5.L.2.2

5.L.2.2 Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers, or decomposers (biotic factors).

Last year, I purchased the "Follow That Food Chain" series.  These non-fiction adventure books are set up like a game.  Students begin by reading the introduction and then choosing a tertiary consumer from the ecosystem featured in each book.  From there, they read about the animal and continue to make choices that result in either survival and continuation along the food chain (which really becomes more of a food web) or a "dead end".

Although my students can learn plenty from reading and interacting with this book, I was looking for a way to document their learning.  I decided to create a guided reading focus sheet for this purpose.  You can get a copy of it here.  Basically, students record the tertiary animal they chose. Then they read and respond with 3 facts they learned about the animal.  Next they record the page they chose to go to and why.  For example, in the Australian Outback Food Chain book, students might begin with the dingo and choose their dinner the night before as being a northern quoll which leads to page 44.  Students continue to read and respond to the next guided reading prompt.  Prompts include summarizing a paragraph, writing a question and answer based on a page, naming a problem faced by the animal, explaining an adaptation this animal has made for survival, and ultimately a summary of the ecosystem.

Need more ideas?
 Lerner Publishing Group has some great ideas in their teacher guide.


What?  You don't have these books?  May I suggest you write a DonorsChoose proposal to fund the purchase.  You won't regret it!  If you decide to go that route, let me know by leaving me a message in the comments section.  Most of the time I have a gift card that could jumpstart your proposal and help it to be funded more quickly.

Already have the books?  Leave me a message about ways you have used these books.