Science
SCI.III.5.2
Grade: 6
Strand III:
Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science
Standard 5:
Ecosystems - All students will explain how energy is distributed to living
things in an Ecosystem
Benchmark 2:
Describe how organisms acquire energy directly or indirectly from
sunlight.
Constructing and Reflecting:
SCI.I.1.1 - Generate scientific questions about the world based on observations.
SCI.I.1.6 - Write and follow procedures in the form of step-by-step instructions, formulas, flow diagrams, and
sketches.
SCI.II.1.1 - Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of claims, arguments, or data.
SCI.II.1.2 - Describe limitations in personal knowledge.
SCI.II.1.3 - Show how common themes of science, mathematics, and technology apply in real-world contexts.
SCI.II.1.5 - Develop an awareness of and sensitivity to the natural world.
Vocabulary / Key Concepts
Context
• sunlight
• plants
• food
• photosynthesis
• producers
• consumers
• food webs
See III.2.MS.3 Photosynthesis and food use
Selected food webs, including humans
Knowledge and Skills
Students will demonstrate how energy flows
through simple food chains and food webs.
Students will recognize that sunlight is the direct
source of energy for all producers. Producers,
such as green plants and algae, make their own
food through the process of photosynthesis.
Consumers cannot make their own food. They
must consume other organisms to obtain energy.
All organisms can serve as energy sources (food)
for other organisms.
Resources
Coloma Resources:
Power Plant
Other Resources
• Field Detectives – AIMS
•
Exploring Environments – AIMS
•
Project Wild – Western Regional
Environmental Education Council, Inc. –
“Owl Pellets”
•
Invasive Species – many lesson
opportunities – all interactive
•
Michigan Teacher Network Resources
•
Bill Nye: Caves, Deserts, Forests, Lakes,
Ponds, Ocean Life, Rivers, Streams, Wet
Lands.
•
Science Explosion: Ecosystems
Videoconferences Available
For more information, see
www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl or call Janine Lim
471-7725x101 or email jlim@remc11.k12.mi.us
III.5.MS.2
Food Webs from the Bronx Zoo/Wildlife
Conservation Society
Photosynthesis from Camden Children's Garden
Circle of Life from the Columbus Zoo
Space Farming from NASA Johnson Space
Center
Food Chains and Webs from the Toledo Zoo
6th Grade Science Curriculum
Technology Resources
III.5.MS.2 Describe how organisms acquire
energy directly or indirectly from sunlight.
Vernier Probes available: Light Sensor,
Temperature Probe
Instruction
Assessment
Focus Question: How does energy move
through a food web?
Coloma Required Assessment:
Discover the Wonder (Module F F24-55)
•
Optional Assessment (similar to Module F test)
Students will select a presentation format
(concept map, poster, or 3-D display) and
design a food web.
•
•
In small groups, students draw a picture of a
double cheeseburger and list the contents in a
table (include all possible items on a typical
burger, including condiments). They will
identify the contents as coming from a plant or
animal. They will draw a food chain showing
how the various contents can be traced back to
the sun.
Each group will present their food chain to the
class and discuss similarities and differences.
The class will discuss the following questions:
- What is the primary energy source?
- Why is sunlight so important?
- What organisms are the producers?
- What organisms are the consumers?
- How do producers and consumers
acquire energy?
- Does the sun’s energy stop at the
consumer level?
- What will happen to your leftovers?
Extension: Analyze owl pellets to identify
members of a food chain.
The food web should:
• Use arrows that represent the direction and
flow of energy from one organism to another.
• Identify the role each organism plays in its
food web (producer, consumer,
decomposer).
(Give students rubric before activity.)
Scoring Rubric
Criteria: Completeness of illustration:
Apprentice -Shows none or limited flow of
energy through the food web.
Basic - Shows most of the energy flow
correctly through the food web.
Meets - Illustrates the correct flow of energy
through the food web.
Exceeds - Extends connections to include
other organisms outside of the food web.
Criteria: Correctness of identification:
Apprentice -Identifies few producers,
consumers, and decomposers.
Basic - Identifies some producers, consumers,
and decomposers.
Meets - Identifies all producers, consumers,
and decomposers.
Exceeds - Identifies all producers, consumers,
and decomposers and extends to include
identification of organisms outside of the primary
food web.
Teacher Notes:
Refer to Benchmarks concerning photosynthesis:
Benchmark III.1.2: Explain why and how selected specialized cells are needed by plants and animals.
Benchmark III.2.3: Describe evidence plants make and store food.
“All organisms, including the human species, are part of and depend on two main interconnected global food
webs. One includes microscopic ocean plants, the animals that feed on them, and finally the animals that feed
on those animals. The other web includes land plants, the animals that feed on them, and so forth. The cycles
continues indefinitely because organisms decompose after death to return food material to the environment.”
(BSL)
Focus Question
•
How does energy from the sunlight transfer through the food web?