Ecosystem Survival

During Week 9 at Girlstart After School, girls learned the ins and outs of ecosystems! The lesson started with vocabulary, where the girls reviewed the parts of an ecosystem, including nonliving and living things. Students separated living things into producers and consumers. Finally, girls identified the three types of consumers: carnivores, herbivores, omnivores.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, club leaders demonstrated the importance of each part of a food chain by building a cup tower based on the “foundation” of the Sun’s energy, which powers food chains and food webs. When one cup was removed, the food chain fell apart. The girls participated in a quick discussion, where everyone concluded that each part of the chain is necessary for energy flow! With this concept in mind, girls divided themselves into groups to connect the individual parts of an ecosystem’s food web.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This activity was easier said than done! Girls quickly found that a plant or animal can be food for a number of different consumers, or that animals often have many more than one food source! Some groups devised their own arrow, color, or numbering system to keep everything organized. Finally, girls played one round of “Ecosystem Survival,” a board game where they competed for limited resources. Girlstart students had a great week learning about the amazing intricacies of food chains, food webs, and ecosystems!