University of Port Harcourt

Department of Educational technology

And

Curriculum Development(Biology)

Assignment on:

Make a lesson unit in your subject area using the 5e's method

Presented by:

Name: EZURUIKE, Chinenyenwa Cynthia.

Mat. No.: U2014/5545084

Course code: Edu. 301.2

Course title: Research method

Course lecturer: Dr. Mrs Harriet Agbarakwe

August, 2018.
Lesson note for the 9th week ending August, 2018.

School: De Gregs’ High school, Crescent avenue, Egbeada, Owerri.

Subject: Biology

Class: SS 1

Duration: Double period of 40 minutes per period.

Average age of students : 14

Number of students: 24

Topic: Food web

Date: 13/08/2018:

Specific Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

i. Define food web

ii. Construct a food web
iii. Differentiate a food web from a food chain

Instructional materials: Illustration chart, text book and activity sheet.

Instructional method: Illustration, explanation and discussion method

Process skills: observing, describing, and differentiating

Procedure: Introducing food chain, food web and trophic levels

A. Engage

Step 1: Food Chain

Food chain is a simple, linear feeding relationship through which organisms depend upon one
another for food. It involves the transfer of energy from the source in plants through series of
organisms with repeated stages of eaten and being eaten.

Examples:

i: grasses --> grasshoppers --> snakes --> kites

ii: Phytoplanktons → Tilapia → Water snake

iii: Dead wood → Termites → Chicken → Man

A food chain starts with the primary energy source, usually the sun. It is energy from the sun that
usually powers the base of the food chain. Next in the chain is an organism that makes its own food
from the sunlight (green plant through photosynthesis) and is therefore called the primary producer.

Producers are also called autotrophs which can either be photosynthetic autotrophs or
chemosynthetic autotrophs depending on the process through which they produce their food.

Next are consumers (heterotrophs) which are species that cannot manufacture their own food
therefore needs to consume other organisms. The first group are called primary (1°) consumers
(herbivores) such as grasshopper and rabbit that eats grass. The second group are secondary (2°)
consumers (carnivores) examples are snake that eats grasshopper and cat that eats rabbit. The third
group is tertiary (3°) consumers (larger predators eating carnivores) such as hawk that eats owl, and
kite that eats snake. The fourth group are the quaternary (4°) or top consumers( omnivores; animals
with no natural enemies like man; top carnivores like lion, hawk, alligator, or polar bear).

● Students engage in observations with the teacher, trying to find answers to questions below.

Fig. 1.1: Food chain

(Teacher answers the questions, telling students how to find out answers)

1. Which is the producer in the food chain? The plant

2. Which is the first-level consumer? The worm
3. Which is the second level consumer? The hen
4. Which is the third level consumer? The girl

Step 2:

Food web is a more complex form of feeding relationship involving interconnected and more
complicated form of food chain. It is a diagram which sets out detailed, complex network of many
overlapping and intersecting food chains. A food web therefore, consists of many food chains which
converge, branch or form cross links.

Fig. 2.1: Food web

B: Explore

To observe the different organisms and their levels in the food, we need to simplify the complexity
of the food web. This can be achieved by grouping the organisms into their feeding levels(trophic
levels)

Producers 1° consumers 2° consumers 3° consumers

(Green plants) (herbivores) (carnivores) (top or super consumers)

e.g. omnivore or hyper parasite

| | | |

| | | |

1st trophic level 2nd trophic level 3rd trophic level 4th trophic level

●Students are grouped into four groups to explore different food webs; finding out:

1: The main sources of food of the organisms in their illustrations,

2: The different feeding levels of the consumers in their food webs, and

3: The number of food chains they can construct from food web illustrations they were given.

Group 1:

Fig. 2.1a: Group 1’s food web illustration.

Group 2:

Fig. 2.1b: Group 2’s food web illustration

Group 3:

Fig. 2.1c: Group 3’s Food web illustration

Group 4:

Fig. 2.1d: Group 4’s Food web illustration

C. Explain

Step 3:

Trophic levels

Trophic level of an organism is the position that organism occupies in the food chain. It can be
defined as the position an organism occupies along food chains or food webs measured as the
number of steps from primary production.

● Trophic Level 1: Plants, algae and bacteria make their own food and are called primary producers

● Trophic Level 2: Herbivores (plant eaters) and are called primary consumers.

● Trophic Level 3: Carnivores which eat herbivores and are called secondary consumers.

● Trophic Level 4: Carnivores which eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers

● Trophic Level 5: Apex predators which have no predators or natural enemies and are at the top of
the food chain as quaternary consumers or top consumers (e.g. Omnivores like man and top
carnivores) •man, often occupies more than one level.
Step 4: Nutrient movement, Energy Flow (Pyramid)

Chemical energy is distributed among producers, consumers and decomposers in form of cellulose,
starch, oils, fats, proteins and other forms of carbohydrates.

Decomposers: (putrefying bacteria and fungi) feed on the remains of organisms. They are often not
represented since they derive food from all levels or links. They are placed at end of the food chain.

Energy flow:

Energy is lost as it flows from herbivores to carnivores. (Lesser lives can be sustained at the higher
trophic level)

Each time an organism is consumed by another, energy is transferred alongside with some being
converted into heat and lost.

Energy flows from the producers to primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers
etc., but are not used up at the various trophic levels.

First and second laws of thermodynamics further explains the flow of energy in food chain.

Trophic Pyramid: This is a diagrammatic, graphical representation of food chain in which producers
form the base and the herbivores, the carnivores and so on form the apex, showing the numbers or
biomass or energy at each trophic level in a given ecosystem.

There are three types of pyramid:

• Pyramid of numbers: It is a representation of number of individuals in the food chain. Each trophic
level shows a drop in number.

• Pyramid of biomass: It is a representation of mass of individuals at each trophic level. Each higher
level shows a drop in mass.

• Pyramid of energy: It represents the rate at which energy flow at successive trophic levels. There is
a progressive decrease of energy at higher trophic levels.

Fig. 4.1.: Pyramid

• (Activities) Students are to explain the questions below.

1. How many food chains are in the food web illustrations?

a. Which are the producers?
b. Which are the primary consumers?
c. Which are the secondary consumers?
2. Which level has the greatest amount of energy in the pyramid?
a. Which gets the least amount of energy?
b. Which is found at the base of the pyramid?
c. Which level is at the second layer?
d. Which level is at the third layer?
3. What happens to the amount of energy as it is transferred from one consumer to another?

D. Elaborate

(Students activities) Construct your own food web using the following species of organisms:

• Cow, insect, elephant grass, chicken, bird, rice plant, boy.

E. Evaluate

Evaluation:

1. A food chain started with photosynthesis and ended with ______.

A. Producer B. Consumer C. Decay D. Secondary consumers.
2. A more complex form of feeding relationship is called _______.
A. Food web B. Food chain C. Heterotrophs D. None of the above
3. The plant is considered the ______ A. Primary consumer
B. Primary producer C. Secondary consumer D. Tertiary producer

4. What is transferred in the food web?

A. Producers B. Predators C. Energy D. Parasites

5. What happens to the stored energy as the consumer moves away from the producer?

A. It increases B. It remains the same C. It decreases D. All of the above

Assignment:

1. Construct a food web from the organisms found around your environment.
2. With the aid of a diagrammatic representation of 3 trophic levels food chain, show
a. Pyramid of biomass
b. Pyramid of energy
c. Pyramid of numbers