1. Are we at the top of the food chain?
EQ: •How is matter and energy transferred and recycled among organisms and their environment?
Students take notes on notebook paper
Are we at the top of the
food chain?

2. Meaningful Conversation
I agree because….
I disagree because….
I’d like to add…
What do you mean?
Do you mean…?
Can you give me an example?
Why do you think that?
Is that always true?
Or, maybe…
I think that isn’t fair…
I agree with ________ because…
WE ARE NOT AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN
Statement: We are not at the top of the food chain

3. Parts Where does all the energy on Earth originally come from?
What organisms are capable of capturing that energy and transforming it?
The Sun
Start all food chains
Power food chains
Producers
Plants
Consumers
Animals
Consume, or eat their food
Decomposers
Breakdown organic materials
Fungi, bacteria
What does it mean when we say we are at the “top of the food chain”?

4. Local producers and consumers
T-P-S : local producers and consumers (on the back of your GO)
Which are producers?
Consumers?
Decomposers?
What provides the energy for the chain?
T-P-S: Rank them from highest to lowest on the food chain
Think – Pair- Share- Whole group

5. Trophic Levels
A trophic level of an organism is its position in a food chain.
Levels are numbered according to how far particular organisms are along the chain.
The primary producers plants are at level 1
The herbivores (primary consumers) are level II
Predators (secondary consumers) are level III
Carnivores or top carnivores (tertiary consumers) are level IV or V.
Food chains begin with the sun and end with a carnivore!

7. Assessment Prompt Food Chain Creator
Collaboratively draw two different food chains
Label:
Consumers, Decomposers, Producers
The trophic levels
Look at your two food chains
How can you generalize the pattern you see?
Assessment Prompt