UNIT SIX • SIXTH GRADE Delta Ecosystems 6deltastudies.weebly.com/uploads/4/6/2/3/46233367/ds_grade_6_2013.… · •5 DELTA STUDIES CURRICULUM UNIT SIX • SIXTH GRADE DELTA ECOSYSTEMS

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UNIT SIX • SIXTH GRADE

Delta Ecosystems

San Joaquin County Office of EducationOffice of Science and Special Projects

Funding provided byCalifornia Bay-Delta Authority

DELTA STUDIES CURRICULUM


DELTA ECOSYSTEMS

Acknowledgements

Project Director

Judi Wilson, San Joaquin County Office of Education

Project Coordinators

Heather Fogg, San Joaquin County Office of EducationJulie Schardt, San Joaquin County Office of Education

Project Facilitator

Olga Clymire, Lake County Office of Education

Principal Curriculum Writers

Barry Scott, San Joaquin County Office of EducationOlga Clymire, Lake County Office of Education

Other Curriculum Writers

Jennifer Andermahr, Manteca Unified School DistrictSheila Cochran-Locke, Stockton Unified School DistrictTim Ellis, Keyes Union Elementary School DistrictLynn Hansen, Modesto Junior CollegeTeresa Ignatovich, Tracy Unified School DistrictVictoria Stirling, Modesto City Elementary School DistrictDeirdre Wishom, Stockton Unified School District

Field Testers

Jennifer Andermahr, Manteca Unified School DistrictTim Ellis, Keyes Union Elementary School DistrictKathy Prince, Stockton Unified School DistrictJulie Schardt, Stockton Unified School DistrictBarry Scott, San Joaquin County Office of EducationVictoria Stirling, Modesto City Elementary School DistrictLottie Tone, Amador Unified School District

UNIT SIX

Acknowledgements (continued)

Reviewers For Technical Accuracy

Jay Bell, Lodi Unified School DistrictOlga Clymire, Lake County Office of EducationSuzanne Deleón, California Department of Fish and GameJohn Fulton, San Luis National Wildlife RefugeDonna Snell, Ceres Unified School DistrictJames Starr, California Department of Fish and GameSteve Stocking, San Joaquin Delta College

Illustrator

Carol Dellinger, Dellinger Design

Layout Artist

Jo-Anne Rosen, Wordrunner

Technical Assistant

Melanie Newsome, San Joaquin County Office of Education

Community Partners

Suzanne Deleón, California Department of Fish and GameJohn Fulton, San Luis National Wildlife RefugeLynn Hansen, Modesto Junior CollegeRenee Hill, San Joaquin County Department of Public Works, Solid Waste DivisionDonna Hummel, U.S. Department of Fish and WildlifeDale Sanders, Environmental EducatorJames Starr, California Department of Fish and GameSteve Stocking, San Joaquin Delta College

Other Acknowledgements

Dr. Fredrick Wentworth, Superintendent, San Joaquin County Office of EducationDr. Gary Deirossi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, San Joaquin County

Office of EducationCalifornia Bay-Delta Authority


Contents

Overview ...................................................................................... 1

Story Line..................................................................................... 3

Instructional Materials Required .................................................. 5

LESSON 1:Mural of Environments ................................................................ 7

LESSON 2:Food Chains, Webs, and Ecosystems ............................................ 13

LESSON 3:Producers, Consumers, Scavengers,and Decomposers ......................................................................... 35

LESSON 4:Food Chain Skit ........................................................................... 45

LESSON 5:Ecosystem-Related Projectsand Simulation Activity ................................................................ 51

Assessment for Unit Six (Pre-Test/Post-Test) ................................ 57

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DELTA ECOSYSTEMS

Overview

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARDS FOR GRADE SIX

Life Science: Ecology

5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and withthe environment.

Understandings❚ Food chains and food webs represent relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.❚ Food webs support ecosystems.

Essential Questions�Which ecosystem is least important and which is most important?�How can we apply to our lives what we learn about food chains and food webs?

Knowledge and SkillsStudents will know:

�Energy is transferred from one organism to others through food chains and webs.�Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with

the environment.�Organisms can be categorized into four types: producers, consumers, scavengers, and

decomposers.�Living things depend on one another and their environment for survival.�Decomposers recycle matter from dead organisms.�Humans affect ecosystems.

Students will be able to:

� Identify Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta organisms and how they interact in a foodweb.

�Draw food chains and food webs found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.�Name and describe some ecosystems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.� Identify and discuss impacts of humans on an ecosystem.

Notes

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DELTA ECOSYSTEMS

Story Line

The sixth-grade Delta Curriculum unit focuses on Ecology. In Lesson 1, “Mural ofEnvironments,” students will learn about various environments in the Sacramento-

San Joaquin Delta and will identify organisms that live there. This lesson introduces theunit to students.

In Lesson 2, “Food Chains, Webs, and Ecosystems,” students will learn about variousfood chains and food webs that exist in the Delta. Each student will also learn about anorganism that lives in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by designing a poster of theorganism. Each group of students will read expository text regarding a specific ecosystemwithin the Delta, and will create a work of art that will include an artistic conception of theecosystem.

In Lesson 3, “Producers, Consumers, Scavengers, and Decomposers,” students will be-come familiar with various living organisms of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and willcategorize these organisms into four major groups (producers, consumers, scavengers, anddecomposers) based on how organisms obtain their energy. Students will also write oneparagraph about a selected organism. As an assessment of the lesson, students will review alist of some Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta organisms and categorize them into producers,consumers, scavengers, and decomposers.

In Lesson 4, “Food Chain Skit,” students will design costumes for various organisms andperform skits demonstrating food chains. They will discuss, and then describe in writing,several ecological disruptions that could happen in their food chain and how this changewill affect other organisms in the ecosystem.

In Lesson 5, “Ecosystem-Related Projects and Simulation Activity,” students will either do aproject or participate in a simulation activity. The possible projects focus on the study ofminiature ecosystems (e.g., worm bin, aquarium, native plant garden, ecosystem in a bottle)in the classroom or in the school’s garden area. Students will monitor the ecosystem’s healthover time and will discuss how organisms in this ecosystem exchange energy and nutrientsamong themselves and with the environment. In the simulation activity, “In WhichEcosystem Shall We Build?” students will learn how people can impact an ecosystem andwill use their decision-making skills based on what they have learned about ecosystems inthis unit.

Notes

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DELTA ECOSYSTEMS

Instructional Materials RequiredThe following list contains materials that may not be readily available in a classroom or at school,but are necessary to conduct the lessons for this unit. These materials can be compiled into a kitand shared among teachers within a school or district.

The names and contact information of the companies where these products may be purchasedare provided. Other companies may also carry similar items. The listing of companies in thiscurriculum guide does not mean endorsement of these companies by the San Joaquin CountyOffice of Education or by the California Bay-Delta Authority.

Lesson 1• Map: “California Water Map” (Water Education Foundation)• Map: “The Delta” (Water Education Foundation)• Video: Tide of the Heron (Friends of South Slough Reserve)• Self-adhesive 3" X 3" note pads (five sheets for each student)

Lesson 2• Book: What Are Food Chains and Webs? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille

(Amazon)• Field guides (Amazon and National Audubon Society) to plants and animals living in the

Delta area and other reference materials, such as encyclopedias and textbooks; also EcologyHandbook: California’s Sierra Foothills, Central Valley & Delta by Derek Madden, KenCharters, and Cathy Snyder (Sierra Laurel Press)

Lesson 3• No special materials are needed.

Lesson 4• Butcher paper, construction paper, yarn, scissors, glue, masking tape, and other available

materials (e.g., cardboard box, paper cups, egg cartons, paper plates) out of which studentscan make masks and costumes

Lesson 5• Materials will depend on the project selected.

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6 UNIT 6 | MATERIALS•

Possible Providers of Materials� Amazon: www.amazon.com� National Audubon Society: www.audubon.org� Friends of South Slough Reserve: PO BOX 5446, Charleston, OR 97420; 541-297-1093� Sierra Laurel Press: PO Box 1422, Sutter Creek, CA 95685� Water Education Foundation: 717 K Street, #51, 7 Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-444-

6240; www.water-ed.org

Other Helpful Resources• Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification by Chandler S. Robbins, Bertel

Bruun, and Herbert S. Zim (L2) (Amazon)• From Audubon Society (for Lesson 2):

• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals by John O. Whitaker, Jr.Sierra Nevada Natural History by Tracy I. Storer and Robert L Usinger

• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Western Region by Miklos D. F.Udvardy

• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders by Lorus andMargery Milne

• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region by Elbert L.Little

• Other field guides to plants and animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, etc.) (L2)(Amazon)

• Eco-Inquiry by Kathleen Hogan (L5) (Amazon)

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UNIT 6 • LESSON 1

Mural of Environments




ObjectiveStudents will learn about various environments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta andwill identify organisms that live there.

BackgroundOur environment is the area that surrounds us and includes living and nonliving things (natu-ral and human-made objects). The natural environment of an organism (a living thing) in-cludes its physical surroundings, such as other plants and animals, soil, rocks, air, and water.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has a variety of environments including rivers, marsh-lands, grasslands, forests, hills, mountains, towns, and cities. Many of these environmentsare actually ecosystems with specific populations of plants and animals that interact witheach other and the nonliving environment.

A partial list of organisms that live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is provided at theend of this lesson.

A note about scientific terminology:The University of Chicago Press recommends a down style for names of wild plants andanimals, capitalizing only proper nouns and adjectives (e.g., tule elk, pronghorn antelope,deer, California vole, Chinook salmon, pickleweed, black oak). However, the Ornitho-logical Society recommends that the first letter of each word in a bird’s name be capital-ized (e.g., Northern Harrier, Swainson’s Hawk, Burrowing Owl, Great Blue Heron) unlesshyphenated (Red-tailed Hawk) or used as a general term, such as owl, hawk, heron. Thisunit follows these recommendations.

Preparation�Using a 10 to 12 foot section of butcher paper, draw an outline of a side view of a

landscape from the ocean to the mountains. Include marshlands, grasslands, riverforest, and oak woodland in this mural. It is not necessary to have a detailed drawing.

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8 UNIT 6 | LESSON 1•

Note: Keep the mural for Lesson 2.

Materials✔ Map: “California Water Map” (from the Water Education Foundation)✔ Map: “The Delta” (from the Water Education Foundation)✔ Video: Tide of the Heron✔ Self-adhesive 3" x 3" note pads (five sheets for each student)✔ Felt-tipped pens (one for each student)

TimePreparation: 15 minutesLesson: two 45-minute periods

Motivation�Ask students: Who has been out fishing, hiking, camping, or boating in the Sacra-

mento-San Joaquin Delta? What types of environments did you see? List students’answers (e.g., river, ocean, hills, mountains) on the chalkboard.

� Show the “California Water Map.” Have students locate on the map some of theareas they have visited.

Procedure

1 Tell students that they will see a video about an area in Oregon. Explain that most ofthe environments shown in this video are similar to those in the Sacramento-SanJoaquin Delta. The types of plants and animals shown also live in the Sacramento-SanJoaquin Delta.

2 Show the video Tide of the Heron. Ask students to think about what they saw in thevideo and to help add to the list of environments. (They might add marshland, forest,ocean, and estuary.)

3 Show the map “The Delta” and ask students to identify any other environments thatmight exist in the Delta area.

4 Ask students what an organism is. (An organism is a living thing.) Ask them to nameseveral organisms they have seen when outdoors.

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9UNIT 6 | LESSON 1 •

5 Distribute five self-adhesive (sticky) note sheets and one felt-tipped pen to each student.

6 Separate students into groups of four or five.

7 Ask students to think of two different plants and three different animals that can befound outdoors in the area of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and to write eachname on a sticky note sheet. The group should check that no two students within thegroup list the same organism.

8 When all students have written the names of their five organisms, have students comeup one at a time and place their sticky note sheets on the mural based on where eachplant or animal might live. Allow other students to recommend places to stick thenote sheets.

9 Suggest additional examples of organisms that students did not identify, such as algae,phytoplankton, earthworms, and decomposers (bacteria and algae) and post these onthe mural.

10Tell students that in the next lesson they will identify the relationships among theseorganisms.

Assessment�Assess students’ participation in this activity.�Have students write three sentences about how the video they saw applies to the

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Note: Keep the mural for Lesson 2.

Resources� MAPS

• “California Water Map” from the Water Education Foundation; 717 K Street, #517,Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-444-6240; www.water-ed.org.

• “The Delta” from the Water Education Foundation; www.water-ed.org.

� VIDEO

• “Tide of the Heron” (Odyssey Productions)Although this video focuses on an area in Oregon, most animals shown also live inthe Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area. These animals are: Great Blue Heron, deer,Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, bear, raccoon, river otter, bobcat, cougar, beaver,White Egret, Red-winged Blackbird, salmon. The video also shows a variety ofplants, including sundews, lichens, ferns, and pickleweed.

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BIRDSNative

Great EgretCommon EgretAmerican BitternVariety of heronsVariety of blackbirdsVariety of sparrowsLong-billed Marsh WrenCommon CrowYellow-billed MagpieVariety of hawksVariety of owlsBelted KingfisherVariety of woodpeckersVariety of grebesOspreyBald EagleWhite PelicanDouble-crested CormorantPeregrine FalconVariety of swallowsVariety of FinchVariety of ducksVariety of geeseScrub JayCommon SnipeKilldeerAmerican CootLesser YellowlegsWestern MeadowlarkVariety of gullsTurkey VultureVariety of hummingbirdsMourning DoveWestern SandpiperAmerican Kestrel

Non-nativeEuropean StarlingPheasantRock Dove

A Partial List of Organisms that Live in theSacramento-San Joaquin Delta

MAMMALSNative

California ground squirrelSan Joaquin kit foxVariety of batsSalt marsh harvest mouseRiver otterVariety of wood ratsBeaverVariety of volesRaccoonStriped skunkCoyoteVariety of shrewsVariety of rabbits

Non-NativeOpossumBlack ratMuskratNorway ratFeral catsFeral dogsHouse mouse

REPTILESNative

Northwestern pond turtleCommon garter snakeGiant garter snakeBlue-bellied fence lizardAlameda whip snake

AMPHIBIANSNative

California red-legged frogWestern spadefoot toadPacific tree frogCalifornia tiger salamanderCalifornia newt

Non-NativeBullfrog

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FISHNative

Green sturgeonSacramento blackfishChinook salmonSacramento splittailDelta smeltSacramento perch

Non-nativeBrown troutGolden shinerGoldfishCarpBrown bullheadChannel catfishMosquito fishStriped bassBluegillGreen sunfishWhite crappieBlack crappieLargemouth bassSmall Mouth bass

PLANTSNative

California poppy and other wildflowersBitter cressWild peasCloversField mintWild roseWild grapeVarious berriesBuckbrushWild lilacRedbudBox elderAmerican dogwoodVarious oak treesVarious cottonwood treesVarious willow treesManzanitaVarious pine trees

Various cedar treesAssorted rushes and reedsCattailsAssorted tulesVarious ferns

Non-NativeWater hyacinthCord grassPickleweedSalt bushVarious thistlesBull rushBermuda grass, Johnson grass, other

grassesFoxtailPond weedHemlockOleanderPuncture weedWild mustardVarious eucalyptus treesAcaciaAlderVarious vinesVarious berries

OTHER ORGANISMSInsectsSpidersEarthwormsCentipedesMillipedesCrayfishCrabShrimpAlgaeFungiProtozoaBacteriaZooplanktonPhytoplankton

Notes

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UNIT 6 • LESSON 2

Food Chains, Webs, and Ecosystems




ObjectiveStudents will learn about various food chains and ecosystems found in the Delta. Eachstudent will also learn about an organism that lives in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Deltaby designing a poster of the organism. Each group of students will read expository textregarding a specific ecosystem within the Delta, and will create a work of art that willinclude an artistic conception of the ecosystem.

BackgroundA food chain represents the transfer of energy from one organism to another, usually asone eats the other. Plants are the beginning of each food chain. All animals depend onplants directly by eating them or indirectly by eating an animal that previously ate a plant.Sunlight plays an important role because the sun’s energy is required by all green plants toproduce (through the process of photosynthesis) their own food.

Because most animals eat a variety of foods, food chains become parts of food webs thatdemonstrate how every organism in an ecosystem is connected. For example, a variety ofplants are eaten by insects. Some insects eat both plants and other insects. Some insectsare eaten by mice, but mice might also eat seeds, mushrooms, and spiders. Smaller owlseat insects and larger owls eat mice as well as squirrels and birds. Food webs in an ecosys-tem contain hundreds and even thousands of different species. A wide variety of speciesmakes a food web more stable.

Studying food chains and food webs allow people to better understand the role that anorganism plays in an ecosystem. For example, what role does a mosquito play in an ecosys-tem? If we look at a food chain, or web, of which a mosquito is a part, we can see that amosquito provides food for bats, swallows, nighthawks, fish, and many other animals.

An ecosystem is a community of organisms interacting with each other and with thephysical environment. Therefore an ecosystem includes living (biotic) and non-living(abiotic) components. An ecosystem can be identified by its major vegetation, such as

• •


redwoods, mixed conifer, kelp, or chaparral, or by the amount of rainfall it receives, suchas a desert. An ecosystem can also be described by its relationship to bodies of water, suchas an ocean, river forest (riparian), or wetland.

See the handouts of the various ecosystems in this lesson for additional backgroundinformation.

Some ecosystems of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta include:

• River (aquatic ecosystem)• Fresh water marsh• Salt marsh• Riparian (river forest)• Oak woodland• Grasslands• Estuary (where salt and fresh water mix)

Preparation�Cut apart the “Organism Cards” and place into a container all cards except the sixth

card on each page, which is an “Answer Card.” These answer cards will be used inlessons 3 and 4.

Note: These “Organism Cards” will also be used in Lesson 4.�Adjust the number of cards and ecosystems based on the number of students in the

class. There are seven ecosystems and five organisms cards for each ecosystem. Thereshould be an “organisms card” for each student. Make certain that there are at leastfour students (delete the scavenger, if necessary) in each ecosystem group, althoughit is best to have all five organisms represented in each ecosystem. Also, one ecosys-tem can be deleted.

�Copy the “Ecosystem Handouts” (one for each group of four or five students).�Make a transparency of “Aquatic Plants, Catfish, and Egret Food Chain.”�Make a transparency of “A Delta Food Web.”�Provide seven tables or work areas, one for each ecosystem.�Provide access to the Internet when students are doing research on their organism.

Materials✔ Mural with self-adhesive note sheets (from Lesson 1)✔ A container (e.g., box or hat) in which to place the organism cards✔ White construction paper (if available use 12" x 18") for each student✔ Colored pencils, crayons, highlight markers✔ Seven large pieces of butcher paper (one for each ecosystem group)✔ Book: What Are Food Chains and Webs? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille✔ Field guides to plants and animals in the Delta area and other reference materials,

such as encyclopedias and textbooks

• •



Motivation�Ask students to describe what they ate for lunch. Have the class select a food made

from meat (e.g., a hamburger or tuna fish sandwich). Trace the meat back to theanimal and to what the animal ate. For example hamburger, cow, grass; or tuna fish,smaller fish, plankton (small water plants). Ask students if there is anything they eatthat was not at one time a living thing. Have students note that most everythingthey eat was living at one time. The exceptions are minerals, like iron, calcium, andzinc, which our bodies need. These minerals come from nonliving things; howeverthey can also be acquired by eating living things.

�Tell students that when they were tracing back the food they ate, they were describ-ing a food chain backwards. A food chain describes a pattern of eating and beingeaten and usually starts with a plant. Have students describe the food chain theydiscussed (based on their lunch) from a plant to themselves.

Procedure

1 Use the book What Are Food Chains and Webs? by Bobbie Kalman and JacquelineLangille and read the part about food chains on page 4. Ask students if there is any-thing that they learned from the book that they didn’t already know.

2 Show students the transparency of “Aquatic Plants, Catfish, and Egret Food Chain.”Tell them that this is an example of a food chain that exists in the Delta area. Bringtheir attention to the fact that this food chain, like most others, starts with a plant.

3 Refer students to the mural developed in Lesson 1. Ask them to help make a foodchain made up of three or four organisms. Model the activity by using a felt-tippedpen to draw arrows from a plant to an animal that eats the plant to an animal that eatsthat animal, and possibly to another animal up the food chain. For example, grass tograsshopper to bird to falcon. Remind students that they are tracing the energy goingfrom one organism to another as one eats the other.

4 Ask students to review the names of the organisms on the mural and to determinewhich organisms are eaten by other organisms. Have one student draw an arrow fromone organism to another to identify the food chain relationship. Continue havingdifferent students draw arrows on the mural until all students have participated or allorganisms are identified as being part of some food chain.

5 Show students the transparency “A Delta Food Web.” Ask students to notice the foodchain made up of aquatic plants, a catfish, and an egret. Tell students that connecting

• •


food chains make food webs. Because most animals eat a variety of food, food chainsbecome part of food webs that demonstrate how every organism in an area is con-nected. Ask students to identify on the transparency other foods that an egret mighteat that are not yet connected by arrows (e.g., mouse to egret and salmon fry to egret).

6 Have students link food chains to develop food webs on the mural. This can be doneby adding arrows to make additional connections showing some organisms eatingmore than one type of plant or animal.

7 Introduce the word “ecosystem.” An ecosystem is a community of organisms (livingthings) that interact with each other and with the nonliving environment. Eachecosystem has its own populations of plants and animals that usually differ from otherecosystems. Examples of ecosystems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta include:river (aquatic ecosystem), fresh water marsh, salt marsh, riparian (river forest), oakwoodland, grasslands, and estuary (where salt and fresh water meet). Provide examplesof these ecosystems by referring to students’ experiences (hiking, camping, driving byor through). Tell students that food webs in an ecosystem contain hundreds and eventhousands of different species.

8 Tell students that they will design a poster about an organism that lives in the Sacra-mento-San Joaquin Delta. They will also draw an ecosystem into which they will placetheir organism posters. Have students reach into the container of organism cards andto pull out a card. This is the organism that each will learn more about. When allstudents have picked an organism, place all “Organism Cards” back into the containerfor use in Lesson 4.

9 Place a description of a different ecosystem on each table (there are seven). Ask stu-dents to look at the description of each ecosystem to determine in which ecosystemtheir organism belongs.

10Have students meet in groups based on the ecosystem in which their animals live.Instruct groups to read the description about their ecosystems and to draw theirecosystems on large pieces of butcher paper. When they have completed their organ-ism posters, they will tape these on their ecosystem illustrations adding arrows to showthe food chain relationship.

11Provide a piece of white construction paper to each student. Ask students to look infield guides, reference books, textbooks, encyclopedias, and on the Internet to getinformation about their organisms. Each poster must have the following information:

• An illustration of the organism• Description of the organism (color, size, shape)• Description of the ecosystem in which it lives• Three things that it eats (if applicable)• Three organisms that eat it

• •


12Post the illustrations of ecosystems with students’ organism posters on bulletin boardsor classroom walls. Make certain that students added arrows to show the food chainrelationships within their ecosystems. These will be used in Lesson 4.

Assessment�Review the posters of organisms designed by students and check for completion of

information as described in item #11. Assess the accuracy of the ecosystem illustrations.�Using the transparency of the “Delta Food Web,” ask students to explain the similari-

ties and differences in this illustration to the food webs they developed on the mural.

Extension�Have students develop “Ecosystem Handouts” for other ecosystems in the Delta

area, such as a lake or reservoir, a vernal pool, a stream, a mixed conifer forest, or achaparral.

Resources� BOOKS

• Ecology Handbook: California’s Sierra Foothills, Central Valley & Delta by DerekMadden, Ken Charters, and Cathy Snyder

• What Are Food Chains and Webs? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille• The Estuary Ecosystem by Donald McLusky• Estuaries: Where Rivers Meet the Sea by Laurence P. Pringle• Salt Marsh (Webs of Life) by Paul Fleisher• Food Chains (Science Concepts) by Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein, Laura

Silverstein Nunn• The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Chains by Patricia Relf, Bruce

Degen, Joanna Cole, (Scholastic Productions)• Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification by Chandler S. Robbins,

Bertel Bruun, and Herbert S. Zim• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals by John O. Whitaker,

Jr.• Sierra Nevada Natural History by Tracy I. Storer and Robert L Usinger• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Western Region by Miklos

D. F. Udvardy• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders by Lorus and

Margery Milne• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region by Elbert

L. Little• Other field guides to plants and animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, etc.)• Sacramento’s Outdoor World: A Local Field Guide by the American River Natural

History Association


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• 35


UNIT 6 • LESSON 3

Producers, Consumers, Scavengers,and Decomposers



5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and withthe environment.c. populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an

ecosystem.

ObjectiveStudents will become familiar with various organisms of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Deltaand will categorize these organisms into four major groups (producers, consumers, scaven-gers, and decomposers) based on how organisms obtain their energy. Students will alsowrite one paragraph about a selected organism.

BackgroundOrganisms (living things) can be separated into four categories based on how they acquiretheir energy:

• Producers are organisms (e.g., plants, algae) that get their energy by producing theirown food from raw materials of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. They alsoacquire the nutrients they need to grow from the soil or water.

• Consumers are organisms (e.g., fish, birds, mammals) that get their energy by eatingother organisms.

• Scavengers are organisms (e.g., crabs, earthworms, Turkey Vultures, crows) that gettheir energy by eating dead things.

• Decomposers are organisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi) that get their energy by eatingor absorbing dead matter. Decomposers break down (decompose) the remains ofdead plants and animals and put the raw materials (including minerals) back intothe environment enriching the soil and water for plants.

Preparation�Make a transparency of “Examples of Producers, Consumers, Scavengers, and

Decomposers.”�Make a transparency of the “Terrestrial Food Chain.”

• •


�Make a transparency of the “Aquatic Food Chain.”�Make a copy for each student or one transparency of “Questions About an Organisms.”�Make a copy of “Roles of Some Organisms in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta”

for each student or each group of students.

Materials✔ Butcher paper or a blank overhead transparency✔ A copy of the seven answer cards (one from each ecosystem) from the “Organism

Cards” in Lesson 2


Motivation�Ask students: To what part of the grocery store do you go to get fruits and veg-

etables? (The “produce” section.) Explain that producers are green plants that pro-duce their own food using sunlight as an energy source.

�Why are people called consumers? (We consume things; we buy things; we eatthings.) Explain to students that all animals are called consumers because they needto consume or eat another organism in order to live.

Procedure

1 Introduce vocabulary using the transparency “Examples of Producers, Consumers,Scavengers, and Decomposers” and lead a whole class discussion regarding categories.Help students to define and to provide examples of the four categories of organisms.The definitions (see “Background”) can be written on the chalkboard, butcher paper,or on an overhead transparency. Examples could be:

• Producers: plants (trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, aquatic plants, algae, phy-toplankton)

• Consumers: frog, fish, rabbit, Great Blue Heron, shrimp, fish• Scavengers: earthworms, crabs, insect larvae, crayfish• Decomposers: bacteria, fungi, such as mushrooms. Most decomposers cannot be

seen with the unaided eye.

2 Explain that decomposers are bacteria (single-celled organisms) and fungi. They breakdown (decompose) material that was once living into its original compounds or rawmaterials, including minerals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Plants use the miner-als that are released back into the environment by decomposers to grow. Thus withinecosystems, nutrients are cycled through living things. Decomposers are also an

• •


important food source for worms, insects, and other small organisms that live in thesoil and water.

3 Project the transparency of the “Aquatic Food Chain” and have students identify eachorganism as a producer (algae), consumer (shrimp, fish, Great Blue Heron), scavenger(crayfish), or decomposer (bacteria).

4 Ask students to select one organism from the food webs drawn on the mural. Haveeach student write one paragraph about the selected organism. In the paragraphstudents should state whether the organism is a producer, consumer, scavenger, ordecomposer. Then they should answer three of the questions on the “Questions Aboutan Organisms” sheet. Project the transparency of the questions or provide a copy toeach student.

5 Have students read their paragraphs to the class and then post them next to the eco-system poster (from Lesson 2) to which they believe they belong.

6 Ask students to look at the ecosystem illustrations they did in Lesson 2 and have themidentify which organism is a producer, which is a consumer, and which is a scavenger.Check that their list is correct, and then give them the answer card for their ecosystem(from Lesson 2) to tape on their ecosystem illustration. An example of an “AnswerCard” for the fresh water marsh is provided below:

Fresh Water MarshProducer: AlgaeConsumer: Water boatmanConsumer: Golden shinerConsumer: Great EgretScavenger: Fly larva (maggot)

Assessment�Project the transparency of “Terrestrial Food Chain” and have students identify the

roles of each organism illustrated. If provided with their own copies of this foodchain, students could be asked to expand the food chain into a food web. Theycould also be asked to explain the relationships in this food chain. For example:

This food chain consists of parts of a plant (oak tree leaves) that areeaten by a mouse that is eaten by a snake that is eaten by a hawk.When the hawk dies, a Turkey Vulture might eat its meat and the restof the hawk’s body is used by bacteria and fungi. These organisms areable to release the hawk’s nutrients into the soil to be used by plants.

• •


�The “Roles of Some Organisms in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta” can be com-pleted by students individually, in pairs, or small groups. This can also be given as ahomework assignment. Allow students to conduct research on any organism on thelist that they don’t know.1. Distribute the “Roles of Some Organisms in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta”

to students.2. Instruct students to write what each category of organism eats or how it gets its

energy. Then students should identify into which category each organism mostlikely fits and place a “P,” “C,” “S,” or “D” next to each organism’s name.

3. Grade the worksheet according to category accuracy.

Extension�Have students expand their paragraph to develop one of the following:

• A narrative establishing and developing a plot and setting and presenting a pointof view that is appropriate to the story.

• A narrative to include sensory details and concrete language to develop plot andcharacter.

• An expository composition (e.g., explanation, comparison and contrast, problemand solution).


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• •


Roles of Some Organisms in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

ANSWER KEY

Producer: An organism (living thing) that gets its energy by producing its own foodfrom raw materials of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

Consumer: An organism that gets its energy by eating other living things.

Scavenger: An organism that gets its energy by eating dead things.

Decomposer: An organism that gets its energy by eating or absorbing dead matter.

Willow (P) Saltgrass (P)

Muskrat (C) Beaver (C)

Insect larvae (S) California vole (C)

Gopher snake (C) Red-tailed Hawk (C)

California horn snail (D) Pickleweed (P)

Cattails (P) Tules (P)

Yellow shore crab (S) Great Blue Heron (C)

Great Egret (C) Bullfrog (C)

Pacific tree frog (C) Earthworms (S)

California black walnut (P) Owl’s clover (P)

California blackberry (P) Valley oak (P)

Wild rose (P) Purple needle grass (P)

California poppy (P) Bunch grass (P)

Cord grass (P) Hydrilla (P)

Mushrooms (D) E. coli (bacteria) (D)

• 45


UNIT 6 • LESSON 4

Food Chain Skit



5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and withthe environment.a. energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical

energy through photosynthesis, and then from organism to organism in food webs.b. over time, matter is transferred from one organism to others in the food web, and

between organisms and the physical environment.

ObjectiveStudents will design costumes for various organisms and perform skits demonstratingfood chains. They will discuss and describe in writing several ecological disruptions thatcould happen to affect their food chain and how this might affect other organisms in theecosystem.

BackgroundStructures of organisms show their adaptations to their environments and ways of life.Physical adaptations of animals include specific body structures, such as shape and colorof body, type of body covering, and structure of appendages, like feet, tails, antennae,wings, etc.

Plants adapt to specific ecosystems on the basis of the amount of rainfall, the intensityand heat of sunlight, and the condition and amount of soil. The color, size, shape, andcovering of the plants’ leaves or needles offer clues to the climate and the soil’s conditionof the area in which the plants grow.

Organisms adapt to help them survive in the ecosystems in which they presently live. Butorganisms usually cannot rapidly change what they are like and what they do if theirenvironment is changed suddenly. For example, a tree squirrel cannot successfully becomea ground squirrel if all the trees are removed from an area in a short period of time. Itmight be able to find an alternate food source, but it is not likely to locate an alternatenesting site or adequate shelter from predators. People have been changing habitats fasterthan the rate at which most organisms living in these habitats can adapt. This has ledmany species to become threatened, endangered, and even extinct.

• •


It is important to understand food chains for several reasons. One is for the protection ofhuman health. Studying food chains can help us understand how chemicals, like pesti-cides that have been sprayed in the environment, contaminate our food. Knowing aboutecological linkages helps people to evaluate the consequences of their actions and tomodify their choices to minimize damage to organisms and their habitat and even preventthe extinction of species. Understanding the needs of organisms and their interrelation-ships can help people recognize the importance of preserving biodiversity, which in turnsupports stability in an ecosystem. And ecosystems support life on Earth.

Preparation�Make a transparency of students in costume and have materials and supplies ready.�Provide seven tables or work areas, one for each ecosystem.

Materials✔ Student’s ecosystem handouts for each respective group from Lesson 2✔ Butcher paper, construction paper, yarn, scissors, glue, masking tape, and other

available materials (e.g., cardboard box, paper cups, egg cartons, paper plates)✔ Crayons, markers, colored pencils, tape✔ “Organism Cards” from Lesson 2

TimePreparation: 15 minutesLesson: two 45-minute periods (one period to prepare the costumes and one period topresent the skit)

Motivation�Tell students that they will have the opportunity to work in groups to portray organ-

isms within a food chain. First, they will pick an organism card and then become an“expert” on that organism. They will make costumes and masks and will perform askit with other students in their ecosystem group. Conduct a discussion on whattypes of skits might be possible (e.g., the skit could include a poem, rap, song, play,etc.) and appropriate.

� Show students the transparency of students in costume.

Procedure

1 Have each student pick an “Organism Card” (used in Lesson 2) out of a container.Display an “Answer Card” from the set of “Organism Cards” (from Lesson 2) for eachecosystem.

• •


2 Ask students to join with the other students in their ecosystem to work on theirpresentations. They can check the “Answer Card” to see in which ecosystem they willwork. They may refer to the “organism posters” from Lesson 2 and other resources foruse in their performances.

3 Provide one class period (45 minutes) for costume preparation. Students might also wishto write a poem, song, play, or a narrative to describe their food chains. Copy on thechalkboard the questions from item #5 to help guide students in their presentations.

4 When all groups are ready, have groups present their skits to the class, emphasizing theinteractions within their ecosystem. Discuss why learning about food chains is impor-tant (see Background).

5 During the skit, prompt the group with the following questions:• “Which of you is the producer and where do you get your energy and nutrients?”• “Which of you is the consumer and where do you get your energy and nutri-

ents?”• “Which of you is the scavenger and where do you get your energy and nutrients?”• “What do you eat, and what eats you?”• “What happens to your energy and nutrients when you die?”• “Why are you important? To what, to whom?”• “What would happen if there was: A drought? An oil spill? New construction

project?” (Suggest different ecological disruptions for each group and allow themto react.)

• Have the performers answer questions from the class.

Assessment�Assess participation in the costume construction and cooperation of students during

their presentations.�Ask students to describe in writing several ecological disruptions that could happen to

affect their food chains and how this might affect other organisms in the ecosystem.

Extensions�Play the “Linking Elbows Game.”

• Ask students to gather into their ecosystem groups.• Within each group, have students to sit on the floor in a circle with their backs to

each other. Then ask them to link elbows while sitting.• Have groups attempt to stand up with their elbows linked.• After each group achieved its task of standing up as a group, have them discuss

the following: How are this game and our class discussion on interrelationships ofthe Delta ecosystem related? Invite groups to share their answers. (Possible an-swer: Each ecosystem has various living things that support each other.)

• •


• This game can also be played again with six members in each team (add air andwater). Discuss the importance of these relationships (e.g., living and non-livingorganisms are part of an ecosystem. All components in an ecosystem are essentialto living things).

�Teach students about the process of photosynthesis and its importance to ecosystems.


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Notes

• 51


UNIT 6 • LESSON 5

Ecosystem-Related Projectsand Simulation Activity



5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and withthe environment.e. the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the

resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range oftemperatures, and soil composition.

The format of this lesson is different from the other four lessons in this unit. The title ofeach project is listed and a brief description is provided, but the teacher and students willdecide how best to implement the project or the simulation activity.

Consider developing the selected project around the following science processes.

Investigation and Experimentation 7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningfulquestions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept,and to address the content of the other three strands, students should develop their ownquestions and perform investigations. Students will:

a. develop a hypothesis.

b. select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers,balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data,and display data.

c. construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements aboutthe relationships between variables.

d. communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports andverbal presentations.

e. recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.

h. identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phe-nomena (e.g., a tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hillslope).

• •


ObjectiveStudents will either:

• Set up and study a miniature ecosystem (e.g., worm bin, aquarium, native plantgarden, ecosystem in a bottle) in the classroom or in the school’s garden area. Theywill monitor the ecosystem’s health over time and will discuss: “How do organismsin this ecosystem exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with theenvironment?”

• Participate in a simulation activity that focuses on how people can impact an ecosys-tem and encourages students to use their decision-making skills based on what theyhave learned about ecosystems in this unit.

BackgroundIn this lesson, a variety of projects are described and linked to websites that provideadditional information. The project or projects that students select will depend on stu-dents’ interests, the topics and concepts that students should learn, and the skills thatstudents should experience. In addition, this lesson also provides a simulation activity thatfocuses on how people can impact an ecosystem.

Preparation�Will depend on the project selected.

Materials✔ Identify and collect materials to implement the project.

TimePreparation: Will depend on the project selectedLesson: Will depend on the project selected

Motivation�Encourage students to:

• Select a project to implement to observe a miniature ecosystem or do the simula-tion activity.

• Identify the application of the project to the science content standards.• Develop experiments and investigations concerning the project and follow the

recommended tasks in the “Investigation and Experimentation” science contentstandards for grade 6.

• •


ProcedureA variety of projects and one simulation activity are described for students and theirteacher to select. If this lesson is being read on a computer screen, clicking on the URLwill bring the user to the selected website.

Students should keep a journal of what they do and what they observe as well as conclu-sions they formulate. They should be able to answer the question: “How do organisms inthis ecosystem exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environ-ment?” They can do so by identifying the producers, consumers, scavengers, and decom-posers and by developing food chains and food webs that might exist in the miniatureecosystem.

Project 1: Prepare and Monitor a Vermicomposting BinStudents set up and monitor a vermicomposting (worm) bin. Students could count thenumber of worms and other organisms over time. They can also measure the temperature,pH, and the moisture content of the worm bin.

� APPLICABLE WEBSITE

• http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/schools/Curriculum/Worms/default.htmThis website contains: “The Worm Guide: A Vermicomposting Guide for Teachers”(information on how to set up and maintain a vermicomposting bin).

Project 2: Set Up an AquariumStudents set up an aquarium and monitor the environment to keep it healthy for theorganisms living in the aquarium.

� APPLICABLE WEBSITES

• http://www.seaworld.org/Aquademics/tetra/classroom_aquarium.htmSea World has created this page to help beginners properly set up and maintain anaquarium.

• http://www.tetra-fish.com/aquarium/index.htmlThe Tetra fish food company has aquarium set-up instructions as well as links toother topics, such as fish diseases.

Project 3: Grow a Native Plant GardenStudents grow a native plant garden and observe and record the organisms that live thereand those that visit the garden.


• http://www.fws.gov/r5cbfo/schoolyd.htmThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides information on how to create a nativeplant garden.

• •


• http://www.fws.gov/r5cbfo/habitatguide.pdfThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also offers a comprehensive guide about nativeplant gardens (available in pdf format).

• http://kidsgardening.com/themes/native1.asp “Kidsgardening.com” explores the question “What is Native?” and has thematiclesson ideas.

• http://www.baynature.com/2003janmarch/resources_2003janmarch.html“Bay Nature” magazine provides a number of resources related to native plants.

Project 4: Make Ecosystems in BottlesStudents make mini-ecosystems in two-liter plastic bottles. They monitor these to makecertain that the organisms within these bottles are kept alive. If organisms are collectedfrom a natural environment, they should be returned to their environment when studentshave completed their studies.


• http://mars2001.enoreo.on.ca/mission/challenges/ecosystem.htmThe “Marsville Project” provides clear procedures for students to construct a bottleecosystem and monitor its health over a period of time.The above site also has directions for:Desert Terrarium | Simple Terrarium | Bog Terrarium

• http://entowww.tamu.edu/academic/ucourses/ento489/lessons/lesson31.htmlAn easy-to-follow lesson plan introduces students to the concept of ecosystems byallowing student to create their own ecosystem in a jar.

Project 5: Develop a Habitat for Crickets or MealwormsStudents develop a habitat for crickets or mealworms. These organisms can be purchasedin most per stores.


• http://www.insectlore.com/xinsectucational_stuff/mealworm_activity.htmlInsectLore.com provides a number of insect related activities, includingthis page on rearing mealworms.

• http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/doctor/raisebugs.htmlFrogland has a website devoted to breeding crickets and provides linksto other projects.

Simulation Activity: In Which Ecosystem Should We Build?Have students participate in a simulation activity. Have them suppose that a huge malland an apartment complex are planned for an area in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.The mall and apartment complex must be built in one of the following ecosystems:

• •


• River (aquatic ecosystem)• Fresh water marsh• Salt marsh• Riparian (river forest)• Oak woodland• Grasslands• Estuary (where salt and fresh water meet)

Have the same groups of students work together on the ecosystem they represented in theskit in Lesson 4. The task of each group is to convince the rest of the class that the ecosys-tem the group represents should not be used for the site of the construction project. Thiscan be done by having the groups first list the advantages and then the disadvantages ofbuilding in such an ecosystem.

In addition, each group should recommend which ecosystem should be used for the malland apartment complex. Because more people are moving into the Delta and need a placeto live and to shop, not building the mall and apartment complex is not an option.

Once all groups advocated for their ecosystem and promoted a specific ecosystem onwhich to place the mall and apartment complex, have the class vote where this construc-tion project should be built. Allow students to recommend some ways to lessen the im-pact on the chosen ecosystem.

Conduct a discussion with students about decisions people make concerning the Sacra-mento-San Joaquin Delta.

Have students write two paragraphs on which ecosystem is most important and which isleast important and to offer an explanation for their choices.

Assessment� Select an assessment tool or tools to show the progress of the project or the presenta-

tion by groups in the simulation activity.�Hold a group discussion about whether human communities, such as towns, cities,

and farmlands, should be considered ecosystems. Focus of components of naturalecosystems (marshes, rivers, oak woodlands) and compare these to componentsfound in human communities.

Notes

• 57


Assessment for Unit Six:Pre-Test/Post-TestAnswer Key

1. An organism is a living thing.

2. An ecosystem is a community of organisms interacting with each other andwith the physical environment.

3. Our environment is the area that surrounds us and includes living and nonliv-ing things (natural and human-made objects). The natural environment of anorganism (a living thing) includes its physical surroundings, such as otherplants and animals, soil, rocks, air, and water.

4. Answers may vary (birds, fish, mammals, trees, people)

5. A food chain represents the transfer of energy from one organism to another,usually as one eats the other.

6. Answers will vary; food webs are made up of food chains and show how organ-isms within an ecosystem are interrelated.

7. Any three of the following: river, freshwater marsh, salt marsh, riparian, oakwoodland, grassland, estuary

8. Answers may include: producer: any plant; consumer: any animal that eatsplants; scavenger: any animal that eats dead things; and decomposer; bacteriaand fungus.

9. Answers may vary (dams, roads, buildings, farming, mining, logging, introduc-tion of non-native species)

10. Answers may vary (floods, earthquakes, erosion, fires)

58 UNIT 6 | ASSESSMENT•

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Documents

UNIT SIX • SIXTH GRADE Delta Ecosystems 6deltastudies.weebly.com/uploads/4/6/2/3/46233367/ds_grade_6_2013.… · •5 DELTA STUDIES CURRICULUM UNIT SIX • SIXTH GRADE DELTA ECOSYSTEMS