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Assessment:
A Language and Art Link
Explain
to students that scientists often draw the feeding structure of
a community or ecosystem in the shape of a pyramid (or triangle).
Students will then use art skills to draw a triangle on a piece
of paper and then draw organisms in the correct places on the
triangle as they would fit together in a food chain. For example,
they might draw diatoms at the base of the triangle, periwinkle
snails at the next level up, blue crabs at the next level up and
river otters at the peak. At the bottom of their drawings, underneath
the energy pyramid, students will answer the following question
using full sentences: Why do you think scientists draw illustrations
showing how energy flows through a food chain in the shape of
a pyramid (triangle)?
Scoring
rubric: (Out of 12 points):
- For
each organism drawn: (1 point)
- For
each organism drawn at the correct trophic level: (1
point)
- For
explaining that the shape of an energy pyramid is triangular
in nature because there is less energy at each level
as you move up a food chain AND/OR that as you move
up a food chain there are fewer organisms at each level
(4 points)
- Total:
12 points
