Project Immersion: Pollution and Food Webs

Grades K-2: Pollution and Food Webs

Objective Students will learn about food webs and how material is passed through them to all living things.

Materials Cardboard counters or other small, colored items.

Time Frame 1/2 hour

Teacher Background See Conservation in the Background Information Section.

Dive In! How are animals affected by other animals and the pollutants people put into the environment?

Process Divide students into three different sized groups: plankton, fish, and Humpback whale, with the most students in plankton and the fewest in whales. Each plankton student is given a counter, or other colored item, that represents a unit of pollution.
Fish must then catch plankton and each fish gets the counter from the plankton. Most fish will then have several counters. Point out that each fish has more pollution in it than each plankton had.
The humpback whales will now go after fish. When the whales have caught all the fish, they will have all the colored counters and the most pollution. Whales are at the top of the food web and receive the largest amount of pollution. Therefore, even though nothing eats them, they may be in the most danger from animals below them!
You can introduce the idea of a fatal dose of pollution by removing those fish or whales that have more than a certain number of counters. After each round is over, those who have too much pollution are out of the game.
Caution: This game requires the students to be very energetic and may best be done in the gym or outside.

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Objective	Students will learn about food webs and how material is passed through them to all living things.

Materials	Cardboard counters or other small, colored items.

Time Frame	1/2 hour

Teacher Background	See Conservation in the Background Information Section.

Dive In!	How are animals affected by other animals and the pollutants people put into the environment?

Process	Divide students into three different sized groups: plankton, fish, and Humpback whale, with the most students in plankton and the fewest in whales. Each plankton student is given a counter, or other colored item, that represents a unit of pollution. Fish must then catch plankton and each fish gets the counter from the plankton. Most fish will then have several counters. Point out that each fish has more pollution in it than each plankton had. The humpback whales will now go after fish. When the whales have caught all the fish, they will have all the colored counters and the most pollution. Whales are at the top of the food web and receive the largest amount of pollution. Therefore, even though nothing eats them, they may be in the most danger from animals below them! You can introduce the idea of a fatal dose of pollution by removing those fish or whales that have more than a certain number of counters. After each round is over, those who have too much pollution are out of the game. Caution: This game requires the students to be very energetic and may best be done in the gym or outside.