THURS_Jan16_CyclingMatter

4th Grade Science
Interactions in Ecosystems
Lesson 4

THURSDAY
January 16, 2025

2

Do Now

Which table shows the correct role of each organism in the food chain below?

Algae → Shrimp → arctic cod → ringed seals → polar bears

A.

B.

C.

D.

3

Teacher Background

Background Knowledge for Teacher
The flow of energy in an ecosystem begins first with the input of energy from the Sun. Every living
organism in an ecosystem is dependent upon one another for its survival. Energy is transferred from
one organism to another through food chains and food webs. Plants make, or produce, their own food
through the process of photosynthesis and are called producers. An animal gets food and energy by
eating other organisms. An organism that eats, or consumes, other organisms is called a consumer.
Some consumers eat only plants. These consumers are called herbivores. For example, grasshoppers,
rabbits, and cows feed only on plants, so these animals are herbivores. Animals that eat (consume)
other animals are called carnivores. For example, lions, rattlesnakes, eagles, and wolves are all
carnivores. An omnivore is a third type of consumer. Omnivores eat both producers and other
consumers. Raccoons are a type of omnivore. They eat small animals, such as mice and frogs, as well
as fruits and berries. Raccoons can even find a meal in the garbage. We organize all these organisms
in food chains and food webs. A food chain is a diagram that shows how energy transfers from one
organism to another in an ecosystem.

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Materials

Student

Teacher

●Student activity sheet

●Hands-on activity prints

●Whiteboards

5

Possible Student Misconceptions

●Students may think the arrows show what an animal is eating instead of the energy flow.

●Students draw the arrows in a food web the opposite direction from where it should be
illustrated showing erroneous understanding of the concept.

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Lesson Vocabulary

food chain

consumer

producer

decomposer

omnivore

herbivore

carnivore

organism

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Food Chain

The transfer of
food energy from
one organism to
another

Created by HISD Curriculum using 123 Science
Fonts

8

Consumer

An organism that eats
other organisms for
energy

Image by David

Mark from Pixabay

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Carnivore

An organism that gets
its energy by eating
other consumers.

10

Omnivore

An organism that gets
its energy by eating
both consumers and
producers.

11

Herbivore

An organism that gets
its energy by eating
only producers or
plants.

12

Producer

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

13

Decomposer

An organism that
breaks down
matter into simpler
substances

Image by Thanks for your Like • donations welcome from Pixabay

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Organism

Any living thing

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Interactions in Ecosystems

LO: SWBAT create a model to
represent food chains and use
the model to describe the cycling
of matter and flow of energy.
DOL: Given scenarios, SW correctly
use models of food chains to describe
the cycling of matter and flow of energy
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

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Essential Understandings &

Guiding Questions

What is the main source of energy in food chains?

How does energy flow in a food chain?

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What travels through a food chain?

18

Flow of Energy

Spread the cards out

on the table.

Create a food chain
using 3 of the cards.

Illustrate the food

chain and explain the

flow of energy.

Create a food chain

using 4 different cards.

Illustrate the food

chain and explain the

flow of energy.

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Flow of Energy

Put these items in order to show how
energy flows through a wetland food
chain. Start with the Sun.

Word Bank
insect
fish
plant
alligator
Sun

1
Sun

2

plant

3

insect

4

fish

5

alligator

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Flow of Energy

Explain why the Sun is the original source of energy for every organism in a
food chain.

Plants use energy from the
Sun to make food, and this
energy moves through
different parts of the food
chain as one organism eats
another.

Photo credit: Adriana Margarita Larios Arellano/Shutterstock

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.

Flow of Energy

What are the 3
types of
consumers?

Energy Transfer

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Types of Consumers

Herbivore

Carnivore

Omnivore

A consumer that eats

only producers

A consumer that eats

only other
consumers

Eat both producers

and consumers

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.

Flow of Energy

Energy Transfer

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Let’s revisit the phenomenon

What travels through a food chain?

25

Food Chains

Parts of the Food Chain:
bird caterpillar
flower

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Food Chains

Parts of the Food Chain:
snake hawk
mouse acorns

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Food Chains

•The flow of energy in an ecosystem starts with the Sun. This energy flows to plants,
which use the energy to make their own food. When animals, such as rabbits, eat the
plants, the stored energy is transferred to the rabbits. When animals, such as foxes, eat
rabbits, the energy from the rabbits is transferred to the foxes. Energy flows from one
organism to the next in an ecosystem.
•A food chain illustrates one way that energy passes from organism to organism in an
ecosystem. The arrows in a food chain represent the flow of energy.

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How would you describe the flow of energy in the following food chain?

Sunlight → Berries → Sparrow → Bobcat → Worms

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

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Big Bend National Park is located in the part of the Chihuahuan Desert that is in southwestern
Texas. The table below lists some of the types of animals that live in Big Bend and what they eat.

Based on the information in the table, which of the following food chains shows one way energy
flows in the Big Bend ecosystem?

A.

Juniper berries → ornate box turtles → roadrunners → rock squirrels

B.

Grasses → rock squirrels → roadrunners

C.

Cacti → ornate box turtles → turkey vultures

D.

Mesquite beans → turkey vultures → roadrunners → western rattlesnakes

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DOL: Given
scenarios, SW
correctly use models
of food chains to
describe the cycling
of matter and flow of
energy 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

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Copyright for Reference