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Home , Invasive species

TEACHER LESSON PLAN Invaders

Grade Length Subjects/strands Topics 4th–8th grade 20–30 minutes Discover how a food Observation, applica- web works by making tion, comparing similari- a live model of biotic ties and differences, gen- components, using the eralization, kinesthetic people in your class. concept development, Then explore how an psycho-motor develop- invasive disrupts ment that balance.

BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION Students will have been introduced to the idea of an , and the basic relationships in an ecosys- In this fun, active-learning, game about food webs, tem such as producers and consumers, and each student is assigned to be a or animal that , predator/prey pairs, and some of the inter- can be found in aquatic . Then, they learn relationships of their behavior and . Middle about the relationships between organisms as they pass school students will have been introduced to the idea of a ball of yarn between students (organisms) that have a limiting factors, and later the idea of carrying capac- predator/prey relationship. As the ball of yarn unravels ity. Students will also be familiar with the concept of a and the string is stretched between the many predator/ with a variety of trophic levels. At the inter- prey relationships in the room, the large and complex mediate level, this could include videos, field activities food web network is reveals visually and symbolically and artwork, as well as reading and writing activities in the room. In the final step, an invasive species is from student magazines and textbooks. At the middle added to the room and, due to its ability to out com- school level, this would include all of the previous, plus pete the other organisms, cuts the yarn connecting research projects on general or specific relationships of the students together. The invasive species effectively organisms, as well as biome studies. destroys the classroom food web. MATERIALS NEEDED LEARNING OBJECTIVES • 12 balls of yarn • Understand that different organisms can be • 29 name-tags using the 29 biotic components grouped into trophic levels within a food web. of an ecosystem on the attached chart (with the • Differentiate between relationships among associated layer number on the back) organisms including predator-prey and • Whole class (25-35) people producer-. • Masking tape(indoors) or sidewalk chalk • Explain the importance of niche to an organ- (outdside in the schoolyard) ism’s ability to avoid direct for • 1 pair scissors resources. VOCABULARY • Explain how energy is transferred and lost as it moves from the base to higher trophic levels in a Predator, prey, , , consumer, food web. producer, limiting factors, , , food webs

Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN 1 Food Web Invaders

PREPARATION that the energy and matter has to move (transfer) to It is useful for the teacher and students to gain another level. Explain that when any organism dies, it familiarity with invasive species topics before teaching returns back to the bottom of the pyramid, and other this lesson. To provide the appropriate background organisms eat it. Pass the ball of yarn to the “dead ani- before starting this lesson, we recommend you mal” and pass it back up the food web a different way. complete the Introductory PowerPoint, followed by Add more balls of yarn to the first layer organisms and the “Design an Ultimate Invader” or “Invasive Species have any extra students help figure out which organisms Loteria” activities. These activities are available on to pass the yarn to, using the attached chart. Continue MenaceToTheWest.org. Before the lesson, students until the food web is relatively complex and all the stu- dents are standing and included in the food web. should be asked questions about their understanding of Step 5: the factors that would affect the success or failure of an invasive species in an ecosystem. In addition, teachers Explain that sometimes, a new organism is intro- should review with students all the steps of the game duced to an ecosystem. It is better at and will (described below). take all the food from the other organisms already there. Give the example of the rusty crayfish, which PROCEDURE out-competes the native crayfish in many areas. Explain Step 1: that when the rusty crayfish invade a new area and take over, they are called an invasive species. Ask the stu- To begin, tape five strips of masking tape to the floor dents to hold their yarn up in the air over their heads, so in parallel lines, around 5 feet long and 2 feet apart. they can see the complicated pattern of the web. Have Label the first strip as 1, the second as 2, and so on up one of the extra students (or the teacher) take a pair of to 5. Use sidewalk chalk if you are doing this lesson scissors and cut through the link between the native outside on the schoolyard blacktop. Step 2: crayfish and the things it eats. Have the students watch as the food web falls apart because the native crayfish Explain to students that the class is going to create a are starving and dying, affecting the organisms beneath physical structure that will mirror the complicated re- them. The cut strands of yarn should be dropped and lationships between living things in an ecosystem. Pass the students no longer connected to the web should out a name-tag to each student participating in the food sit back down. In this way, the students see how an web and instruct them to look at their layer number on invasive species can disrupt the environment and all the the back of their name-tag. Have them sit on the strip organisms in it. of masking tape or numbered chalk line that matches their number. CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION Step 3: Tell students that they will get a yarn ball one or 1 Ask younger students to explain how the invad- more times during this exercise. When they receive it ers affect the food options of native animals. Have they should lightly loop it around a finger and pass it on them draw two food chains; the first should include as instructed. Give a ball of yarn to one of the first layer the ecosystem without the invader, and the second “organisms” (ex. Lily pads) and have them stand up. should include the invader. Look for differences that Explain that the ball of yarn represents the organisms show a disruption in the natural flow of energy as that eat this one. Pass the yarn to one of these predator discussed in the group. organisms (ex. ). Have the new organism stand 2 Ask older students to get together with a group as well. Continue passing the yarn up the layers of the of 1-3 others and draw two food webs, using the food chain, having students stand as they join the food natural relationships in one, and include the in- web. Step 4: vader in the other. Students should label the biotic components, and identify the trophic levels of those When the ball of yarn gets to the uppermost layer of components. Have groups write a descriptive para- the food pyramid (alternative: energy, ) in the graph explaining the effect of the invading species hands of the top predators (, bear, eagle), explain on the food web. 2 Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN Food Web Invaders

EXTENSION RESOURCES

Have more advanced students research food webs in Science for Kids: Food Chains and Food Webs their local environment, as well as some of the relevant This web page explains all the key concepts related to food invaders that are either already present or threaten- webs, and includes many links to other related topics such ing this environment. Products could include a display, as biomes, and . report or PowerPoint presentation. http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/food_ chain_and_web.php VOCABULARY Educational Computer Game: Producers, • Predator: An animal that naturally preys on others. Consumers, . • Prey: an animal that is hunted and killed by another Perfect for the elementary level this game has large color- for food. ful animations that students categorize as a producer, • Carnivore: An animal that feeds on flesh. consumer, or : • Herbivore: An animal that feeds on . http://sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kid- • Consumer: An organism that feeds on other organ- scorner/foodchain/producersconsumers.htm isms in a food chain. Food Chains, Food Webs , Energy • Producer: Organisms that make their own food. Education video for kids by makemegenius.com • Limiting factors: Resources are environmental con- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd1M9xD482s ditions thatlimit the growth, , or distribu- tion of an organism or a of organisms in Food Webs by Tutor Vista.com an ecosystem. Includes illustrations and diagrams of a food web from a • Carrying capacity: The maximum of variety of biomes and include trophic levels: the species that the environment can sustain indefi- http://images.tutorvista.com/content/ecosystem/ nitely, given the food, habitat, water, and other neces- food-web-terrestrial-aquatic-ecosystem.jpeg sities available in the environment. • Aquatic ecosystem: An ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are depen- STANDARDS ADDRESSED dent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic Common Core ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater Life Sciences (Grades 5-8) ecosystems. • Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics • Food webs: A concept that all the predator-prey 5-LS2-1, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-2, MS-LS2-3, MS- interactions in a are interrelated. LS2-4 Next Generation Science Standards Speaking and Listening (SL) (Grades 4-8) • Comprehension and Collaboration 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 8.1 • Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 Writing (W) (Grades 6-8) • Write Informative/Explanatory Texts 6.2, 7.2, 8.2

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POND FOOD WEB ORGANISMS Organism What they eat What eats them 1 - Everything on food web 1 Dead Matter

1 , salamander, minnow 2 Lily Pads

1 Photosynthesis Worm, water skim- mer, salamander, shrimp 3

1 Photosynthesis Salamander, shrimp, minnow 4 Kelp

1 Photosynthesis Salamander, 5 Moss

1 Photosynthesis Shrimp

6 Fungus

1 Photosynthesis Minnow, Robin

7 Grass

1 Photosynthesis Robin, spider, minnow 8 Dragonfly larvae

4 Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN Food Web Invaders

Organism Trophic Level What they eat What eats them 1 Photosynthesis Minnow, spider

9 Bacteria

1 Photosynthesis Robin

10 Cattail

1 Photosynthesis Shrimp

11 Plankton

1 Photosynthesis Minnow, , human 12 Seaweed

2 Algae, moss, kelp, Lobster, robin, fish, grass, bacteria frog 13 Worm

2 Algae, moss, fungus, Lobster, frog, fish, grass, bacteria native crayfish 14 Water Skimmer

2 Fungus, bacteria, Frog moss, algae, dead matter 15 Grasshopper

2 Cattail, moss, algae, Frog, blue gill, fish kelp 16 Salamander

2 Grass, moss, dragonfly Frog, blue gill, fish larvae, algae 17 Minnow

Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN 5 Food Web Invaders

Organism Trophic Level What they eat What eats them 2 Plankton, seaweed, Native Crayfish, bacteria, cattails, kelp crab 18 Shrimp

2 Grass, cattail, bacteria, Native crayfish, seaweed, plankton crab 19 Spider

3 Worm, water skimmer Pelican, fox, bear

20 Lobster

3 Water skimmer, grass- Pelican, fox, bear hopper, salamander 21 Frog

3 Worm, minnow, Pelican, fox, bear shrimp 22 Crab

3 Water skimmer, grass Pelican, fox, bear hopper, minnow, worm 23 Robin

3 Worm, water skimmer, Pelican, fox, bear grasshopper 24 Blue Gill

3 Minnow, shrimp, spi- Pelican, fox, bear der, water skimmer 25 Native crayfish

4 Lobster, frog, crab, Human robin, blue gill, native crayfish 26 Pelican

6 Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN Food Web Invaders

Organism Trophic Level What they eat What eats them 4 Lobster, frog, crab, Human robin, blue gill, native crayfish 27 Bear

4 Lobster, frog, crab, Human robin, blue gill, native crayfish 28 Fox

5 Lobster, frog, crab, Bear, fox robin, blue gill, fish, native crayfish, bear, 29 Human fox, pelican

7 Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN Food Web Invaders

8 Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN Food Web Invaders

9 Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN Food Web Invaders

10 Aquatic Invasions! A Menace to the West • TEACHER LESSON PLAN