Bering Sea Fabulous Food Chain Game

Students will sort organisms found in the Bering Sea into food chains and gain an awareness of the flow of energy and nutrients in the Bering Sea Ecosystem.

Objective

Students learn about the different organisms that live in Alaskan waters by playing the Fabulous Food Chain Game. In playing the game, they become aware of the flow of energy and nutrients in the Bering Sea Ecosystem and the functions they serve.

Preparation

Read The Bering Sea: WHO LIVES THERE? in the attached Activity Guide.

Procedure

To play the game:

1. Shuffle the cards. Deal five cards to each player. Place the rest of the cards face down on the table.

2. The player on the dealer's left selects a card from his/her hand. This card serves as the 'start' point for the game.

3. The second player selects a card from his/her hand and builds to the left OR right of the start card. A card representing an organism eaten by the organism on the start card is placed to the left. A card representing an organism that eats the organisms on the start card is placed to the right.

4. If a player cannot place a card down, the player must draw from the deck until a card can be played. If no cards are left on the table, the player must pass. Play continues until a food chain is completed. The winner is the player with no cards remaining or the fewest cards remaining when the food chain is completed.

5. Before you play again, list organisms in the data table that made up your food chain. Play the game 4 or 5 times to build up several food chains.

Extension

Musical and Kinesthetic

Sing "The Ice Algae Grew Underneath On The Ice" (included in Activity Guide). Make it kinesthetic by providing name necklaces for all the organisms in the song. As the song is sung, those organisms sung will stand up. After the stanza is sung, the students will sit back down. The students will stand up every time they hear their name sung. At the end of the song, all the students will stand. The teacher can assess student understanding by asking questions about the organisms standing.

Art and Kinesthetic

Students create bracelets or necklaces using cord (sparkly plastic cord represents energy). They use different beads, pasta, or paper cutouts to represent different links in the food chain and string them on the plastic cord. Tie them on wrist, or ankle, or around the neck.

Credits

Maggie Prevenas, prevenas [at] hawaiiantel.net