Lesson Title: Energy Flow in Ecosystems: Food Chains & Food Webs
Discipline Focus: Biology
Grade level: 10 Grade
Length of lesson: 2 Days
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Content Standard(s):
Minnesota Academic Standards in Science
Grade Level: 9-12, Strand IV: Life Science, Sub-Strand: Flow of Matter & Energy
Standard: The student will describe and explain the cycling of matter and flow of energy
through an ecosystem’s living and non-living components.
Understanding (s)/goals
Students will gain a greater understanding
of how energy flows and is lost through an
ecosystem by incorporating trophic level,
food chain and food web design.
Essential Question(s):
This lesson aims at questioning if students
are able to design a food web and
understand how energy flows through this
web.
Student objectives (outcomes):
Students will be able to construct a food web based on the organisms observed in the
Planet Earth: Ocean Deep video. Students will also be able to participate in an open
discussion on energy flow in the ecosystem and disturbances that affect this flow.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s):
Other Evidence:
Students will be expected to take notes on
Students will also be expected to
the predator/prey relationships seen in the
participate in an open discussion on
Ocean Deep video. From these notes the
energy flow in an open ocean ecosystem
students will construct a food web in their
and disturbances that may affect this
laboratory journals.
flow.
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
Materials & Resources:
 PowerPoint with diagrams of trophic levels, a food chain, a food web, and energy
transfer in an ecosystem
 Planet Earth: Ocean Deep Video, Chapter 1 and part of Chapter 2
 Students will need their Laboratory Journals
Timeline
 Introductory Activity: PowerPoint describing trophic levels, food chains, food
webs, and energy transfer – 20 minutes
o Relate to previous material (Review) ~ 3 minutes.
The students recently learned about producers and consumers during the
photosynthesis unit. Therefore, as a class we will review the definition for
the terms producer and consumer.

o
Describe new material ~ 12 minutes.
New material will include trophic level, food chains, food webs, and
energy transfer. The new material will be described using diagrams in
PowerPoint.
o
Explain what the students will need to do while watching the video ~ 3
minutes.
Students will be expected to take notes in their journals on the
predator/prey relationships seen in the video. I would also like for them
to take note of how the various predators hunt their prey. While watching
the video I ask that the students begin to think about how the open
ocean ecosystem differs from the shallow seas (previously watched the
Planet Earth: Shallow Seas video) and disturbances that may affect this
food web.
o
Questions ~ 2 minutes
Developmental Activity – 2 Days
o One day introducing topic and watching ~ 20 minute video clip
o One day constructing food web and participating in an open class
discussion
Developmental Activities
 PowerPoint – Students will need to take notes/draw diagrams in their lab
notebook. Each concept below will be described using a diagram shown in
PowerPoint.
o Describe trophic levels
o Describe food chains
o Describe food webs
o Describe energy transfer

Describe to students what they will need to take notes on during the video.
o Predator/prey relationships
o Hunting techniques of predators in the video
o Begin to think about how this ecosystem differs from the shallow seas
o Begin to think about disturbances (natural or caused by humans) that
may affect the food web and energy flow

Watch Chapter 1 and part of Chapter 2 (up until deep sea portion ~ 20 minutes)
of Planet Earth: Ocean Deep

Give students approximately 15 – 20 minutes to work as individuals constructing
a food web based on the organisms seen in the video.

Ask for student volunteers to help construct the food web on the SmartBoard.
o The other students in the class will be asked to raise their hands and give
examples of predators/prey featured in the video and where these
organisms fit into our food web.
Closing Activities
 Have an open discussion with the class about the food web we created.
o How would the shallow seas food web differ? What other kind of
organisms would we include (i.e. coral reefs, kelp forests, seagrass
beds)? Why are these organisms not found in the deep ocean? Based on
this discussion and if time permits we can also construct a shallow seas
food web on the SmartBoard and visually compare the two.
o Discuss disturbances, both natural and caused by humans, that can affect
this food web (i.e. overfishing, extinction, etc.). Which species would be
affected? Would it be limited to only those that are directly connected?
Discuss the importance of every species within the food web.
o Discuss how some of the organisms change trophic level position as it
grows (example in video: sailfish).
o Where are the most productive seas found? Why is energy lost at each
trophic level? What limits the length of food chains?
 This lesson will prepare the students for the next unit on nutrient cycling in an
ecosystem. Jon will then discuss with them the carbon and nitrogen cycle.