Hunger Games Arena

Draw a diagram showing how non-living matter will cycle through your environment.

Include the same nonliving matter in the original activity as well as 3 consumers, 2 producers, and 2 decomposers

Label examples of living and non-living matter and use arrows to show where they go.

Think back to everything we have been learning about plate tectonics.

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What questions do you still have about the plates, plate movement, or the affects plate movement has on Earth?

Produce Reuse Recycle

Essential Question: How does energy and matter flow in an ecosystem?

Read the passage “The Year Without Summer”

In 1815, on the Indonesian Island of Sumbawa, the volcano Mount Tambora erupted, immediately killing thousands and causing much of the world to enter a global chill. The year that followed is known as “The Year Without Summer” because the volcano scattered tons of ash and debris into the air, blocking some of the sunlight that usually warms the Earth’s surface. In that year, thousands of plants and animals died, leaving thousands more humans to die without food.

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Initial Claim

Why do you think so many plants and animals died?

So many plants and animals died because ….

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Goal: Draw arrows and use labels to describe how the different things interact

1. Cut apart and discuss the cards you were given
2. As you discuss, arrange the cards on your poster paper. Think about the following as you work
1. What non-living matter does each living organism produce in its daily life?
2. Where does each living organism get its energy to live and grow?
3. Who eats who?
4. Use lines for labels and arrows to show movement.
5. Arrows should show movement of energy or matter.

3) USE PENCIL to draw lines, arrows, and labels to show how the parts of the ecosystem interact

Data: A Well-Functioning Ecosystem

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Take notes on the vocab words and all the important information about ecosystems

You will use this info to help you revise the poster

Data: A Well-Functioning Ecosystem

Producers -

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Consumers -

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Decomposers

Model

Revise your model (use marker/pen) to make your final draft

Include the following:

• All parts of the ecosystem
• Relevant labels (producer, consumer, decomposer)
• Systems and System Models: Arrows that show all interactions between different parts
• Energy and Matter: Captions that explain how energy flows through the ecosystem
• Captions that explain how matter is cycled through the ecosystem

1. Display your model on a table or counter.
2. Walk around and view other groups’ models.
3. On another group’s poster, leave comments:
1. 1 positive comment
2. 1 “I wonder…” comment

Analysis

1. Why did so many plants and animals die after the Mt. Tambora eruption?

(Explain what happened using what you have learned about the cycling of matter and energy amongst parts of an ecosystem.)

Write or draw a model for your answer

The plants and animals died because _________________

Analysis

2. How did your initial thoughts about Mt. Tambor compare to what you know now?

My initial thoughts are the same/different because _

3. Where did you see examples of Systems and System Models and Energy and Matter in this task?

I saw examples of ______ when _________.

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Grass

Gazelle

Carbon Dioxide