Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
Students will be able to identify the producers, consumers, and decomposers and sort them with their group to create a food chain.
Lesson Created By: Raney Stogner
Grade(s):
- 3
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
Laptop and smartboard
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
chart paper, cards with pictures, pencil and paper
Lesson Progression
Link Prior Knowledge
Call students to the floor and have them create two rows.
Review what they have previously discussed about habitats:
Land and Water habitats and what kinds of different plants and animals are in both
Show or tell them the learning objective for the day:
I can identify the producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.
Tell students today they will be learning about food chains and how each animal and plant they discussed in the different habitats obtain the energy they use to survive.
Instructional Strategies
- Begin by asking students to think about a meal they might eat at a family cookout (hamburgers, hotdogs, etc.)
- Make a list of all the ingredients used to make a tasty hamburger. (patty, bun, cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, fries, and milk)
- Sort the ingredients into different groups (plants or animals) on the board.
- Ask students:
Why do we need to eat?
Where do cows get the energy they need to build muscle and produce milk?
Where do plants get the energy they need to make leaves, like the lettuce we eat?
- Watch the BrainPOP video on food chains.
- After the video, make a chart of different Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers.
- Send students to their seats and have them complete a group activity where they will create a food chain.
- Each group will get two bags filled with pictures of producers, consumers, and decomposers. There will also be definitions and word cards to match together. Cards for each bag: Pictures of grass, caterpillar, frog, snake, and owl. Cards with words Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers, and cards with a definition of each.
- Together, they will sort the cards to create different food chains. As they place the animals and plants in order, they must label each group as its appropriate group in the food chain.
- After 7 minutes, review as a class.
Reflection
Call students back to the rug.
Review topics discussed (food chain, producers, consumers, decomposers, energy, etc.)
Ask students to give you 1-3 on their fingers to show me how comfortable they feel with the content learned today.
***
Students should be able to sort the pictures of each part of the food chain with their groups.
Producers:
Flower
Consumer:
Caterpillar, frog, snake, and owl
Decomposer:
Mushroom
Students should be able to explain to the class how they knew each plant/animal fit into each group
Standards
- Life Science: Environments and Habitats
- 3.L.5 The student will demonstrate an understanding of how the characteristics and changes in environments and habitats affect the diversity of organisms.
Assessments
Reflection
Call students back to the rug.
Review topics discussed (food chain, producers, consumers, decomposers, energy, etc.)
Ask students to give you 1-3 on their fingers to show me how comfortable they feel with the content learned today.
***
Students should be able to sort the pictures of each part of the food chain with their groups.
Producers:
Flower
Consumer:
Caterpillar, frog, snake, and owl
Decomposer:
Mushroom
Students should be able to explain to the class how they knew each plant/animal fit into each group.