1. The Question

1. Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1. The Question • How could fluctuations in the population of something as small as a water flea affect large predators like raccoons and herons? • How do changes in the food chain affect other organisms in the Chesapeake Bay? Photo courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources Last update: July 2006 Created by Sharon Grimes August 2005BCPS Research Module or Slam Dunk Model, Copyright 2005, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD, all rights reserved. The models may be used for educational, non-profit school use only. All other uses, transmissions, and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly. This lesson is based on Jamie McKenzie’s Slam Dunk Lesson module available at http://questioning.org/module2/quick.html.

2. Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 2. Information Sources The first site you will visit is BrainPOP where you will watch a short video about food chains and then take an interactive quiz. After you build your background knowledge about food chains in general, you will visit the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ website to learn more information about food chains in the Chesapeake Bay. The last site you visit will be the Pride of Baltimore website to learn specific details about food chains in the Chesapeake Bay. Graphic courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Program

3. Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 3. The StudentActivity First, view the short video on food chains at BrainPOP. Then, test your knowledge by taking the interactive quiz. Second, read for information about food chains in the Chesapeake; complete the GULP! Worksheet by designing and drawing a simple Chesapeake Bay food chain following the instructions provided on the worksheet. Web sites: • BrainPOP(In BrainPOP, click Science, then Ecology & Behavior, then Food Chain.) • Food Chains in the Chesapeake • Zooplankton Link in the Bay

4. Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 4. The Assessment Activity • Looking at the food chain you created on your GULP! Worksheet, if you removed the striped bass fish from your food chain, what would be the “chain reaction?” In other words, if striped bass were overfished or died from a bacteria, what would happen to the other organisms in the food chain? • Write your answer in the form of an extended constructed response.

5. Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 5. Enrichment Activities A food chain is a simple linear repre- sentation of who eats what. However, the feeding system in an ecosystem is more complicated than that. Go to Ocean Link: Food Websto learn more about food webs. Then create your own food web using one of these websites: • Food Webs: Marine • Make a Food Chain(Near the end of the webpage, click on the “Create a Food Web” link.)

6. Objective: Students will create a food chain and explain what happens when one organism is removed. A. Scientific Inquiry: 1. Access and process information from readings, investigations, and/or oral communications. Overarching Question: How are organisms of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem interdependent upon each other and their environment? Teacher Note: The BrainPOP video could be viewed as a class and then students could individually complete the Graded Quiz. Time Management Strategies: One 45-minute period is recommended. Students can be partnered for the student activity. Differentiation: Give students a checklist of activities to complete during the lesson. Use multimedia resource, BrainPOP, to make content accessible to all. Give students a graphic organizer to help with the extended constructive response. Print student copies; allow to hghlight important information; bold key terms. Allow students to work in pairs. AVID Strategy: Collaborative Learning Learning Styles: Visual, Active, Reflective, Global Understanding, Analytical Understanding Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum Goal: 3.0 Life Science: Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the dynamic nature of living things, their interactions, and the results from the interactions that occur over time. Ecology, Indicator: 1. Give reasons supporting the fact that the number of organisms an environment can support depends on the physical conditions and resources available. b. Identify and describe factors that could limit populations within any environment, such as disease, introduction of nonnative species, depletion of resources, etc. enGauge “As society changes, the skills needed to negotiate the complexities of life also change…To achieve success in the 21st century, students also need to attain proficiency in science, technology, and culture, as well as gain a thorough understanding of information in all its forms.” (enGauge) Digital-Age Literacy includes: enGauge 21st Century Skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 6. Teacher Support Materials