KS3 ~ Year 8 ~ Disruption to Food Chains & Webs

This lesson is designed for the KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the B2 1.2 Ecosystem Processes.

For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.

The lesson begins with an introduction to the term ‘interdependence’ - students are given the defintion for this term. They are also asked to think of ways in which animals and plants depend on each other within an ecosystem, students can brain storm their ideas in their books. The answers will then be revealed using the PowerPoint presentation, students should check and correct their work.

The next part of the lesson focuses on how changes in an ecosystem can affect animal populations, students will be asked four questions which they should discuss with their partner before writing their ideas down on a piece of A3 paper. The answers to these questions will then be revealed using the PowerPoint, so students can self-assess their work.

Next, students will be shown a food web from a marine ecosystem and students will need to answer a set of questions using this food web. The questions focus on what will happen to certain animal populations if others increase/decrease/are wiped out. Students can answer these questions in their books, they can then self-assess their work using the answers provided.

Students will now be given a set of information on stable communities. Students should read the piece of information and using this will need to answer a set of questions. The answers can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided in the PowerPoint.

Lastly, students will read an article (link included) on bioaccumulation in killer whales. Students should read the article and try to come up with a definition for the term ‘bioaccumulation’, once students have had a go at this task, the correct definition for this term will be revealed so students can self-assess their work.

The plenary activity requires students to write three quiz questions based upon what they have learned this lesson.

All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)