Grade Level: 5 through 8
Subject Area: Science
Estimated time of Completion: Activity and discussion can take up to 2 90-minute blocks depending on the amount of research
Food webs show the interaction of different producers and consumers in an ecosystem. They are a good visual organizer to show the different flows of energy among the organisms. They can also be used to demonstrate how each organism is important to the survival of the ecosystem.
The Living Edens: South Georgia Island shows examples of organisms that live on South Georgia Island and how they get their energy. After watching the video, students can construct a food web showing the interactions among the organisms on the island and in the ocean.
By the end of this activity, students will be able to:
National Science Standards:
This lesson addresses the following national science standards for grades 5 through 8 as established in the National Science Education Standards at http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/:
Procedures and Activities:
Ask students to list several organisms found in the region. These should include animals and plants. (Students might begin by listing things they've eaten in the past 24 hours.) List these organisms in different places on a blackboard. Ask students to draw lines representing "who eats what" among the organisms listed. Afterwards, fill in any blanks or clear up any confusing relationships. Explain that organisms in every environment are part of a food web; students will be looking for such a web in the South Georgia Island video. (*The teacher may show the entire video so students can see the complete variety of organisms represented; however, teachers may want to screen the program first due to a few graphic scenes of seals fighting.)
Completed food webs could be used to measure the students understand of how energy flows in the ecosystem.
Student participation in discussion could be observed. Students could also individually answer the discussion questions on paper.
Have students research various ways Antarctica and surrounding islands have been affected by humans (egg harvesting, oil spills, hunting, over fishing, and loss of habitat). How have these actions changed the populations of organisms of the ecosystem/food web? What can be done to prevent humans from destroying the South Georgia ecosystem?
Students could examine an organism in the food web and determine how it is adapted to hunt and eat its food. They could also examine how they camouflage and protect themselves from predators.
Web Resources: (Note: these links will take you away from PBS Online.)
Pete and Barb's Penguin Page
Seal Conservation Society: Antarctic Fur Seal
Life in Antarctica: British Antarctic Survey
USA Today: Work and Daily Life in Antarctica
About the Author:
Kathleen Taylor is a 6th grade Science and Computer Science Teacher at George Mason Middle School in Falls Church, VA. She graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education.
Her current interest is developing curriculum that allows her to students to explore the earth sciences in creative ways. She has the most fun teaching oceanography, meteorology, and geology because she feels kids are naturally fascinated by understanding the physical world around them.