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Food Chain and Food Web Inquiry Project Process Page

Stage

Small-Group Inquiry Model For Inquiry Project


Teacher Role

Immerse

Invite curiosity
Activate or build background
Surround with materials
Modeling (how to preview, ask
questions, stay engaged)
Thinking aloud (about texts,
topics, etc.)
Options: ground rules, modeling
inquiry, learning to work with
groups, explaining the project
and product that will be created

Teacher will explain to the students


that they are going to be exploring
food chains and food webs. They are
going to show what they already
know, learn more about what they
are, and then research a specific
animal that is part of a food chain or
food web.
Teacher will then ask students what
a chain is and what a web is to get
them interested and thinking about
the topic.
Teacher will have students fill out
the preview section of a
Collaborative Listening-Viewing
Guide with her/him before he/she
reads a book to model so he/she can
see what kind of previous knowledge
they have on the subject.
The teacher will model the rest of
the Collaborative Listening-Viewing
Guide using the book Pass the
Energy, Please!, showing and
explaining to the students how they
are going to do the activity, filling

Student Role

Students will get excited about the


task and the inquiry project about
food chains and food webs
Students will have a brainstorming
session about food chains and food
webs before it is modeled with a
book to show their previous
knowledge and record the
information in the preview section
of the Collaborative ListeningViewing Guide.
They will listen to the book Pass the
Energy, Please! They will listen to
the teacher and collaborate with her
as she models the rest of the
Collaborative Listening-Viewing
Guide.
Students will watch Food Chains, Food

Webs, Energy Pyramid in EcosystemsVideo for Kids from YouTube.

Students will take notes during the


video in the record section of the
guide.
Students will then get into groups to
talk about the video and their notes

out a guide on the document camera.


Teacher will show Food Chains, Food

Webs, Energy Pyramid in EcosystemsVideo for Kids to the students.

Teacher will lead group discussion


about the video, asking the students
what significant things they learned
or observed from the video.
Teacher will model how to use their
science journals for investigation.
He/she will show them to make two
columns, one for notes and
interesting things they learned and
one for questions they have as they
research.
Teacher will explain to the students
that they are going to be conducting
research on a specific animal in
Michigan. They are to investigate
what their animal eats, who its
predators are, and any environmental
changes that might affect their
survival.
Teacher will explain their final task
and what is expected of students.
Teacher will break students up into
six groups, making sure to mix lower
level and higher level learners and
give them their animals they will be
researching.

and write more detailed notes in the


elaborate section.
Together, the class will talk about
their notes and record important
information in the synthesize
section.
Students will write any new
information they learned or thought
was interesting as well as any
questions they have in their science
journals.
Students will write down their top
three choices on which animals they
would like to research between:
o Beaver
o Coyote
o White-tailed deer
o Hawk
o Rabbit
o Black Bear
Students will receive their groups
and their animal they will be
researching.

Investigate

Modeling: how to read, how to


listen, how to view with a
question in mind
Modeling: taking notes, keeping
track of learning
Discussion and debates
Students work together with
texts, sources to search for
information
Students continue to develop
questions
Meetings (conferring) with
groups to monitor the progress

Teacher will make texts about


Michigan animals accessible to
students at all times. Mention to
them that they are available for
them to look at during independent
reading or free time.
Teacher will model how to
investigate using books and websites.
He/she will also show them how to
use headings to find the information
they are looking for.
Since they already know how to take
notes, the teacher will show them
how to highlight and also use sticky
notes when reading and researching
using books to they have another
note taking/investigating strategy to
use.
Teacher will explain and model the Ichart strategy to the students using
two books about another Michigan
animal that is not assigned, a fox:
Exploring the World of Foxes and
Foxes.
Teacher will ask what questions they
would like to answer about their
animals in order to help them in
their research for their final
projects.
The teacher will also go over other

In their groups, students will use


informational books and websites
provided to them to learn more
about the animal they are
researching. They will take notes in
their science journals and also write
down questions they have as well as
writing important information on
sticky notes in the books they are
using.
Students will use the I-chart
strategy to investigate their animal
and compare information from two
texts on the same topic to become
more knowledgeable about the
animal. This information will help
them in their final project.
They will continue to take important
notes and to write down any
questions they may have.
Groups will share their research and
questions with the teacher.

Coalesce

Continue to research, begin to


draw conclusions
Help students determine what
is important to the task
Synthesize information
Building knowledge
Modeling how to organize and
evaluate information
Help students connect new
learning to curriculum and task

questions they are included in their


I-charts as well as a few blank
spaces to write in their own
questions:
o What does your animal eat?
o Who are your animals predators?
o What do they depend on or what
do they use in their environment
to survive?
Teacher will meet with each of the
groups to see how they are coming
on their research, if they have any
questions, and to help guide them in
the right direction.
Teacher will go over task, asking

students how they can use their


research to help the DNR to save
the animals that are disappearing.
What have they learned about their
animal that will be useful to tell the
DNR in order to protect that animal
species? Helping them to see what

is important to know about their


animals in order to complete the
task.
Teacher will go over what needs to
be included in their presentation by
handing out a rubric.
o The name of their animal
o The food chain or food web they

Students will use collaboration and


team work to create their
PowerPoint presentations, making
sure to address the concerns the
DNR has and to include information
they think is important in order to
protect their animals.
They will use their notes as well as
their Collaborative Listening-Viewing
Guide and their I-charts to connect
their learning to the task.

Go Public
o
o
o
o
o
o

Help with clarity of final task


expectations
Co-construct checklists or
rubrics
Confer with groups as they
complete task
How to keep rest of class
engaged during presentations
Students record lingering
questions
Students self-evaluate

are involved in (what do they eat


and who eats them?)
o Environmental changes that
might be affecting their animals
survival (what could be happening
to the environment that may be
causing a decline in the number
of the given animal?)
Teacher will model how to use
PowerPoint (refresh their memory on
how to use it).
Teacher will go over the rubric with
the students, letting them know
what is expected of them and how
the information should be
presented. He/she will also let them
know their presentation is to be 510 minutes.
Teacher will explain proper behavior
for presenters as well as the
audience members.
Each student will fill out a 3-2-1 exit
ticket for each of the groups, as
well as their own, including:
o 3 things they learned while
creating this project/watching
the presentation
o 2 animals included in the food
chain or food web and if they
were producers, consumers, or

Students will participate in


discussion about the rubric.
Students can practice their
presentations with their groups.
Students will give their presentation
to the class (5-10 minutes).
Students will fill out a 3-2-1 exit
ticket for each of the groups that
present as well as their own group.

decomposers
1 question they may still have
about the subject/1 question
they have about the
presentation.

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