Introduction
- In an ecosystem plants and animals are connected by their feeding relationships. This is called a food web.
- A food web consists of:
- plants (producers) which produce food for themselves and animals;
- animals (consumers) which are herbivores, carnivores, omnivores;
- micro-organisms (decomposers) that break down dead plant and animal matter and return nutrients to the soil.
- A food web is made of many linked food chains. A food chain only follows one path as animals eat their food. A food web shows the many different connecting paths of plants and animals.
An example of a food web and a food chain:
Teacher Input 6
- Ask the learners what they have learnt so far about ecosystems.
Answer:
An ecosystem is an area where living and non-living things depend on each other (there are relationships between the living and non-living things in an ecosystem).
- Ask the learners if they think that the plants and animals are connected in an ecosystem.
Answer: Yes, they are connected due to their feeding relationships.
- Tell learners that in this relationship, one group makes the food (producers) and the other group eats the food (consumers). Can they tell which is which?
Answer: Plants are producers and animals are consumers.
- Ask learners if they know what a vegetarian is.
Answer: A person who does not eat meat – only vegetables and fruit and sometimes animal products, such as eggs or milk.
- In the animal kingdom, we also find vegetarians. Do they know what these types of animals are called?
Answer: Herbivores.
- Besides herbivores, there are other types of animal consumers too.
- Tell learners that they will find out more about these consumers a little later.
- Show VIDEO CLIP 6: Producers, Consumers and Decomposers (5:15 min.).
- In this video, the roles of producers, consumers and decomposers in a pond ecosystem are discussed.
Learner Activity 5
- Learners complete WORKSHEET E.
- Guide the learners on how to undertake this activity by providing examples and explaining how this worksheet will be assessed.
- Remember to explain that the answers provided in the worksheet can be used more than once .
Energiser
- Show VIDEO CLIP 7: Decomposers Song (3:20 min.) and let learners sing along. This song can also be utilised for revision.
Teacher Input 7
- Ask learners if they can remember from their Grade 5 lessons what a food chain is.
- Explain the food chain as follows:
- A food chain shows how each living thing gets food.
- A food chain shows how nutrients and energy are passed from plants to animals and from creature to creature.
- Food chains begin with plant-life, and end with animal-life. Some animals eat plants and some animals eat other animals.
Draw a simple food chain on the blackboard to show how a food chain could start with a leaf eaten by a caterpillar and continue until it ends with a snake being eaten by a large animal such as a mongoose.
Learner Activity 6
- Have large pictures of plants and animals to form a simple food chain available.
- Place the pictures on the board in no particular order.
- Ask volunteer learners to come and place the pictures in the correct order to form a simple food chain.
- Once this has been done, ask learners to identify the following in this simple food chain:
- Producers
- Consumers
- Decomposers
- Ask learners to draw a simple food chain in their exercise books.
- Guide the learners on how to undertake this drawing of a simple food chain by providing examples and explaining how this activity will be assessed.
Teacher Input 8
- Tell the learners that when many different food chains are connected to each other, they form a food web.
- Present an overview of the different components of the food web by using PRESENTATION 3: Food Webs.
- Show VIDEO CLIP 8: Food Chains and Food Webs (3:02 min.).
Learn how some animals eat other plants and animals to survive, and create a food chain.
Learner Activity 7
- Learners complete Worksheet F.
Teacher Input 9
Learner Activity 8
- Learners complete Worksheet G.
- Guide the learners on how to undertake this activity by providing examples and explaining how this worksheet will be assessed.
Learner Activity 9
- Learners complete Worksheet H as a practical task.
- Guide the learners on how to undertake this activity by providing examples and explaining how this worksheet will be assessed.
Revision Activity 1
- Learners complete Quiz 1
- Ask learners to form groups of four.
- Hold a lucky draw for each group to be allocated an ecosystem of a:
- wetland
- rocky shore
- forest
- desert
- river
- snow-capped mountain
- savanna (grass land)
- coral reef
- Prepare a dramatic role play illustrating the potential threats to this ecosystem;
- Undertake the dramatisation of their role play for the class:
- Class to vote on:
- Most dangerous threat to an ecosystem;
- Most creative role play;
- Best role play.
- Hold a lucky draw for each group to be allocated an ecosystem of a:
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