MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
Predator/Prey Simulation
Summary
Predator/prey is a guided simulation designed to increase awareness and appreciation of the predator/prey relationship that
animals exhibit in a forest and field ecosystem. Participants will be assigned a role in the food chain, conduct the simulation,
and assess factors affecting their survival at the end of the simulation. Evaluation will include a discussion noting that changes
in the environment that may be helpful to some organisms and harmful to others.
Standards
Common Core State Curriculum for Math and E/LA
Standards for Mathematical Practice
1.
2.
3.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively
Model with mathematics
Use appropriate tools strategically
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively,
as well as in words.*
Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12
7. Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in
words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12
3.
Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or
performing technical tasks
Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6–12
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence
that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
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MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
Next Generation Science Standards NGSS
Science and Engineering Practices MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe phenomena
Disciplinary Core Ideas LS2.A:Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems :
 In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar requirements for food,
water, oxygen, or other resources may compete with each other for limited
resources, access to which consequently constrains their growth and reproduction.
MS-LS2-1
 Similarly, predatory actions may reduce the number of organisms or eliminate whole
populations of organisms. Mutually beneficial interactions, in contrast, may become
so interdependent that each organism requires the other for survival. Although the
species involved in these competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions
vary across ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their
environments, both living and non-living, are shared. MS-LS2-2

Crosscutting Concepts: Stability and Change: Small changes in one part of a system might
cause large changes in another part. MS-LS2-5
Enduring Understandings
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Populations may be limited by a myriad of factors.
Populations increase or decrease relative to the availability of resources and conditions of the
environment.
Adaptations are characteristics which allow organisms to survive and reproduce in their
environment.
Essential Questions
What are the limiting factors that determine if an organism can survive in an environment?
Which adaptations allow individual organisms to survive in this ecosystem?
Vocabulary
Adaptations, Camouflage, Carnivore, Disease, Ecosystem, Food Chain, Food Web, Energy Pyramid, Habitat
Herbivore, Omnivore, Limiting Factors, Population, Predator, Prey, Mammal, Simulation
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MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
Mastery Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
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Students will be able to identify and describe factors that limit populations.
Students will be able to explain and give examples demonstrating that populations increase
or decrease relative to the availability of resources and conditions in the environment.
Students will be able to list examples of adaptations and describe how those adaptations
affect survival of organisms in the local ecosystem.
Students will be able to interpret and communicate data and describe the reasoning that lead
to those interpretations.
Engage
Discuss with students:
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Today we will be participating in a simulation. What is a simulation and what are some examples of simulations you
are familiar with? The Science and Engineering Practice we will be using today is “Develop a Model to Describe
Phenomena”.
Today you will simulate being a mammal in a Maryland forest ecosystem. Discuss the characteristics of mammals. It
is warm blooded, has hair or fur, gives birth to live young, and nurses its young. Discuss the types of mammals that
might live in this area.
Your main goal is to survive. What are the basic requirements for survival? Our simulation will focus on food and
water
Discuss energy transfer in ecosystems – food webs and chains and/or the energy pyramid. Use vocabulary words like
producer, consumer, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, etc.
Assign role designations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Check for any special needs within the group. For example: injuries, asthma, mobility issues, or other special needs.
These students may be assigned the special roles as appropriate. Hand these students the white, black and yellow
pinnies.
If there are no students with special needs, have the students select the most caring student. Hand this child the
white pinney and have that student sit apart from the group. Do not tell the student that they are the Veterinarian.
Have the students select a second student who has a good sense of humor. Give this student the black pinney and
ask them to sit with the student with the white pinney. Do not tell the student that they are Disease.
Select 10 % of the group and give them red equipment (one pinney and one life ring each). Assign them a seating
area. Do not tell them that they are carnivores.
Double the number of reds and pass out that number of blue sets of equipment (one pinney and one life ring each).
Assign them a seating area. Do not tell them that they are omnivores.
The remaining students are in the green group. Give each student one green pinney and one life ring. Assign them
their own seating area. Do not tell them that they are herbivores.
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MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
Explain role requirements
1.
2.
3.
4.
Explain to the class that the Reds, Blues and Greens all will represent groups of animals. Their goal is to finish the
simulation alive.
Food, water, and shelter are needed to survive. For this simulation, all animals must do two things in order to
survive, eat and drink. All the animals sitting in the room must drink water. Show the group the sample blue board.
Explain that this is the water station where they will be getting drinks of water. Show the hole-punch and how it
operates. Tell the group that they must punch TWO different patterns on their blue cardboard water tags to survive.
Each water station has its own unique pattern. The reds, blues, and greens each must get at least two different
drinks by the end of the simulation.
The discussion will now move to food.
a. What type of mammal only eats plants? Name a few. If you are wearing green you are an herbivore. The greens,
herbivores, eat only plants. We do not want the students actually eating plants so we imported the delicious
“red berry bushes”. The red berry bushes have been planted in the simulation area and look like the red plastic
board. (Show a red board as an example). Herbivores must find two different red berry stations and punch the
patterns they find onto their pink cardboard slips of paper.
b. What type of mammal eats meat and plants? Name a few. If you are wearing blue you are an omnivore. An
omnivore must find at least one “red berry bush” and punch the pattern onto their pink tag. They may eat
more, but they must have at least one. The meat they eat is herbivores. They must find and “kill” at least one
herbivore. “Killing” is accomplished by tagging the green herbivore. When an herbivore is tagged, he/she must
surrender one of their green life tags (the plastic tag) to the Omnivore that has tagged them. There is a tensecond grace period during which the Omnivore may not retag the same animal. The challenge is to see which
omnivores can eat the most herbivores. Omnivores do not eat each other or up the food chain.
c. What type of mammal eats only meat? Name a few. Carnivores don’t have the enzymes in their stomach to
digest plant material so they only eat meat. The Reds, carnivores, do not have a red cardboard tag; because
they cannot eat plants they eat omnivores and herbivores. They must kill at least two animals in order to
survive. The challenge is to see which carnivores can eat the most. Carnivores no not eat each other.
Now the special roles are introduced. Discuss with the students what else is in the environment that may help or
harm the mammals.
a. Introduce disease. The disease represents rabies: a fatal disease to all warm blooded animals. Herbivores,
omnivores, and carnivores are all warm-blooded animals. Disease has the goal of simply killing as many animals
as he/she can. Therefore, give disease an empty life ring (shower curtain ring). If Disease tags an animal, the
animal must surrender one of his/her life tags that match the color of their pinnie. The animal can be retagged
after the 10-second grace period.
b. Introduce the Veterinarian. The veterinarian has a life ring full of extra green, blue, and red plastic life tags.
(There should be one tag for each participant on his/her ring). Animals that have lost all their life tags are sick,
but are not dead until the end of the simulation. If they find themselves without any of their life tags, they
should find the veterinarian as soon as possible. The veterinarian may give one life tag to a sick animal. The
veterinarian’s second job is to control disease. The veterinarian carries a squirt bottle of water. The
veterinarian may spray disease with the water. This water is really a vaccine, which has the effect of freezing
disease for 2 minutes. It is important that disease wear a watch. The veterinarian can be infected by the disease
since he/she is also warm-blooded. If disease tags the veterinarian he/she must give up one of each color life
tag carried. Animals in the simulation do not eat the veterinarian. In summary, the veterinarian is to keep as
many animals alive as possible while keeping disease in-check during the simulation.
c. Introduce the Elements. Elements are wearing yellow pinnies and carry empty life rings. Elements are natural
disasters (tornado, hurricane, blizzard, etc.). Their goal is to destroy the environment and collect as many life
tags as possible. They can tag all other participants. If they tag the veterinarian and disease, they collect one of
each color life tag carried. The veterinarian can not stop disaster with the vaccine.
d. Introduce Road Warrior, who also wears a yellow pinnie and carries an empty life ring. This role is used for
students with mobility challenges. This student carries a whistle and guards the boundaries. If any student goes
out-of-bounds, the road warrior blows the whistle and collects a life tag from that student.
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MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
e.
Introduce Human. This is used for groups of more than 40 students; the human can have a devastating effect on
the animals. This role is for students unable to move or process the requirements of the other roles. The human
represents hunters, pollution, or any other human impact. The student can stand with an adult. When they see
any other participant, except the elements, they blow the whistle and point at the student. That student must
come to the human and give them a life tag. The disease and veterinarian should give one of each color life tag
carried.
Survival Requirements and End of Simulation
For survival, students must have 2 waters, 2 foods, and at least one of their own color life tags. No mammal in the
simulation eats it’s own kind or “up” the food chain. There are no time-outs for any reason except medical emergency.
Explain to the students that the simulation will end with several long blasts on the horn (air horn or similar very loud
horn). When the horn sounds, the simulation is over. No action can take place after the horn sounds. All players should
report back to the starting area.
Record the number of students for each category prior to leaving the classroom.
Explore
Conduct Simulation
Walk the students to the simulation area. Review the boundaries and show the students the starting point. Review
safety details:
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What the teacher location will be in case of an emergency during the simulation
Boundaries – USE MAPS - paths large enough to drive a tractor on; never cross those large boundaries
Never cross a stream, bridge, or road
If you’re lost, stay where you are and staff will be looking for you.
Listen for ending signal and return immediately to designated area
Pitfalls – watch out for holes, branches, briars, barbed wire, poison ivy
Do not climb trees. No participant in this simulation is arboreal, a tree climber.
This is a park and people may be on the trails.
“Keep an eye out” for each other.
Call all the herbivores together. Review what they need to have to survive when the simulation ends (two drinks, two
foods and at least one green life tag). Send them on their way.
Next call the omnivores together. Review what they need to have to survive when the simulation ends (two drinks, one
food stamp, at least one of their own blue life tags, and at least one green food tag). Release them 3 – 4 minutes after
the herbivores have left.
Call the carnivores over to the start. Review what they need to have to survive when the simulation ends (two drinks
stamped on their blue cards, at least one of their red life tags and at least two kills – blue or green, any combination.)
Send them on their way after allowing the omnivores at least 3-4 minutes to roam about.
Next, call over the veterinarian and disease. Go over what they need to do. Disease kills as many mammals as possible;
the veterinarian saves as any many mammals as possible and tries to freeze rabies the entire simulation. Send disease
after the 3-4 minute wait, but send the veterinarian after disease after only about a one-minute head start.
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MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
If you have elected to use other participants (Elements, Road Warrior, and/or Human) they should enter the simulation
at this point. As the simulation progresses, it is suggested that the adult(s) present walk the boundaries to insure that the
“animals” stay within the simulation area.
The simulation continues until time is up or the students stop participating, usually about 30 minutes. Be sure to leave
20-25 minutes for processing and summarizing the activity and resetting the materials.
When time is up, sound the horn twice. ROLL SHOULD BE TAKEN IN THE FIELD BEFORE YOU RETURN TO THE MAIN
AREA. Sometimes children do not hear the horn or are very far from the starting point. WE DON’T WANT TO LEAVE A
CHILD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIMULATION AREA ALONE.
Explain
Processing and Data Keeping:
1. Determine how many of each type of animal survived. Calculate percentages.
2. Give time for student discourse to discuss the following:
 What strategies did you use?
 What happened as various predators entered the simulation?
 What would happen if there were more carnivores? herbivores? omnivores?
 How does this activity help explain the deer population problems in our area?
 How do human’s activities influence animal populations in our area?
 Discuss adaptations of each group, the physical characteristics which allowed them to be successful.
3 .Have a representative from each group of organisms share their group’s major points of discussion.
Reassemble materials to reset for the next session
Collect folded pinnies and have students help reset the life rings – add new food and water paper strips and redistribute the
plastic cards so each life ring has the correct number.
Evaluate
Answer reflection questions (in the journal if applicable):
1. Calculate the survival rates and percentages of each energy role.
2. Explain in detail the strategies you used to acquire your basic needs and avoid being eaten
during the simulation. Include both successful and unsuccessful strategies in your answer.
3. Give examples of adaptations or strategies the animals use to help them obtain their basic
needs. (Example: a rabbit stands still to avoid being noticed by a predator.)
4. Predict what you think would happen if the simulation was changed so that there were many
more carnivores and omnivores than herbivores. Provide specific examples from what you
experienced to support your answer.
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MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
Additional Teacher Notes and Reminders
Before you begin the lesson check your equipment and review the simulation area boundaries and
safety information.
Safety
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Never conduct activity alone; always have support in case of injuries/unexpected situations
Take attendance/count participants pre and post activity
Do not leave the simulation area until all students are accounted for
Use adults/chaperons/student assistants to actively monitor student activity throughout simulation area. They
may be assigned a role with the understanding that the activity is for the 6 th grade students. Limit the number of
life tags they are allowed to collect so as to minimize skewing the results.
 Determine ending time and demonstrate ending signal
Agenda
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Engage - Discuss the nature of a simulation, the food web, and predator/prey relationships.
Explain the roles, requirements for survival and rules
Walk to the simulation area and review boundaries and safety information
Explore – conduct the field experience
Evaluate - discuss survival strategies, survival rates, and adaptations of herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores
Walk back to the classroom
Reassemble the simulation for the next use.
Reflection – journal entry
Materials
1. Life rings: plastic and cardboard tags attached to shower curtain rings.
 Herbivore: four green hard plastic cards, one blue cardboard tag, and one pink cardboard tag attached to a
shower curtain ring.
 Omnivore: Three blue hard plastic cards, one blue cardboard tag, and one pink cardboard tag attached to a
shower curtain ring.
 Carnivore: Two red hard plastic cards and one blue cardboard tag attached to a shower curtain ring.
2. Food and water stations.
Three food stations (red board, one foot square)
Three water stations (blue board, one foot square)
3. Pinnies:
Herbivore: Green
Omnivore: Blue
Carnivore: Red
4. Other participants:
 Disease: Black pinnie and an empty shower curtain ring
 Veterinarian: White pinnie, a shower curtain ring with green, blue, and red plastic tags, and a squirt bottle full of
water.
 Elements: (Used for large groups – 25 or more) yellow pinnie and empty shower curtain ring.
 Road Warrior: (useful for children who have difficulty moving) yellow pinnie, whistle, and empty shower curtain
ring.
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MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs
 Human: (Useful for VERY large groups of 40 or more—be advised the human can have a devastating effect upon
the animals) yellow pinnie, an empty shower curtain ring, and whistle.
Review of Role Summary:
Herbivore: The herbivores are told that survival is dependent on finding food and water stations. Each water station is
coded with a different hole- punch and the herbivore simply punches his/her blank blue water card at two different
stations. He/she must also find two food stations to mark his/her blank pink food card. He/she may visit each station
only once during the simulation. Survival is also dependent on not becoming food for carnivore or omnivore, or dying at
the hands of the elements or disease.
Omnivore: Omnivores have to find two water stations and must have two different symbols on their blue water card.
They must find one food station to mark his/her blank pink food card, and they also must take food by “eating” one or
more herbivores (represent meat). Upon catching a herbivore by tagging, the omnivore takes one of the herbivore life
tags and puts it on his/her shower ring and moves on. Survival is dependent on not becoming food for carnivores or
dying at the hands of the elements or disease.
Carnivore: Carnivores have a blue water card and have to find two water stations. They must have two different marks
on their water card. They must eat food by catching either 2 herbivores or 2 omnivores or 1 of each. Their survival
depends also on their not dying at he hands of the elements or disease.
Disease: The disease (rabies) tags and recovers life tags from any animal in the simulation. He/she has no predator to
fear but must look out for the “doctor” who can squirt him or her with water and give him/her a “sit-down penalty”.
Elements: The elements (hurricanes, lightning, snow, etc.) tag and recover life tags from any animal in the simulation.
They have no predator to fear.
Veterinarian: The doctor should have spare life tags, which can be given to animals that have lost their last life tags. The
doctor also tries to help animals by taking disease and elements out of the simulation for “sit-down penalties” of 5
minutes. The doctor only needs to get close enough to the disease and elements to squirt them with the water from the
squirt bottle.
Participants with Disabilities
Road Warrior: The road warrior should have a loud bicycle-type squeeze horn to be used when he/she sees animals
running on dangerous roads which have been designated as walking areas only. The road warrior may take a life tag from
an animal (road kill).
Human: The final threat to animals’ survival is human. When human enters the simulation (five to ten minutes before its
conclusion), word is passed among the animals for human only has to see the animal to win a life tag. He blows a whistle
to indicate his sighting of an animal. Diseases and elements may continue to take lives as well. If killed by human, the
animal must give up his life tag immediately and then may attempt to escape. Human’s whims may make this impossible.
Human may simply send the animal out of the simulation to more dramatically demonstrate his power.
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