Food Chain Hunt

Kick start your ecology knowledge with a fun exploration of the Sweetwater Marsh Refuge. What better way to study ecology, then become a field biologist yourself? Students will enhance their ecosystem knowledge by looking for evidence of different animal species while hiking the trails around the refuge. Students will also view plankton, and learn more about this very important primary consumer in marine ecosystems.

Program Length: 4 hours, 9:30am- 1:30pm

PLEASE PREPARE YOUR STUDENTS

We have chosen one lesson for you to do with your students before you come, titled FOOD CHAINS LESSON with corresponding PRODUCER CARDS and ANIMAL CARDS, so they will have the optimal experience when they are here. Please use it to prepare your students. Please teach the second lesson, titled SWEETWATER FOOD WEB with corresponding SWEETWATER ANIMAL LIST and WHAT EATS WHAT documents within a week of completing your Coastal Education Program to expand on the material learned during the Food Chain Hunt Program. There are many more resources for you and your students listed below as well!

Plan of Day:

Your students will be able to participate in the Food Chain Hunt Lesson, a Docent-led Tour around the Living Coast to see birds, turtles and touch stingrays, complete a scavenger hunt and go for a hike or listen to a Read Aloud. Half of the day you will be with a Teacher or Docent and the other half of the day you will be leading your class through provided activities.

Additional Resources

Below are other optional activities and resources related to the Food Chain Hunt Program

Student Information:

Ecology Article

Food Chain Article

Plankton Article

Wildlife Conservation Article

Teacher Background:

Food Webs

Vocabulary

Animal Life in the Mudflats

Activities and Lessons:

Food Chains Lesson

Sweetwater Food Web with Sweetwater Marsh Animal List & What Eats What? documents

Food Chains and Food Webs in an Ecosystem

Predator Prey Activity

Weaving the Web

Games, Songs and Crafts:

Adaptation Song

Bird Olympics

Standards:

NGSS

5-PS3-1. Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
PS3.D. The energy released [from] food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water).
5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
LS2.A. The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. Some organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms (both plants or plants parts and animals) and therefore operate as “decomposers.” Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem.

Common Core

ELA-Literacy.

SL.5.1b&c. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
5.SL.2. Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
L.5.6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships.

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