EXPLORING ECOSYSTEMS

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

• Identify consumers, producers, and decomposers
• Explain energy sources
• Use Impressionistic techniques while painting an ecosystem

Essential Questions

• Why are producers an important part of the ecosystem?
• What happens when you have an increase or decrease of producers in an ecosystem?
• Why are consumers an important part of the ecosystem?
• What happens when you have an increase or decrease of consumers in an ecosystem?
• Why are decomposers an important part of the ecosystem?
• What happens when you have an increase or decrease of decomposers in an ecosystem?
• What are examples of energy sources in an ecosystem?
• What are abiotic factors in an environment?
• What are biotic factors in an environment?

Use of Technology

• This Youtube video takes you on a tour of many of Claude Monet’s Water Lily paintings. (6 minutes/55 seconds) Water Lilies - Monet
• This Youtube video is a real film of Claude Monet painting in his Garden in Giverny in France in 1915. (2 minutes/45 seconds) Claude Monet - Filmed Painting Outdoors
• This Youtube video takes you on a tour of Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France. (4 minutes 3 seconds) Claude Monet's Garden

Materials

Stretched canvas, one per student; oil based paints; various sizes of paint brushes

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

• The students will view 2 separate video clips of Claude Monet painting in his flower garden as well as a clip that allows the class to see many of Monet’s various versions of his Water Lily series.
• Share the following information with the class: Water Lilies is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet. The paintings depict Monet's flower garden at Giverny and were the main focus of Monet's artistic production during the last thirty years of his life.

Main Activity

Part 1:

• As a whole group, view “Claude Monet's Garden” 4 minutes 3 seconds. In order to cut down on time, you could view the clip from the 1 minute 55 second mark till the 3 minute 6 second, as this part of the video focuses on the ponds and water lily plants.
• Pause the video clip every once in awhile to ask the class what types of ecosystems they see. Create a list of the producers, consumers, and decomposers that inhabit these gardens.
• Once the list is complete, ask the students where the producers, consumers, and decomposers received their energy. What is their energy source?

Part 2:

• Discuss with the class the artistic methods Monet used in his paintings. (Big brush strokes, heavy use of oil based paint, etc.) This would be a good opportunity to ask the visual arts teacher at your school for assistance.
• Each student will receive a stretched canvas, along with paint brushes and oil based paints.
• The students will paint their own version of Monet’s water lilies. They will include a water source, plants, as well as animals that may live in this type of habitat. In essence they will be creating an ecosystem with consumers, producers, and decomposers. The students must also include the energy sources as well in their painting.
• Once the paintings have dried, host a “Gallery Walk” with the class. The students will take a tour of each painting. As they view the paintings they will discuss and identify the consumers, producers, and decomposers as well as the energy sources.

Reflective Strategies

Students will answer the following Reflection Questions (see Downloads) using complete sentences:

1. How did painting a Monet style painting help you better understand and identify producers, consumers, and decomposers? Why is the energy source for producers, consumers, and decomposers an important part of an ecosystem?

Differentiation

Below Grade Level/EL Students:

• Students would benefit from a short lesson, before this lesson is taught. This group of students could to be shown several examples of consumers, producers, and decomposers in various ecosystems. Perhaps focus on pond habitats as that is what this lesson focuses on. These students would also benefit from being able to locate and explain different energy sources in ecosystems. Using old magazines and creating a collage may also be beneficial when identifying energy sources.

Above Grade Level:

• These students could take this project one step further by evaluating and analyzing what would change in their garden ecosystem if one of the consumers, producers, or decomposers were no longer in the environment. How would the ecosystem change?

Additional Resources

• http://art.pppst.com/monet.html (This link/site provides over 10 Powerpoint slideshows from Claude Monet and the Presence of Nature to Impressionism and Claude Monet.)
• The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt
• Who Was Claude Monet? by Ann Waldron
• Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Cristina Bjork
• Monet Paints a Day by Julie Danneberg

Appendix (See Downloads)

• Monet Style Ecosystem Painting Rubric
• Written Reflection Sheet

Credits

U.S. Department of Education Arts in Education--Model Development and Dissemination Grants Program Cherokee County (GA) School District and ArtsNow, Inc. Ideas contributed and edited by: Carmen Sutton, Betty-Ann Walker-Baker, Judy Stewart, Jessica Espinoza, Richard Benjamin Ph.D., Michele McClelland, Mary Ellen Johnson, Jane Gill

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

• Identify and explain the roles of consumers, producers, decomposers, and energy sources
• Create a habitat that includes all of the different ecosystem roles
• Develop a script that explains how all of the roles are related to one another

Essential Questions

• Why are producers an important part of the ecosystem?
• What happens when you have an increase or decrease of producers in an ecosystem?
• Why are consumers an important part of the ecosystem?
• What happens when you have an increase or decrease of consumers in an ecosystem?
• Why are decomposers an important part of the ecosystem?
• What happens when you have an increase or decrease of decomposers in an ecosystem?
• What are examples of energy sources in an ecosystem?
• What are abiotic factors in an environment?
• What are biotic factors in an environment?

Use of Technology

Suggested websites for shared research on Animal Habitats:

• http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/
• http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
• https://www.pebblego.com/login/

Materials

• Shoe boxes (include a variety of different dimensions/sizes)
• Art materials: markers, crayons, paints, colored pencils, paint brushes, glue, scissors
• Construction paper, tissue paper
• Suggested additional materials for dioramas: cotton balls, pom-poms, sand, leaves, flowers, vines

Suggestions for puppets:

• Stick puppets: popsicle sticks, markers, adhesive colored foam, googly eyes http://www.parents.com/fun/arts-crafts/kid/make-with-craft-sticks/#page=2 http://www.easypeasyandfun.com/easter-craft-stick-puppets/ https://craftulate.com/2016/02/mini-craft-stick-animal-puppets.html?utm_content=buffer236de&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer
• Finger puppet examples: http://onelittleproject.com/pipe-cleaner-finger-puppets/ http://mollymoocrafts.com/rubber-glove-finger-puppets/ http://iheartcraftythings.com/polar-bear-kids-craft-finger-puppets.html http://iheartcraftythings.com/chick-finger-puppets.html

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Research/Brainstorm:

• Place students in a small groups (of 3-5 students) for this project.
• Explain that in your groups, students will agree upon a habitat diorama to design and create using art materials and a shoe box.
• Make sure students know that within their habitat they design, they must envision potential inhabitants including consumers, producers, decomposers, and an energy source.
• Conduct some shared research (suggested websites listed above) before designing.
• You can show the class some Examples of Dioramas (see Downloads) before they begin brainstorming together.

Main Activity

Part 1: Research: Students will design and construct their habitat by researching the following things:

1. What type of vegetation would be found in my habitat?
2. What sort of water source would be found in my habitat?
3. What type of landform would be evident?
4. Where is the energy source in relationship to the vegetation?
5. What animals might I include? What plants?
6. What biotic and abiotic factors do we need to include in this habitat?
7. What should we design in the background, in the distance versus the foreground close up? What do we want to emphasize?

Part 2: Create Habitat & Characters:

• As a small group, use construction paper to line a shoe box and begin layering the backdrop with different media and textures. Ask students to address all of their research questions as they are constructing their diorama together.
• Create puppets for each of the different types of roles represented in an ecosystem: producers, consumers, decomposers, and energy source. Make sure your cast includes at least one of each role.

Part 3: Develop Ecosystem Puppet Show Script:

• As a small group, brainstorm a story that could occur in this particular habitat that would model and explain the ecosystem.
• Determine which group member is going to play which particular role(s).
• Create dialogue for your characters in the form of a script.
• Make sure that the story explains the different roles and how they relate to one another. (Ex: The sun (energy source) is needed to make a plant grow (producer). And the rabbit (consumer) needs the plant to eat and survive/thrive in the ecosystem.)

Part 4: Rehearse & Perform:

• Students will determine an actor’s voice for each puppet they are operating.
• Direct students to use pitch, volume and tempo to make vocal choices for their character.
• Students will rehearse their puppet stories in their small groups.
• Students will perform their stories to the class (or another visiting class) for peer feedback.
• Audience members should be directed to identify the various roles in the ecosystem and to clearly see how they work together to thrive in this particular habitat.

Reflective Strategies

Students will answer the following Reflection Questions (see Downloads) using complete sentences:

• Describe how your particular habitat depicted its ecosystem and the various roles present?
• Is there a “most important” role in the ecosystem (producer, or consumer, or decomposer, or energy source)? Defend why you think there is or isn’t a most important role.
• What was most successful about this project? What would you change next time?

Differentiation

Below Grade Level/EL Students:

• Students would benefit from a template for writing their script. This template can help prompt and guide them along in the playwriting process. Sentence frames may also be effective in the writing.

Above Grade Level:

• Consider asking your above level students to create a play that not only describes the roles of different organisms in a balanced ecosystem, but perhaps dramatizes a story where for some reason the ecosystem is NOT balanced. How does the imbalance affect the different characters? What dangers are faced by the ecosystem and what possible solutions or precautions should be advised.

Additional Resources

• http://www.teachmag.com/archives/5618

Appendix (See Downloads)

• Ecosystem Puppet Show Rubric
• Written Reflection Sheet
• Examples of Dioramas

Credits

U.S. Department of Education Arts in Education--Model Development and Dissemination Grants Program Cherokee County (GA) School District and ArtsNow, Inc. Ideas contributed and edited by: Carmen Sutton, Betty-Ann Walker-Baker, Judy Stewart, Jessica Espinoza, Richard Benjamin Ph.D., Michele McClelland, Mary Ellen Johnson, Jane Gill