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Food webs, Classification and Biodiversity Additional secondary activities to accompany the Gould League Food webs, Classification and Biodiversity kit. |
Food web chasey
Level: 5 & 6
Curriculum
Area: Science
Outcomes
Students:
- Review the concept of food webs and food chains.
- Describes the role of animals, plants and other organisms in cycling energy and matter.
- Identify behavioural strategies to assist survival.
Materials and preparation
Picture cutouts from one of the three
environments (Antarctica, Australia or Africa) in the Gould League's
Food Webs, Classification and Biodiversity activity books
Bulldog or fold-down clips and
a slip of paper and pencil for each student
Plant cutouts photocopied onto
green paper (40)
Watch and whistle
Student familiarity with the food
web chosen for this game
Area in
school grounds to play game (should include some bushes for cover)
Method
If students need to be familiarized with the food web before the game, display the web on a whiteboard. Allocate animals to the students and give them time to identify the food webs that involve them. Note the food web may need to be reduced if there are not enough students to cover all the animal roles.
At the play area spread the photocopied food cards around on the ground and set the boundaries for the game. The students are transformed into the food web animals by clipping the pictures to their front collars. A slip of paper is also attached to record 'deaths' and students carry a pencil each. The animals (students) then take up positions in the bush playing area and when the whistle blows they play out the food web chasey. Keep blowing the whistle every 2 minutes to indicate the end of a feeding period.
Rules
- The animals must feed every two minutes - time shown by a single whistle blast.
- If they cannot feed in the two minutes they die.
- Each animal has five lives - when they lose a life this is marked as a stroke on the paper attached to their cutout picture. When all five lives are used up the animal must leave the game and stand out.
- Animals die when touched by a predator.
- The teacher could represent a hunter, poacher, fishing boat etc. to add an extra element into the food web.
- The end of the game is indicated by two whistle blasts in succession.
Undertake a trial run of 6 minutes. Check for any questions then play for 10 minutes. Stop and change roles and play for another 10 minutes.
Discuss the interactions and strategies used upon completion. For example: What did the students notice when all of their 'food' had died? What strategies did the herbivores use to avoid capture and what strategies did the carnivores use to capture their prey? What did they do about competition for food?
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