Summary Look for living things in pond and/or soil habitats. Construct food chains from the organisms found and other unseen organisms that live there too. Build a deer skeleton, and from discussion around how the deer lived and died, construct a food web starting with a deer. Science content Biology: Features, Adaptations of Living Things (K, 1, 3, 7) Biology: Classification of Living Things, Biodiversity (1, 3) Biology: Food Webs, Ecosystems, Biomes (3, 4) Activities in this lesson Pond dipping Decomposer and soil animals hunt outdoors Soil habitat study Worms: close observation Deer skeleton Chicken observation: adaptations and behaviour Procedure Do a selection of these activities, connecting each to food chains: Find organisms in a pond habitat. Pond water in white tubs on students desks. Students can transfer what they find to a white paint tray to look more closely with their magnifier. Discuss adaptations that must be different in pond organisms (from the soil): moisture, temperature (frozen pond), light. If the right time of year, go on a hunt for animals living in the soil. Bring them back to the classroom in some soil. Do the soil study and form a list of animals found in the soil that can be connected into a food chain. Summarize: the soil is full of organisms, adapted for survival, interacting with each other and their environment. Discuss animals’ role in decomposition and how important it is. Discuss recycling at home. Focus on one soil animal and how it is adapted for survival and it's place in the food chain: Worm observation. Focus on one animal, a deer, or chicken, and how it is connected to other animals. Construct the deer skeleton. Once constructed, discuss what ate the deer when it died and after it died. Draw up a food chain as suggestions are made. Add to the food chain what food the deer eats, if possible connecting to other food chains already made from previous activities. Look at a live chicken and discuss how it is connected to the food chain. Notes Note the activities are the same as the Biodiversity lesson, but with a different discussion focus. Grades taught Gr K Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 4 Gr 5
