- Write the word Ecosystems on the board. “Does anyone know information about ecosystems? You might think about animals, and plants when thinking about ecosystems.” Record students’ responses on the board or chart paper. Inform students that plants and animals that are found in a particular location are referred to as an ecosystem. These plants and animals depend on each other to survive. In a delicate balance, these life forms help to sustain one another in regular patterns. “An ecosystem can be small as a puddle or as large as the Pacific Ocean. It is all the living (plants, animals) and nonliving things (water, soil, air) in an area. Can you name or describe different ecosystems?” Show the picture of an ecosystem (S-3-2-2_Ecosystem Picture.doc). Ask students questions in a large group or have students answer these questions in small groups. “What animals and plants do you see? What nonliving things do you see? How do living and nonliving things interact? What if you took away the fish in the lake—how would this affect the ecosystem? What if you put a tiger in this ecosystem—how would this change the ecosystem? What if the lake flooded—how would the ecosystem change?”
Activity 1
Read the story Lost in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy by Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick.After the story, discuss the book and the animals that appeared in the story. “Why do you think the mother left the fawn alone? A newborn fawns spends its first weeks without its mother because her scent will attract predators to her babe. She instinctively knows to stay only briefly to nurse and care for her fawn. The fawn will travel with her when older and stronger.”
Introduce the Predator Prey Game. Prior to the game, prepare predator cards and hide prey pictures throughout the room (S-3-2-2_Predator Prey Game-Predator Species Cards.pdf).
Explain to students what a predator is and what prey are. A predator is someone or something that hunts something else. Prey is someone or something that is hunted. “Today we are going to play the Predator Prey Game. All of you will be a predator, and it is your job to locate your prey. Your prey will be hiding in the classroom. In this game, the Predators include bobcat, marsh hawk, alligator, bullfrog, king snake, and the praying mantis. Prey species include snakes, frogs, mice, fish, insects, and rabbits. You will “stalk” and “eat” as many prey as you can in 5 minutes.”
To conduct this game, detailed instructions can be found at http://www.uga.edu/srel/kidsdoscience/kidsdoscience-predator-game.htm (S-3-2-2_Predator Prey Game Instructions.pdf). Predator species cards are printed and students can carry them around to help them locate the correct prey in the room. Predators must eat specific items for survival and record their kills on the Data Recording Sheet (S-3-2-2_Predator Prey Game-Data Recording Sheet.pdf). Prey species are cut out from the templates and distributed around the room (S-3-2-2_Predator Prey Game-Prey Species Template.pdf). After completion of the game, ask students what they learned from this game. Explain to students how important predators and prey are important to an ecosystem. Discuss the results form the games with students. Ask: “What did you find out about your animal? What did you find out about other animals?”
Activity 2
“Have you ever heard someone use the phrase ‘dead as a dodo’? The dodo was a flightless bird species that lived on an island in the Indian Ocean. The bird, which weighed about 46 pounds (22 kilograms), first encountered humans in the 16th century. Inhabitants of the island found that they could easily hunt and kill the dodo, both for food and for sport. By 1681 there were no dodos left on the island or anywhere else in the world. They had become extinct.” Information taken from: www.nationalgeographic.com. Note: Make sure students understand that humans also can be a prey.
“People often associate the word ‘extinct’ with dinosaurs, which have not lived on Earth for more than 66 million years. But there are many creatures, like the dodo, that have only recently become extinct. Many scientists blame these extinctions on humans. Although extinct species cannot be brought back to life, plants and animals that are endangered, or in danger of becoming extinct, can still be saved.” Information taken from: www.nationalgeographic.com.
A healthy ecosystem is where many plants and animal species coexist. We call this biodiversity. Explain how important biodiversity is to enjoy having many different types of plants and animals. Ask students to brainstorm the reasons why they think some species might be in trouble. “Can you think of ways in which human activities might affect the lives of animals?” Some examples could be farming, construction, pollution, recreation, and other human activities.
Read A Most Unusual Lunch by Robert Bender to the class. Identify the living and nonliving things in the book. Discuss the interactions represented in the book by the beetle, frog, fish, snake, crocodile, and lion. “What do you think the beetle ate? (bark, leaves) What ate the beetle? What were the interactions between the various plants and animals?” Have students draw pictures of healthy ecosystems in which many plant and animal species coexist. Have students get ideas from pictures of local ecosystems (S-3-2-2_Pennsylvania Ecosystem Pictures.doc) or refer back to the ecosystem picture (S-3-2-2_Ecosystem Picture.doc). They can get ideas from pictures of natural areas near their homes or other print or Web materials if needed. Have students complete the tasks on the Ecosystem Activity Sheet (S-3-2-2_Ecosystem Activity Sheet.doc).
Closing Activity
Today we are going to make our own mini-ecosystem so they can observe the interactions more closely.” Decide ahead of time how many ecosystems you want to make (enough for individuals, small groups or one for the entire class). “We need to make a list of materials we might need for our ecosystem.” Have students share ideas about what they think might be needed. If students are not sure, you may want to give them a short time to research in the library or on the Internet. “The ecosystem that we are creating should be self-sustaining. Do you know what that means? If you do not wish to add animals to your ecosystem, make a plant terrarium that waters itself. You will have to choose from among a woodland, pond, or desert ecosystem.” Ideas of different types of small scale environments that can be made taken from: http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=618:
Woodland:
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Plants—mosses, small ferns, liverworts, and tiny Virginia Creepers.
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Animals—small toad or salamander.
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Ground—small pebbles, charcoal, sand, and soil.
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Directions: Layer sand, pebbles, and charcoal. Top with a layer of soil. Plant your plants. Then add an animal and its food supply. Observe what happens.
Pond:
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Plants—Cabomba, Vallisneria, Anacharis, or Elodea.
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Animals--guppies, snails, tadpoles, newts, crayfish, or water insects.
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Ground—aquarium gravel, charcoal, and sand.
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Directions: Put a layer of sand on the bottom of the container; then add a layer of charcoal. Top with a layer of soil. You may add shells, sticks, and stones. Fill with tap water that has been allowed to air out for 1 or 2 days or fill with pond water.
Desert:
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Plants—Pincushion cactus, an opunita, fishhook cactus, or night-blooming cereus.
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Animals—desert tortoise or horned lizard.
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Ground—potting soil, aquarium gravel, charcoal, and sand.
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Directions: Mix the soil, gravel, and charcoal together, and layer on the bottom. Cover with a layer of sand. Add a small dish of water for the animals.
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Once the class or small groups decide on the type of ecosystem, have students begin creating their ecosystem. Supply materials and container in an organized way. You may only want to do one ecosystem based on availability of supplies. Explain the names of each item that would go into the ecosystem. Have students observe interactions among living and nonliving things for a few weeks before putting the animals back to their natural habitat if possible. Have students keep a journal and record observations about the mini-ecosystem.
Extension:
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Students who are going beyond the standards can create an artificial habitat for pill bugs, silkworms, mealworms, earthworms, fish, ladybugs, caterpillars, ants, mice, etc. Each group could make its own habitat in a big glass jar. Have groups decide what their animal or insect needs in order to live. Collect materials and prepare an environment that is similar to the natural habitat. You most likely will have to feed an animal.
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Students going beyond the standards can create a habitat or an ecosystem with plants only.
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Students who might need an opportunity for additional learning can create habitat and animal cards. Have them match a habitat for each animal card. Have students explain why they selected the habitat for the animal(s).
