Eco-ED Module
Title Eco-News and Media Literacy
Module Leader(s):
(name)
Short Description:
(Include brochure
information on pages
following this chart.)
Bree Mobley
Students will learn about biodiversity and the effects each species has on
the other. They will perform a kinetic game of musical chairs to illustrate
the how removing one species effects all the others.
EcoEd Concept(s): (list) -Importance of biodiversity
-Identify human-caused species loss
EcoEd Literacy Goal(s): Explain how plants and animals support each other in the food chain or
(list)
food web
Identify human-caused species loss as one of the major current threats to
biodiversity
Explain the species diversity level of biodiversity
Explain how the disappearance of one species affects other species.
Intended Grade(s):
(circle)
Module Objectives:
(list)
Materials needed:
(list)
Timeline: 2 hrs
4 to 6
At the end of this students will be able to:
explain how the extinction of species affects other in the food web
Understand food webs (KWL charts) and be able organize their knowledge
in the same way
Blackboard/whiteboard,
chalk/dryerase markers, paper,
colored markers, and CD
player/laptop with speakers
0-10 minutes
Introductions/Opening Questions
10-25 minutes
Create a KWL chart about Food Webs
25-45 minutes
45-55 minutes
Read Biodiversity Worksheet, create a
word wall during reading
Brainstorm examples of food chains
55-70 minutes
Online Food Web activity
70-85 minutes
Choose species and draw a picture of
them on a piece of paper
Explain rules of Musical Chairs
adaptation game
Play game with brief discussion after
each round of removed species
Fill out L column of the KWL chart
85-95
95-115
115-120
1
Activity Description:
(Provide enough detail
so that someone else
could run the
workshop. Include
worksheets on pages
following this chart.)
This activity is most appropriate for a classroom. It will be most effective
when implemented as special day visit activity.
Part 1- Introductions and opening questions
 The students will introduce themselves.
 The instructor will ask students what they currently know about
Biodiversity and Food Webs and how that relates to Sustainability
Part 2- Create a KWL chart about Food Webs
 Ask students what they Know (K) about Biodiversity and Food Webs.
 Ask students what they Want (W) to learn about Biodiversity and
Food Webs.
 Have the instructor or a volunteer student write the answers in a
chart template set up on the board (previously prepared).
 Explain the learning objectives of the module:
-Explain how plants and animals support each other in the food
chain or food web
- Identify human-caused species loss as one of the major current
threats to biodiversity
- Explain the species diversity level of biodiversity
- Explain how the disappearance of one species affects other
species.
Part 3- Read Biodiversity Worksheet, create a word wall during reading
 Pass out Biodiversity Worksheet
 Take turns reading the worksheet, sentence by sentence.
 After each sentence, if there is word that is a vocabulary word or
something that is unfamiliar, write the word on the word wall
(previously prepared). The word wall is labeled “What is
Biodiversity?” The word wall will be good for students to discuss
and look at after workshop
Part 4- Brainstorm examples of food chains
 As a class, or in groups if the class is larger than 12 students,
create a simple food chain. Example can be found on the
Biodiversity Worksheet.
 Draw out the relation between each species suggested, as in
example.
 Write out the five typical levels of food chains on the board:
plants/primary procedures, herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, and
decomposers.
 Have students brainstorm species for each level
Part 5- Online Food Web activity
 Project Online Food Web activity and have entire class participate in
choosing a food web to create. And then have them collaborate to
fill in the entire web.
 Activity Link: http://www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/kids_web.htm
2
Part 6- Choose species and draw a picture of them on a piece of paper
 Each student choose a species of their choice or take one from the
online activity; each student should have a different one, but all still
in the same ecosystem. (If classroom is large, separate into groups)
 Have students draw a picture of their species on a blank piece of
paper and write the species name on top of the page.
Part 7- Explain rules of Musical Chairs adaptation game
 Have students set up chairs in a circle. If there are more than 10
students participating, have them break into smaller groups.
 The drawings are set up in a circle (one drawing per student).
 The music is turned on and the students walk around the drawings.
 The instructor sneaks in and takes one of the drawings out—
representing the loss of a species.
 When the music stops the students sit on the drawings.
 The student left standing is taken out of the game.
 The teacher shows the picture of the extinct species and asks the
students ―what could have made this species go extinct?‖
 Students have 30 seconds to consult with the student sitting next
to them. The teacher asks two or three groups to report their
conclusions.
 The students all stand again and the music is started again.
Another drawing is removed.
 This procedure is continued for several rounds.
 After several rounds have students compare the remaining species
to the food webs on the board. Ask if and how any of the remaining
species would be affected by the loss of removed species.
 Repeat previous steps until only one student remains.
 Ask what would happen to the species if it were the only species
remaining. Individually, students will use the Internet to research
the questions in the research worksheet (attachment 3). This will
be done mostly independently, but students in the same group can
help direct each other to helpful sites. All answers should be
written down on the research worksheet.
Part 8- Fill out L column of the KWL chart
 Have the students sit back in their chairs
 Have students tell the instructor what they Learned (L) as a group.
Parent/Guardian
Follow Up:
Dear Parent/ Guardian,
Your student recently participated in an environmental education program
about food webs and the importance of biodiversity. Ask your child what
they learned about…
- Biodiversity and the connection between species
- The effect the removal of one species has on the ecosystem and other
species
- the 5 typical levels of food chains
3
**Attachments: Biodiversity Workshop, Link for Online Food Web Activity
4