While you are advised to repeat this activity several times, each time should take no more than 15 minutes and consist of approximately five species. You may use the plant and animal diet cards from Level 1 or create new cards which show only the plant, animal, or diet, rather than those with the “eats” arrow. Show students one plant or animal with two diets,
prompting students to match correct diet (e.g., “What do rabbits eat?”). If using the diet cards from Level 1, make sure to physically cover the plant or animal, showing to stu- dents only the “eats” arrow and diet. After each species, ask if students like that plant or animal, and if they would want to try the same diet. For students who are struggling with plant diets, have
a conversation discussing sunlight as a source of energy for plants. Often, students struggle prior to this discussion, making the connection between soil and water as being needs of plants, but not sunlight. Additionally, some stu- dents may struggle with animal diets. In this case, it helps to begin this level by having one of the choices being sun, as no animals presented use sunlight as their source of energy. As this level becomes easier for students, begin adding more diet options as well as removing sunlight as an option for an animal diet choice.
Level 3 Similar to Level 2, you may choose to use the diet cards from Level 1 or create new cards which show only the plant, animal, or diet, rather than those with the “eats” arrow. Take students outdoors and around campus, as this level needs to be completed with live species. This activity should take
15–30 minutes depending on number of species found when you search your schoolyard. While spending time in nature, search for plant and ani-
mal species. Using two diet cards, reference a live animal and ask for students to match the correct diet (e.g., “What does this eat?”). Students may match through verbalizations, pointing or choosing from provided cards. After a couple animals, ask which diet students liked best. Due to the added difficulty of directly referencing live
animals compared to those in the photos, it is ideal to have the cards displaying plant and animal species for student reference. Additionally, you may find that students initially forget that plants require sunlight. Therefore, a short discus- sion on this may be necessary. As students become quicker to choose the correct diet, add more diet options.
Level 4 Depending on your classroom structure, you may have instructional aids. If you do, split students into groups, where each group has at least one instructional aid or teacher. If you do not have instructional aids, you may split your class into two groups or simply teach this activity to the class as a whole. If you have groups, provide each group a set of plant, animal, and diet cards, along with several “eats” arrows. If you choose to do this activity out- doors, it is advised that plant, animal, diet, and “eats” arrow cards contain a magnet on the back for use on a magnetic whiteboard. Using minimal teacher or instructional aid help, have
students organize the cards into the correct food chain. This may be done verbally using devices or with their hands.
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