It Starts With You
Learning Sequence 9
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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!
Weekly 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 week’s lesson. 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 - ‘Weekly 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?
Your Weekly Goal Check-In (Almost There!)
Each week the students will have several minutes to touch base with the people around them or the groups on their table and discuss which of the goals they have managed to actually achieve and which goals they are finding tricky or difficult and are going to accomplish.In the coming days.
Please remember that children do not have to accomplish all ten goals. One goal is sufficient.
Take out your goals for tackling climate change and talk to the person next to you about which ones you have accomplished in the last week and what hurdles you have faced so far. Discuss which goals you are going to achieve this week and share ideas about how you are going to achieve them
This week we want you to stand up in your group and discuss which goals you have achieved and which ones you are still trying to accomplish!
Remember to stand as a group and be honest and open with your thoughts. You never know, there may be someone in the class who is willing to help you.
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
By now your class has started to put together their class book on amazing animals.
If any of your children have managed to find out interesting facts about a particular bird, this week is when they will be able to add these extra pages to their class book.
Once the children have completed their research, ask them if they would like to add these pages as fact files to the class book. They will need to coordinate these with the rest of the class and make sure that everyone agrees and is aware of the additions.
Next week we will prepare to upload the book to the Upschool Library so that the rest of the world can read it.
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 all of the new knowledge you have gained over the last 9 weeks 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.
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Congratulations – You’re a teacher!!
Finalising Your Class Book
By now your class has started to put together their class book on the animals in their country. The various tasks have been allocated to the children in the class and they are starting to collate all the various parts of the book ready for publication.
This week is the week when your class comes together to make sure that all of the various components are ready and that all proofreading has been done. This is in preparation for their book upload in week number 10.
Next week your class will reflect on the change they have made in the community and upload their book to the Upschool library. How exciting!
As a class you are now in the position of putting the finishing touches to your class book. This week is about proofreading the book and collectively deciding what needs to be done to get the book ready for publication next week!
Next week, you will be uploading your class book on Animals of the world to the Upschool library and this week is the week when you must check it to make sure that it has all the things needed for publication.
Take a look at the checklist opposite and if there are any corrections that need to take place, please spend some time fixing those before next week.
Closing Video
This week we have covered the ecosystems of the world and started to understand that every creature, no matter how small, plays a vital role in the preservation and sustainability of all life.
From this point onwards, your role will be to make sure that no living organism is harmed where possible. The world is balanced perfectly and our job is to help nature maintain that balance.
Ongoing Follow-Up Activities
Extension Activity #1 - Leadership Program Week 9
Each week we will request that your older students over the age of eight, to buddy up, or partner up with a younger child in your school, and every week 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 that I have developed above and 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!
Each week we will be asking 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 this week 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 task is a very big one and may take the whole school to come together to create such a mission to be successful.
A mass planting can be something that can bring a whole school together to create a space for insects and birds to thrive.
Use this extension activity to create an ongoing movement within your school where the children understand that the success of their work is much bigger than grades, points, or scores. The success of this activity will be when the first bird arrives.
Teachers may wish to set up a daily birdwatching club to help look out for the first bird that arrives.
Once it does arrive, try to find out the species of the bird and why it arrived in your sanctuary.
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!
