1. Standard: Describe what is meant by a food chain, giving 3 examples, each with at least four organisms.
   1. Objective #1: By the end of Unit A, students can define producer, consumer, decomposer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, predator and prey.
      1. Scaffolding Strategies
         1. Ask students where they get energy from. Sooner or later, they will come to the conclusion that their energy comes from the food they eat. Next, we will discuss where their food got its energy (if they eat beef, they might describe the cow getting energy from grass). Next, we will discuss where the grass got its energy-- it makes it from the sun! Grass and other plants are primary consumers that use photosynthesis to make their own energy. These organisms are known as producers. All other organisms are known as consumers.
            1. Introducing the topic by relating it to students' lives will help create a memorable experience and give them a strong starting point for more complicated future lessons.
         2. Video: Producers and Consumers
         3. Sample labeled food chain
            1. Provide students with several labeled food chains. Next, share unlabeled food chains and use Gradual Release of Responsibility to slowly match organisms with their "title".
         4. Use formative assessments: calling on students to help identify the organisms roles. Use summative assessment: weekly quiz with vocabulary and definition matching. Unit test with short-answer/fill in the blank definitions.
   2. Objective #2: By the end of Unit A, students can identify the direction of energy flow by labeling model food chains with arrows in the direction of energy transfer.
      1. Scaffolding Strategies
         1. After several simple (4-5 organism) food chains have been discussed and demonstrated on the board, the class is split up into teams of four. These teams will each pretend to be members of a food chain. I will give each student an organism card, and the students will arrange themselves in the proper order to demonstrate a food chain. Examples of organisms in one of these basic food chains include grass, grasshopper, bird and a fox. The student holding the grass card will imagine he is grass, the student holding a grasshopper card will pretend to be a grasshopper, etc. I will hold up a Ping-Pong ball and explain that the ball is the “energy” passed on from organism to organism. Team by team, I will give the Ping-Pong ball to one student who will say where he gets energy from and who he gives it to. For example, if I give the ball to grass, he will say “I get energy from the sun and give energy to the grasshopper”. He will pass the ball to the grasshopper who will say “I get energy from grass and give energy to the bird”. The ball will be passed around until each energy transfer has been demonstrated and verbalized by the students. I think this is a great assessment because students are given the opportunity to get away from their desks, stand up, be silly and collaborate with their peers. It will be very clear to the teacher which students require additional instruction if they cannot properly pass the “energy ball”, or explain the energy transfer.
         2. Quiz: students will label a food chain by drawing arrows to represent the direction of energy flow.
         3. Review previous conversation about where we get our energy (food!). Share a linear food chain to demonstrate the transfer of energy. Have students verbally describe the energy transfers. "The plant gives energy to the insect, the insect gives energy to the mouse.."
   3. Objective #3: By the end of Unit A, students can synthesize a food chain diagram representing four organisms with three linkages each.
      1. Scaffolding Strategies
         1. Students will be provided with a link to Kid’s Corner (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame.htm) where they will play Sheppard Software’s Food Chain game. Students will be required to upload a screen shot showing completion of the game with no more than 1 error.
         2. Students will be provided with a list of 5 organisms which they will use to synthesize a food chain using mind-mapping software. Students will work in teams to label each organism and create an accurate, visually appealing food chain model. 30 minutes of class time and iPads will be provided to complete the activity. Unfinished work can be completed as homework.
         3. After several simple (4-5 organism) food chains have been discussed and demonstrated on the board, student science journals are passed out and students are asked to draw a simple food chain with 4-5 organisms. Students are asked to draw the food chain (in a circular diagram) with arrows labeling the energy flow. Students are given 6 minutes to complete basic sketches before exchanging their journals with two of their classmates who will check their work. The students “checking” their peers food chains must sign their name at the bottom of the page. This assessment will check the students’ understanding in a couple of ways—by first requiring students to create their own diagrams, and secondly requiring them to check for errors in their peers’ work. Once the journals are collected at the end of the day, the teacher can look over the food chains to see if they have been drawn properly, and if the peer reviewers have identified errors.
2. Big Ideas
   1. Students will understand and identify the different roles of organisms in model food chains
   2. Students will define and describe "food chain"
   3. Students will identify direction of energy transfers in food chains
   4. Students will synthesize example foods chains
3. Students Prior Knowledge: Students previously learned about different biomes, as well as diet types including herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, predator and prey.