Not So Big Bad Wolf or Bear!

For teachers looking for ways to teach about species interdependence, food chains and food webs, this article has an excellent activity that was adapted from a lesson shown at the Vancouver ... See More

For teachers looking for ways to teach about species interdependence, food chains and food webs, this article has an excellent activity that was adapted from a lesson shown at the Vancouver Aquarium website. Instead of having one very long length of twine like I used to do to have students become a complicated food web, this activity uses several 1- to 2-meter lengths of twine. It is much easier to create a food web with your students and equally if not more effectively show interdependence. It also would be a good activity to do with your students before they complete the interactive simulation titled Reintroduction of Wolves Interactive (Figure 4.18 in the second Science Object (Species Relationships) of the SciPack, Interdependence of Life. Look in the sub section titled, Changes in the Web. I also really liked the game described in the article called, “Meeting Animals’ Needs”. I think these three activities will really help students understand interdependence.

Kinesthetic Approach to Interdependence

This article describes a food web in which students become the organism within the web and connect to other organisms using string to do this. After the web is created then different enviro... See More

This article describes a food web in which students become the organism within the web and connect to other organisms using string to do this. After the web is created then different environmental challenges are put into the web and students realize how all organisms within the web are affected even if that challenge only occurs to one of the organisms. This is a kinesthetic approach used to further conceptual understanding. This seems like a good activity to try with students.