4FN2 – Science – Food Chains in Creation

How do FreeNode lessons work?

FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.

To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.

How Do I Use the FreeNode?

Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.

This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.

Can I show videos in FN classes?

Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.

Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.

The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.

How do bookmarks work?

Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.

You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.

You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.

You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.

Class Lesson Plan

Objectives:

Students will define “food chains” and understand the flow of energy in ecosystems.
Students will identify the components of a food chain: producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Students will recognize the role of each organism in a food chain and its impact on the ecosystem.

Materials:

Whiteboard/Chalkboard and markers/chalk
Visual aids (pictures or diagrams of food chains)
Interactive online resources (optional)

Introduction (5 minutes):

Define “food chains” as pathways that show how energy and nutrients are transferred from one organism to another in an ecosystem.
Explain that the sun is the primary source of energy for most food chains.

Theocratic Connections:

In Genesis 9:3, after the floodwaters subsided and Noah and his family left the ark, Jehovah blessed Noah and his sons, saying: “Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you.” This scripture establishes that after the flood, God granted permission for humans to eat meat, allowing for the establishment of food chains in which humans, as omnivores, are part of the ecosystem as both consumers and consumed.

By understanding the biblical context of Noah and the permission Jehovah gave him to eat meat, students can gain insights into the interdependence of living beings, as well as the role of humans in the food chains of creation.

Activity 1 – Components of a Food Chain (10 minutes):

Describe the three main components of a food chain: producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Explain that producers, such as plants, create their food through photosynthesis, while consumers obtain energy by consuming other organisms.
Discuss the vital role of decomposers in breaking down dead organisms and recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Activity 2 – Constructing a Food Chain (10 minutes):

Create a simple food chain on the board with specific organisms found in the local environment (e.g., grass → grasshopper → bird).
Ask students to identify the roles of each organism and their position in the food chain.
Discuss the concept of “energy transfer” and how each organism’s energy is passed on to the next.

Activity 3 – Interactive Food Chain Game (5 minutes):

Conduct a fun, interactive game where students act as different organisms in a food chain.
Students demonstrate how energy is transferred by moving from one organism to the next.

Conclusion (5 minutes):

Review the main points about food chains, emphasizing the flow of energy and the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Discuss the significance of maintaining balanced food chains for the health of the ecosystem.

Assessment:

Informally assess student participation during class discussions and activities.