Download Ocean Food Chains - Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Ocean Food Chains
Teachers Guide
Grade 4
Key Questions
 What are ocean food chains? How are ocean food
chains organized?
 What are the major producers in the ocean ecosystem?
 What animals are at the top of ocean food chains?
Key Concepts
Phytoplankton (plant plankton) and kelp are the main producers
at the beginning of ocean food chains. These producers get their
energy from the sun.
 Ocean animals, from sea stars to fish to marine mammals,
depend on plankton for survival.
 Ocean animals are consumers. They can be categorized as
carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores.
Description of Activity
Through hands-on experiences, students discover the links and
hierarchy of several ocean food chains. They retrieve samples of
plankton from the ocean using scientific equipment. Microscopes
and microviewers are used to identify producers and consumers
among the specimens. Students also observe several animals
feeding, including sea urchins, sea stars and crabs. By the end of the
discovery lab, students are able to categorize and compare producers
with herbivores and carnivores in the ocean ecosystem.
Words to Know
02/2010
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carnivore
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herbivore
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consumer
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omnivore
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ecosystem
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plankton
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food chain
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producer
School and Teacher Services, Education Division Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
State Science Standards — Fourth Grade
Life Sciences
2a. Students know plants are the primary source of matter and energy entering most
food chains.
2b. Students know producers and consumers are related in food chains and food webs and
may compete with each other for resources in an ecosystem.
Pre-Visit Activities
 Activate Prior Knowledge: Have students discuss the following questions in pairs or small
groups before taking class responses. What is a food chain? What ocean food chains do you
already know about? What is the ocean’s most common and important producer?
 Build Background Knowledge through Literature: Read and discuss books about ocean food
chains, ecosystems, and plankton. Suggested books are included in the Resources section
of this guide.
Extended Activities
 Design an Ocean Habitat: Have students participate in this online web quest to design an ocean
habitat that has a sustainable food chain.
www.nynetresources.org/Future%20Grant%20Projects/Projects/ocean/ocean.html
 Marine Food Web Matching Game: Have students play the online or print version of the Food
Web Matching Game found at www.bigelow.org/edhab/fitting_algae.html#Activity.
This webpage also provides information on the role of algae in ocean food webs and chains.
Resources
Books
For teachers
 Dinwiddie, Robert. Ocean: The World’s Last Wilderness Revealed. New York: DK Adult, 2006.
 Hall, Derek. The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Marine Fishes & Sea Creatures: A Natural History and
Identification Guide to the Animal Life of the Deep Oceans, Open Seas, Shallow Waters, Saltwater
Estuaries, and Shorelines Of The World. Dayton, OH: Lorenz, 2007.
02/2010
School and Teacher Services, Education Division Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
For students
 Capeci, Anne. Food Chain Frenzy. New York: Scholastic, 2004.
 Cerullo, Mary M. Sea Soup: Phytoplankton. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House, Publishers, 1999.
 Cerullo, Mary M. Sea Soup: Zooplankton. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House, Publishers, 2001.
 Hooks, Gwendolyn. Makers and Takers: Studying Food Webs in the Ocean. Rourke Publishing, 2008.
 Lynch, Emma. Ocean Food Chains. Chicago: Heinemann-Raintree, 2005.
 Mattern, Joanne. What Sea Animals Eat. New York: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2006.
 Relf, Pat. The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Chains. New York: Scholastic
Paperbacks, 1996.
 Spilsbury, Richard. Shark Snacks: Food Chains and Webs. Chicago: Heinemann-Raintree, 2007.
 Wojahn, Rebecca Hogue and Donald Wojahn. A Coral Reef Food Chain: A Who-Eats-What Adventure
in the Caribbean Sea. New York: Lerner Publications, 2009.
Websites
 Monterey Bay Aquarium
www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals
Search by species to learn more about the animals along the California coast.
 National Geographic Kids
kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature
Search by habitat or species to locate photographs and fun facts about animals.
 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
www.sbnature.org
Find information regarding the Sea Center, the Mission Creek campus, and further exploration of
Santa Barbara’s natural and cultural history.
 Sea World Animal Information
www.seaworld.org/animal-info/index
Track the latest animal arrivals at Sea World, listen to ocean animal sounds, and find both quick
and in-depth information about ocean animals.
School and Teacher Services, Education Division Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History