Project+3

= Phase 3: R2D2  =

General Topic: ** Science ** Specific Topic: ** Food chains ** Audience: ** Sixth grade students ** Activity: ** Concept mapping key information **

Topic Overview
Food chains exist in every ecosystem, biome, and habitat all over the world, even in your back yard. Food chains are both necessary and delicate parts of the world around us. As the top of the food chain, knowing more about food chains can make us all better stewards of the planet Earth. A food chain is a simplified extraction of a food web in which energy is transferred from one organism to another as each higher level in a food chain ingests or eats lower organisms along the chain for survival. Prior knowledge for being able to understand food chains would include knowledge of Earth's original energy source, the sun, and how this energy is converted into a tangible form for Earth's organisms to utilize this energy (photosynthesis).

Task (what will your audience be doing)
Each student will log onto a concept mapping website, either from the given list below, or one you find on your own, and generate a concept map outlining the major information of this unit. The concept map can be based on the vocabulary, or a series of food chains. If you choose to do food chains, each level in the food chain must be labeled as producer or consumer, what level consumer, and the type of consumer; herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, or scavenger.

I have provided you with two examples of "information concept maps" below. While I do not expect you to copy my examples, you are allowed to use them to come up with ideas of your own. Remember, we have covered lots of information in this unit, so allow yourself to think outside the box! I am excited to see what you all come up with.



Process/ Guidance (how you will create the project)
The students will download one of these mind mapping tools to generate their concept map, save it, and post it to our class blog.
 * ** Mindmeister ** : @http://www.mindmeister.com/
 * ** Freemind ** : @http://freemind.en.softonic.com/
 * ** xmind ** : @http://www.xmind.net/

Basic and proficient students will generate at least two plausible food chains, including a third level consumer from any type of ecosystem or biome.
 * Suggested options for food chain Concept Maps **

Below basic students will use a clozed note outline to generate one plausible food chain of their own including at least a second level consumer from any type of ecosystem or biome.

Advanced students will generate three plausible food chains, including third level consumers in each chain, across at least two different ecosystems or biomes.


 * Blog address: **


 * Click here to go our blog, or follow this link: @http://foodchainposts.blogspot.com/p/concept-maps.html

Evaluation
Your work will be evaluated on the clarity and accuracy of your examples that you state within your concept maps. Your ability to accurately generate plausible food chains, or organize acquired information from this lesson will determine your grade of a 4, 3, 2, or 1.
 * 4 - Superior work [no grammatical errors, all information is clear and accurate]
 * 3 - Good work [1 or 2 grammatical errors, most information is clear and accurate]
 * 2 - Fair work [2 or more grammatical errors, information presentation is not organized as well as it could be]
 * 1 - Not your best effort [grammar errors, unclear organization, and inaccurate information presented]

Student Reflection

 * Have you done your best work?
 * Would your concept map be clear to someone who has not completed phase 1 or 2 of this lesson?