My Science Box

Summary
Students review the concepts of food chains and the roles of organisms in a food chain through a simple card sorting activity. Cards representing different individuals in a California ecosystem are first sorted by herbivore, carnivore, dentrivore, and omnivore, then are reordered to create several food chains. In addition, students begin to understand the idea of a food pyramid – since all living things use energy to move, reproduce, respond to the environment and grow, less energy is available to pass on at each link of the food chain.

Objectives
Can define and construct a food chain.
Can identify the role of organisms within a food chain.
Can trace the path of energy through a food chain.
Can build a food pyramid and explain how it functions in terms of energy transfer at each level.

Vocabulary
Food chain
Produce
Consumer
Herbivore
Carnivore
Dentritivore (or Decomposer)
Omnivore
Food pyramid