TUES_Jan14_Producers.Consumers.Decomposers

4th Grade Science
Interactions in Ecosystems
Lesson 3

TUESDAY
January 14, 2025

2

Do Now

Photosynthesis

Producer

Carbon dioxide

Using a sheet of paper, select a vocabulary word and write
what you know. Use the following sentence stem to support
your thinking.

I know______ represents ________ .

3

Lesson Vocabulary

organism

producer

consumer

decomposer

food chain

4

Organism

Any living thing

5

Producer

An organism that uses
sunlight to make its
own food for energy
through
photosynthesis

6

Consumer

An organism that eats
other organisms for
energy

Image by David

Mark from Pixabay

7

Decomposer

An organism that
breaks down
matter into simpler
substances

Image by Thanks for your Like • donations welcome from Pixabay

8

Food Chain

The transfer of
food energy from
one organism to
another

Created by HISD Curriculum using 123 Science
Fonts

9

Interactions in Ecosystems

LO: SWBAT describe the roles
of producers, consumers, and
decomposers in a food chain.
DOL: Given scenarios, SW
correctly describe the roles
of producers, consumers, and
decomposers in a food chain in
at least 4 of 5 questions.
SCI.4.12B describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers,
and decomposers; and
SEPs 4.1E, 4.3A
RTCs 4.5B

10

Essential Understandings &

Guiding Questions

What are the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers

in a food chain?

What is a food chain?

11

How do living things move energy?

12

What are the roles of organisms?

Take a set of role
cards (Producer,

Consumer,

Decomposer).

Choose a simple
ecosystem card.

Brainstorm and list

examples of

organisms that fit
each role in your

chosen ecosystem.

Producer

Consumer

Decomposer

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Where do living things get the energy they need

to live and grow?

An organism is a living thing. Organisms need food in order to get
the energy they need to live and grow.

Photo credit: Mr Dasenna/Shutterstock; Margaret M Stewart/Shutterstock; Pressmaster/Shutterstock

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What type of energy do plants use to make food?

Plants get the energy to make their own food from sunlight. A plant
is considered a producer. A producer is an organism that makes its
own food.

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How is the energy in plants used by other organisms?

Some animals eat plants for food. A consumer is an organism that
eats other organisms. Consumers eat producers.

Photo credit: marcin jucha/Shutterstock

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Producers and Consumers

Label the producer and consumer in each photo.

producer

2

consumer1

consumer3

producer4

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What are food chains?

A food chain is the feeding
relationship between organisms in an
ecosystem.

Food chains are how matter and
energy move from one organism to
another.

Photo credit: stock photo site/photographer, stock photo site/photographer

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

What are roles in a food chain?

The producers make food to provide energy and matter for
themselves and other organisms. Consumers eat other organisms.
Decomposers break down dead organisms and recycle the matter.
Matter is conserved in systems, such as an ecosystem food chain.
The total matter remains the same as organisms eat and interact
with other organisms.

19

Let’s revisit the phenomenon

How do living things move energy?

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Organism Roles in a Food Chain

Match each type of organism to its role in an ecosystem.

Organism
producers

decomposers

consumers

Role

eat other living things

break down and recycle matter

make their own food

21

The picture below shows a terrarium, a small glass box for plants and
animals to live in that is like an environment found in nature. Use the picture
to answer any questions that follow.

1.

Which of the organisms in the
terrarium are producers?

2.

Which of the organisms in the
terrarium are consumers?

3.

Explain the role of the moss in the
terrarium ecosystem.

22

DOL: Given
scenarios, SW
correctly describe the
roles of producers,
consumers, and
decomposers in a
food chain in at least
4 of 5 questions.

Demonstration of Learning

●Some images used in this lesson are taken from Adobe Stock. Adobe Stock
https://stock.adobe.com

●Some images used in this lesson are taken from Great Minds. Great Minds
https://digital.greatminds.org

●Some images used in this lesson are taken from SAVVAS realize. SAVVAS
realize https://www.savvasrealize.com

23

Copyright for Reference