Pre-Visit Activities : Linking up Foodchains : Assessment Third - Fifth Grade Online Curriculum : Communities

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