Ecosystems Curriculum

Section 1: Resources

Creating the Web of Life — Teacher Instructions

Follow these instructions for constructing the web. As you create the connections, be sure to ask students what each creature eats and what connections should be made. Here is a link to the Web of Life Cards in case you haven't downloaded them yet.

Hint: Use short strings to make connections between students who are standing close to one another and save the longer string for connections where students are standing farther apart.

---

1. Start with the Sun.
2. Next hand out the green plant card. Connect the Sun and green plants by having the students with those cards each hold one end of a piece of string. Connections added at each step are shown in red.

3. Next hand out the insects card. Connect the insects to the green plants by again having the students with those cards each hold one end of a piece of string. Because insects provide energy to other insects, this student should hold both ends of a separate piece of string, making a loop as illustrated below.

4. Next hand out the mice card. Again, connect the mice to the organisms from which it gets energy.

5. Now add the earthworms card. Connect the earthworms to organisms from which it gets energy.

6. Now add the toads card. Connect the toads card to organisms which provide energy to it and to organisms which it provides energy to.

7. Continue adding cards in the following order: snakes, owls, skunks, and fungi. Continue to connect the organisms that receive energy and give energy to one another with the pieces of string. When all the cards have been given out the "web" should look like this: