I.

LESSON FOUNDATION
Lesson Title: Food Webs
Unit: STEM
GRADE LEVEL: 9-11th

Lesson Number: 2
Time Allotted: 60 minutes
Subject Area: Biology

Standards/Anchors:

5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants,

animals, decomposers, and the environment. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on
the idea that matter that is not food (air, water, decomposed materials in soil) is
changed by plants into matter that is food. Examples of systems could include
organisms, ecosystems, and the Earth.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not
include molecular explanations.]

Essential Questions:
1. How many umbrella fields of biology are there?
2. How many trophic levels are there?
3. What are ecosystems?
4. What does a food web tell us?
Instructional Objectives:
1. Given the introductory PowerPoint, students will be able to explain what ecology,
ecosystems, and food webs are and how they are related.
2. Given a cork board, students will be able to construct a food web that will tell us
how all the animals are related to one another.
Formative Assessment:
1. Throughout the lesson, the students will raise their hands during the PowerPoint
instruction when we ask them questions.
2. When it comes to group work, we will allow the students to use rubber bands and
push pins to connect all the animals and plants together.
3. Ask the students to explain how creating this food web is related to biology. If
students are struggling to connect all the animals on the cork board, remind them that
they need plants (they might have to make these on their own).
Summative Assessment:
1. As a class, we will construct a food web.
2. Have students complete an exit ticket where they need to write 3 things they learned,
2 things they found interesting, and 1 question that they still have about the activity
we did in class today.
I.

LESSON BODY
1. Lesson Type: Whole Group

2. Introduction: Introduce the theme biology by showing students a PowerPoint.

Explain to them that we will be creating our own food webs that will allow us to
connect all the animals and plants together.
3. Go over the main points of the PowerPoint and check for understanding by asking
students questions throughout the PowerPoint.
4. Students are going to be asked to get with one other person or at the most 2 other
people (2-3 people in a group).
5. Once students are in their groups, we will pass around a cork board to each group.
These cork boards are going to be used in order to make their food webs.
A. We will next pass out to the students their rubber bands, push pins, and
animals pictures that they are going to be using.
B. Students will need these items in order to complete their food webs in which
they will be making.
C. Students need to make sure when they look at all the animal cards that they
are strategically thinking about how they are all going to connect to one
another.
i. Hint: Students may have to make their own plants on a separate piece
of paper because as we learned from the PowerPoint, animals need
plants and food to survive and connect to the other animals.
D. Students need to make sure they are being careful when they are putting the
rubber bands around the push pins because they tend to yank the push pins out
of the cork board and they will go flying all over the classrooms. We need to
make sure that this doesnt happen and no one is getting hurt.
E. Also make sure students are aware that there will be multiple rubber bands to
one push pin and that this can make it even more difficult to assemble. They
need to make sure they are being careful at all times.
6. Once students are finished with their food webs, we will have a class discussion about
the activity:
i. Why did we use push pins and rubber bands?
ii. How long did it take everyone to complete the activity?
7. Closure: Have students complete an exit ticket where they need to write 3 things they
learned, 2 things they found interesting, and 1 question that they still have about the
activity we did in class today.
II.

LESSON ESSENTIALS
Differentiated Learning Activities
1. Tier 1: The students will be able to answer the questions I asked them
throughout the PowerPoint with full understanding. When they are with
their group members, they are going to have to complete the food webs at
their own pace. Once they are done with this activity can go around the
room and see if any of their peers need any assistance.

2. Tier 2: The students will be able to answer the questions I asked them
throughout the PowerPoint with little to no help from the teacher or their
classmates. When they are with their group members, the teachers will go
around and help the students to stay on pace and focused with their food
webs. Once they are done with this activity can go around the room and
see if any of their peers need any assistance.
3. Tier 3: The students will most likely not be able to answer the questions I
asked them about the PowerPoint and will most likely need help from the
teacher or aid in the classroom. These students (if the teachers see them
struggling) will be put with group members that are on a higher level so
that these students can assist them with getting started with their food
webs.
Instructional Resources, Materials, and Technology:
1. PowerPoint presentation on overhead projector (handouts of PowerPoints
in case projector is not working)
2. Computer
3. Cork board
4. Pins
5. Rubber bands
6. Animal pictures
7. Extra paper (to draw their own plants on)
8. Crayons
III.

POST-LESSON REFLECTION
Analysis of Student Learning:
1. We will walk around the room and make sure they are correctly
completing and fully understanding the food webs, which will help us
determine whether or not the objectives were met.
2. Review the exit tickets to determine if the students learned 3 new things,
found 2 things interesting and still had a question about the lesson from
today.
Analysis of Teaching:
1. Review the general concepts of the lesson if students seem to need further
instruction before the beginning of the next lesson.
2. Questions to Consider: Did I stress the important information
effectively? Could I make any changes to the lesson, for future referent, to
make it better? Was I able to answer all the questions that I received from
the students? Was the material too east or too hard?