Arctic Tundra Animals Food Web

Overview

Students learn about what type of polar animals live in the Arctic.

Objectives

Students understand the relationships between various trophic levels within the Arctic tundra.

Lesson Preparation

Prepare a picture sign for each of the organisms in the food web.

Procedure

1. KWL Chart on Polar Scientist: knows (K), wants to know (W), and has learned (L).
2. Read Amazing Arctic Animals (Penguin Young Readers, Level 3) by Jackie Glassman.
3. Have students draw what they think polar animals look like.
4. Show students photos of Arctic animals.
5. Assign an animal or organism to each (or a group) of students.
6. Show students what an Arctic food web looks like (two food web diagrams are included in the Lesson Materials).
7. Help the students create the Arctic food web. Start the food web at the sun (start the ball of yarn there). Have the student move to a photosynthesizing plant with the yarn, then to a herbivore, then to a carnivore. Incorporate some death and decomposition with fungi and bacteria and create a giant food web of yarn and interrelationships.
8. Have the students observe all the connections. Can they be connected in different ways?

Resources

Book: Amazing Arctic Animals (Penguin Young Readers, Level 3) by Jackie Glassman.

Author/Credits

Dieuwertje Kast, 2016 PolarTREC Educator
Director of STEM Education Programs, USC
Los Angeles, CA dkast [at] usc.edu