LESSON 3 Forest Energy Flow

BIG IDEAS NUTSHELL In this lesson, students are introduced to the • Ecosystem structure consists of different idea that trees create their own food energy. types of organisms (i.e., producers, By acting out the flow of energy, students learn consumers, decomposers) interacting about producers, consumers, decomposers, and with one another and their environment. how they interact. As a conclusion, students Humans are part of ecosystems. draw their own comic strip about the adventures (Subconcept 11) of Zippy the Energy who lives in a forest. • Ecosystem functions include the fixation of energy through the process BACKGROUND INFORMATION of photosynthesis, the flow of energy What is energy? Energy can be a hard thing through food chains and food webs, and to understand because we can’t see or touch it. the cycling of matter. (Subconcept 12) Energy is the ability to do work. We use energy all the time. We use energy not only to run and OBJECTIVES play, but also to sit in school or sleep at night. Upon completion of this lesson, students will Humans get energy from the food we eat. be able to: • Identify trees as solar collectors and Forests are ecosystems. Ecosystems have energy fixers. energy flowing through them all the time. Where does that energy come from? The energy in a • Draw the transfer of energy within the forest ecosystem (and all other ecosystems) forest and identify producers (plants), comes from the sun. There are three main consumers (herbivores and carnivores), types of organisms that energy flows through – and decomposers (fungi, bacteria, etc.). producers, consumers, and decomposers. SUBJECT AREAS Plants are producers. Even though the sun Arts, Science provides energy to the forest, only plants can use that energy. The green chlorophyll in the LESSON/ACTIVITY TIME leaves of a plant use sunlight, carbon dioxide, • Total Lesson Time: 50 minutes and water to make sugars and carbohydrates • Time breakdown: that are forms of energy plants can use to live Introduction...... 10 minutes and grow. Plants are actually making their own Activity 1 ...... 10 minutes food. This is the process of photosynthesis. Activity 2 ...... 15 minutes Animals are consumers. Primary consumers Conclusion...... 15 minutes are animals that must eat plants to get energy TEACHING SITE to live and grow. Secondary consumers are animals that eat other animals to get energy Classroom and open area for playing a game. to live and grow. In either case, the energy the consumers are using came from the energy FIELD ENHANCEMENT created by plants. Humans are primary and CONNECTIONS secondary consumers. This lesson ties closely with Field Enhancement 3, Forest Energy Fungus and bacteria are called decomposers. Scavenger Hunt. These organisms get their energy from dead plants and animals.

48 Lesson 3: Forest Energy Flow LEAF Guide • 2-3 UNIT MATERIALS LIST VOCABULARY FOR EACH STUDENT • Copy of Student Page 1, Energy Consumer: An organism that can’t produce Ingredients its own food energy and must get it by eating • Crayons or markers producers or other consumers. • Scissors Decomposer: An organism that gets its food energy from dead parts of other organisms. • Paper • Copy of Student Page 2, The Adventures Ecosystem: An area that contains living of Zippy the Energy (optional) and nonliving things existing together and interacting. Ecosystems come in all sizes (e.g., forest, meadow, log). PROCEDURE Energy: The ability to do work (e.g., grow, INTRODUCTION reproduce, move). 1. Discuss energy. Ask students what energy Nutrients: The minerals in the soil that a is. (Energy is the ability to do work. We use tree needs to live and grow. energy to move, think, and even when we Photosynthesis: The process a plant uses to are sleeping. You can’t see energy.) Ask combine sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide where people get energy from to move and to produce oxygen and sugar (energy). work. (From eating food.) Primary Consumer: A consumer that gets 2. Ask students if trees eat. (No. NOTE: This is its energy from producers (plants). These are review from Lesson 1.) Ask how plants such often called herbivores. as trees get their energy. (They make it with Producer: An organism that produces its their leaves.) own food energy by using sunlight, water, 3. Discuss with students that since people don’t and carbon dioxide through the process of have leaves, we can’t make our own food. photosynthesis. Producers are plants. Only plants can collect sunlight and use it to Secondary Consumer: A consumer that gets make food energy. its energy from other consumers. These are often called carnivores. 4. Hand out Student Page 1, Energy Ingredients. Explain that trees combine sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the soil to make food. They do ACTIVITY 1 this with their leaves. The food is what they 1. Tell the students they are going to pretend to use to grow and live. be trees, deer, or mushrooms. Have students stand in an open space where they have 5. Ask students to color and cut out the food enough room to safely stick their arms out. energy circle at the bottom of the Student Page 1, Energy Ingredients. Collect the circles; they will be used later.

LEAF Guide • 2-3 UNIT Lesson 3: Forest Energy Flow 49 2. Explain that they will be assigned to act like a When you call “switch” they must switch as tree, deer, or mushroom. You will explain how quickly as they can, but still may only have one it will be done. Demonstrate the actions for of each in their group. each of the three organisms. ACTIVITY 2 • Tree: Stick your arms out to the side or over 1. Have the class brainstorm other producers, your head as though they were branches. consumers, and decomposers than the ones Explain that a tree is a plant. Remind them used above. they just learned that plants make their own energy. They are called producers. • Producers can be any kind of green plant • Deer: Touch your hands to the side of they think of. your head and spread your fingers apart • Consumers can be mammals, insects, birds, like antlers. Tell the class that deer are fish, etc. If humans are not on the list that animals and can’t make their own food. the class creates, stress to them that we are They get energy by eating plants. They are consumers too. called consumers. • Decomposers are bacteria and fungi. They • Mushroom: Squat down on the floor are sometimes too small to be seen. pretending to suck the energy out of the 2. Divide the class in thirds. Assign one third to dead plants and animals. Mushrooms can’t be producers, one third to be consumers, and make food; they get their energy from dead one third to be decomposers. plants. They are called decomposers. 3. Distribute the food energy circles that 3. Have the class count off by three. Assign the the class made in the introduction to the ones to be trees/producers. Assign the twos to producers. Each producer should have be deer/consumers. Assign the threes to be two energy circles. mushrooms/decomposers. 4. Explain to the class that they are going to 4. Tell students to act out what they are until learn how energy flows between producers, you say “switch” or another word you choose. consumers, and decomposers. Give them When you say “switch,” they should change instructions and have them follow along what they are acting out to another of the step by step. choices. They may choose whether they act out the tree, deer, or mushroom. Allow them 5. Ask the producers to stand in two rows facing to switch roles a few times. each other with space between the rows. The producers should hold their food energy in 5. Next, instead of saying “switch,” call out their hands in front of them. “producer,” “consumer,” or “decomposer.” Students should again act out the organism. 6. Next ask the consumers to come into the If needed, remind students which is which playing area between the rows of producers. before starting. When you have called out Each should collect only one energy circle each at least once, ask students to sit down from the producers. Producers must always in a group. Review the terms “producer,” have one energy circle left. “consumer,” and “decomposer.” 7. The next step is to ask the decomposers to EXTENSION: Divide the class into groups join the consumers in the playing area and of three. In each group of three assign one collect one energy circle from the consumers. producer, one consumer, and one decomposer.

50 Lesson 3: Forest Energy Flow LEAF Guide • 2-3 UNIT 8. Explain that the decomposers have used the CONCLUSION energy in the energy circle. Producers need Hand out Student Page 2, The Adventures to add more. Ask the decomposers to return of Zippy the Energy. Assign students to write a the circles to the producers. Review how comic strip entitled “The Adventures of Zippy the the producers (plants) will make food energy. Energy.” Students should include where Zippy (They use sunlight, water, and carbon started (as sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water) dioxide from the air to make food energy and what Zippy did along the way through the with their leaves.) forest. (The trip through producer, consumer, decomposer.) Display the completed comic 9. Have students play one round as they have strips in the classroom. just practiced it. 10. Tell students that in the next round you will CAREERS remove one or two producers. Ask them what The career profile in this lesson is about they think will happen. Allow the students Alan Haney, Ecologist, University of to speculate. Don’t give away the outcome. Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Career Profile 2C.E Begin the round, but remind the consumers is found on page 52. A careers lesson that uses they may not take an energy circle from a this information begins on page 88. producer who only has one left. Decomposers should still take one energy circle from the SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT consumers. A consumer or decomposer who Choose a story/picture book to read to the class cannot collect an energy circle must leave the that contains images of producers, consumers, playing area. and decomposers. As you read through the book, ask students to point out which items are 11. The result of the round will be that some producers, consumers, or decomposers. of the consumers and decomposers did not survive because they did not get any energy. Through questioning, lead the REFERENCES students to the conclusion that there have Benson, D. E. (1999). Living with Nature and to be producers making energy for consumers Wildlife: Doing Our Part. Washington D.C.: and decomposers to survive. Wildlife Management Institute. 12. Review the steps in the flow of energy. Miller Jr., G. T. (1991). Environmental Science: Producers make food energy using sunlight, Sustaining the Earth. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth carbon dioxide, and water. That food energy Publishing Company. passes to consumers and decomposers.

LEAF Guide • 2-3 UNIT Lesson 3: Forest Energy Flow 51 RECOMMENDED RESOURCES •• BOOK/TEACHER GUIDE •• The Web of Life by Gilda Berger and Melvin Berger. (Ranger Rick Science Spectacular. New York: Newbridge Educational Publishing. 1996.) This is a book and accompanying teacher’s guide about the web of life and food chains. ••• GAME ••• Into the Forest: Nature’s Food Chain Game. (Oakland, CA: Ampersand Press.) This picture card game uses producers, consumers, and decomposers to trade energy.

52 Lesson 3: Forest Energy Flow LEAF Guide • 2-3 UNIT 53 CAREER PROFILE 2C.E

Lesson 3: Forest Energy Flow

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Sunlight + Food Carbon Dioxide = Energy + Water

54 Lesson 3: Forest Energy Flow LEAF Guide • 2-3 UNIT LEAF Guide THE ADVENTURES OF ZIPPY THE ENERGY • 2-3UNIT

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