The Web of Life
“When you tug at a single thing in nature”,wrote John Muir, “you'll find it attached to the rest of the world.”
The study of wildlife involves much more than the study of individual species; it means attending to the connection between species, their habitat and of course, the impacts of human activity on wildlife. In this simulation activity, students follow several food chains, beginning with the sun's energy and ending in nutrient rich soil. All the student's food chains are symbolically depicted in a large hand-held, interconnected food web.
| (This program can be modified to suit any grade) |
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Curriculum Links & Expectations:
Grade 4 : Science and Technology
| Life Systems - Habitats and Communities |
| 4s2 |
investigate the dependency of plants and animals on their habitat and the interrelationships of the plants and animals living in a specific habitat; |
| 4s6 |
demonstrate an understanding of a food chain as a system in which energy from the sun is transferred eventually to animals, construct food chains of different plant and animal species (e.g., carrot -> rabbit -> fox), and classify animals as omnivore, carnivore, and herbivore; |
| 4s12 |
use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology terminology, in describing their investigations, explorations, and observations (e.g., habitat, population, ecological niche, community, food chain); |
| 4s16 |
describe ways in which humans can affect the natural world (e.g., urban development forces some species to go elsewhere and enables other species to multiply too rapidly; conservation areas can be established to protect specific habitats); |
| 4s17 |
construct food chains that include different plant and animal species and humans (e.g., grass -> cattle -> humans); |
Grade 7 : Science and Technology
| Life Systems - Interactions Within Ecosystems |
| 7s1 |
demonstrate an understanding of the interactions of plants, animals, fungi, and micro- organisms in an ecosystem; |
| 7s2 |
investigate the interactions in an ecosystem, and identify factors that affect the balance among the components of an ecosystem (e.g., forest fires, parasites); |
| 7s3 |
demonstrate an understanding of the effects of human activities and technological innovations, as well as the effects of changes that take place naturally, on the sustainability of ecosystems. |
| 7s4 |
identify living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) elements in an ecosystem; |
| 7s6 |
identify and explain the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in food chains and their effects on the environment (e.g., plants as producers in ponds); |
| 7s7 |
explain the importance of micro-organisms in recycling organic matter (e.g., as decomposers); |
| 7s9 |
interpret food webs that show the transfer of energy among several food chains, and evaluate the effects of the elimination or weakening of any part of the food web; |
