another class in the school and pass on their new knowledge about food webs.
The children will need to make sure that their diagram is good enough to present and also understand that because they are going to be teaching younger children they will need to have something for the children to touch and also speak in a way that younger people understand.
This activity is about paying it forward, developing confidence and also understanding the world through the eyes of another.
They will need some preparation to together the material appropriate for the lesson. If some of your children are not feeling confident about the trip to another class, they may wish to partner up and work collectively to achieve the task!
With your new knowledge and your diagram of your local food web, it is now time to use this knowledge to teach somebody else about the importance of nature!
Use the diagram and head down to a class filled with younger children, ready to pass on your wisdom.
What you’ll need!
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To make your lesson successful you will need to have your diagram ready! (Make sure that it is beautiful and has all of the information you wish to teach.
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If possible, give the children some clay or plasticine to be able to make one of the creatures you are talking about. A drawing on paper is also a good idea if no clay or plasticine is available.
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Make sure that you understand exactly what you are going to say and talk slowly.
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Finally allow your students to ask any questions about the lesson you have taught and allow them to keep their creations to take home.
Congratulations – You’re a teacher!!
Ongoing Follow-Up Activities
Extension Activity #1 - Leadership Program
We request that your older students over the age of eight buddy up, or partner up, with a younger child in your school. They will pass on the knowledge they have gained from this lesson and take it to the younger cohorts within your school and develop their own leadership skills
Please take a look at the very simple and child-friendly lesson plan. This should be read and understood by the students before they prepare their lesson and their learning for a younger child.
The reasoning behind this methodology is to develop leadership, confidence, responsibility and communication skills between the older and younger students within your school. This will bring the cohort closer together and build a sense of community throughout your entire educational establishment.
Charles S. Lauer said ‘Leaders don’t force people to follow—they invite them on a journey.’ It is now time for you to invite a younger child to take a journey with you. A journey of discovery!
We ask you, as an older student, to buddy up with a younger student in your school
We want you to pass on the knowledge you have gained in this course to a younger student whilst developing leadership, mentorship and with the responsibility of working with the youngest student in the school.
You may think that this is a task which has no meaning. However, to the younger child in the school, it will have a huge influence on the way that they approach education and the way they feel within school.
You will be a continuous safety net, almost like a big brother or sister to a younger student in the school whilst also developing leadership communication and the confidence to be able to lead into the future.
Use this template to help you plan your lesson and gather your resources before you head down to the younger children’s classroom to reteach what you have just learned.
Creating Your Own Flashcards
This extension activity will allow your students to design something that allows them to pass on their knowledge to another group of children.
The children may wish to travel to another class to teach lessons using their flashcards, or simply post them to a school far away to assist with the move towards quality education around the world.
Once the flashcards are complete, children should be encouraged to laminate them and give them away.
Now that you have the knowledge and understanding about a range of producers, Consumers and predators. It is time for you to create your very own range of flashcards which can be laminated and donated to another class in your school or used as a teaching resource to help other children understand the concept of food webs and food chains.
Use the template opposite to create a set of flashcards based on your local food web and when complete, print them and laminate them so that somebody else can learn from the research you have just completed.
Click here to access the template and start creating your very own set of flashcards!
