Our Learning Garden - Grade 4 Lesson 1-6

1. Our Learning Garden - Grade 4 Lesson 1-6 • Lesson Summary- Lesson 1- Begins examining the concept of heliotropism (sunflowers follow the sun) and exploring how solar panels mirror the behavior of sun flowers (sun followers). 4-1-06 Investigate how technological developments often mirror physical adaptations. • The students will engage in activities to understand the concept of heliotropism and watch a short video. • Lesson 2 -Students explore the food web, students learn how energy transfers in the web via photosynthesis. 4-1-10 Recognize that the food chain is a system in which some of the energy from the Sun is transferred eventually to animals. GLO: D2, D4, E2. • Students role play in an interactive food chain game. We continue the sunflower theme as the sunflowers are the producers. 4-1-11 Construct food chains and food webs, and classify organisms according to their roles. Include: producer, consumer, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, predator, prey, scavenger. • Lesson 3- Explores how the food chain is affected by the activities of man. We explore the concept of biomagnification so that students can understand how they are affected. 4-1-14 Investigate natural and human-caused changes to habitats, and identify resulting effects on plant and animal populations. Include: endangerment, extinction. GLO: B1, B5, D2, E3 • Lesson 4 further investigates how Investigates how technological developments often mirror physical adaptations. 4-1-06 . We examine the sunflower seed and the spiral placement of seeds. The students do a simple experiment that involve packing shoes . This lesson includes a short video “Nature by Numbers” in which we expand the concept to math (technological developments often mirror physical adaptations) • Lesson 5- Brings continuity to the subjects discussed as we explore the distribution of leaves in nature to efficiently gather energy from the sun. How math enables leaves to make maximum use of sunlight like solar panels. • Lesson 6- Students grow sunflower greens to observe and record leave distribution, • Our goal is to meet many curriculum outcomes as we introduce the students to eating sunflower greens that are incredibly nutritious • All lesson plans and related files for download - ourlearninggarden.ca The files are open so feel to change content to class requirements. Ourourlearninggarden.ca

2. Lesson Plan 1 • Lesson Summary- Lesson 1- Begins examining the concept of heliotropism (sunflowers follow the sun) and exploring how solar panels mirror the behavior of sun flowers (sun followers). 4-1-06 Investigate how technological developments often mirror physical adaptations. • Students get to explore hands on the concept of heliotropism. Sunflowers follow the sun • Watch the video –“How time flies and sunflowers catch (follow the sun) the sun “ 2.02 minutes • Activities –have the students draw pictures of the sun and sunflowers, you can then have the suns walk from to the from the East (sunrise) to West (sunset) path in the classroom. The students can pretend they are sunflowers following the sun (heliotropism). • Have the students follow the sunrise and sunset (path of the sun, like sunflowers do). • Sunflower follow the sun to collect energy.This energy is used for photosynthesis • Solar Panels follow the sun to collect energyThe energy can be used to heat water or to heat solar cells that convert the suns energy into electricity Ourourlearninggarden.ca

3. The Sunflower name also originates from the fact that growing sunflowers do something pretty amazing. They actually turn their faces toward the sun to follow it! ourlearninggarden.ca

4. WEST Sunflowers face in the morning. EAST In the afternoon ourlearninggarden.ca

5. Turning to the the sun is called heliotropism, • Helios is a Greek word that means SUN • Tropism in Greek means turning • HELIOTROPISM= Sun + turning • Would you like to pretend you are a sunflower, turning towards the sun? ourlearninggarden.ca

6. Why would sunflowers face East in the morning ? EAST Use students as markers in the classroom to identify East, West, North, and South in the classroom. Have students draw North, South, East and West signs. ourlearninggarden.ca

7. Why would sunflowers face West in the evening ? WEST In the afternoon Have some students draw the sun and enact the path of the sun, sunrise to sunset. The student can pretend they are sunflowers following the sun. ourlearninggarden.ca

8. “How time flies and sunflowers catch the sun” Link to film ourlearninggarden.ca Download film at

9. Solar Panel ourlearninggarden.ca

10. Solar panel axis rotate to track the sun ourlearninggarden.ca

11. Solar panel axis rotate to track the sun ourlearninggarden.ca

12. Lesson 2 • Lesson 2 -Students explore the food web, students learn how energy transfers in the web via photosynthesis. 4-1-10 Recognize that the food chain is a system in which some of the energy from the Sun is transferred eventually to animals. GLO: D2, D4, E2. • Link to Play some online food chain games • Students role play in an interactive food chain game. We continue the sunflower theme as the sunflowers are the producers. 4-1-11 Construct food chains and food webs, and classify organisms according to their roles. Include: producer, consumer, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, predator, prey, scavenger. • The Food Video Web 3 minutes ourlearninggarden.ca

13. Sunflower follow the sun to collect energy.This energy is used for photosynthesis • Solar Panels follow the sun to collect energyThe energy can be used to heat water or to heat solar cells that convert the suns energy into electricity ourlearninggarden.ca

14. Food Chain ourlearninggarden.ca

15. Play some online food chain games ourlearninggarden.ca

16. The Food Video Web 3 minutes Link to video ourlearninggarden.ca Download at

17. PLANTS MAKE THEIR OWN FOODThey don’t bake , fry or boil itThey Photosynthesize it SUNLIGHT THE SUN IS THE BEGINNING OF THE FOOD CHAIN ourlearninggarden.ca

18. Plants capture the sunlight and use it as food. Sunlight is very important to plants because that is one of the ingredients for there food. • The ingredients plants need to make food are • SUN • WATER • AIR • SOIL SUNLIGHT AIR WATER NUTRIENTS SOIL ourlearninggarden.ca

19. SUNLIGHT AIR • Plants make a green food called chlorophyll. That is why the leaves are green WATER NUTRIENTS SOIL ourlearninggarden.ca

20. ourlearninggarden.ca

21. THE SUN IS THE BEGINNING OF THE FOOD CHAIN ourlearninggarden.ca

22. The Food Chain always starts with plants If the soil or water are not clean or chemicals are used to grow plants, it travels to you and me in the food chain. ourlearninggarden.ca

23. Your teacher will assign you a position in the food chain ourlearninggarden.ca

24. If you are a carnivore draw the caveperson People eat plants, such as vegetables and fruits. We also eat animals and animal products, such as meat, milk, and eggs. Consumers can be carnivores (animals that eat other animals) or omnivores (animals that eat both plants and animals). ourlearninggarden.ca

25. If you are a herbivore draw a picture of a chicken ConsumersThe next trophic levels are made up of animals that eat producers. These organisms are called consumers.Primary consumers are herbivores. Herbivores eat plants, algae, and other producers. ourlearninggarden.ca

26. If you are an egg what are you in the food chain? You can grow into chicken if you are not consumed by a consumer. Are you an animal by product? ourlearninggarden.ca

27. If you are a producer draw a picture of a sunflower with seeds ProducersProducers make up the first trophic level. Producers, also known as autotrophs, make their own food and do not depend on any other organism for nutrition. Most autotrophs use a process called photosynthesis to create food (a nutrient called glucose) from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. ourlearninggarden.ca

28. FOOD CHAIN GAME • Activity – best done in smaller groups of 8-10(adjust number based on classroom size). • A)Four students are sunflower plants give them each some seeds • B)Two students are the chickens • C) Two students can be the egg • D) Two students can be the cavepersons • IMPORTANT for students to learn that if one part of the food chain is disrupted the entire food chain can collapse! That is why you do not eat all the seeds, eggs or chickens! • Have the chicken eat some seeds, Lay an egg, then have the caveman destroy the food chain by eating all the chickens and eggs. • Do another variation where sunflowers die and there are no seeds so the chickens starve. • Have the students do a food chain where the eggs do not hatch because of chemical in the food chain. ourlearninggarden.ca

29. Pollution on land and farmers fields drain into rivers and lakes Pesticides and pollution can effect the strength / thickness of the birds egg shell. Oil, lead and mercury are some of the causes. Higher you are in the food chain the higherconcentrations of toxins you eat. ourlearninggarden.ca

30. Lesson 3 • Lesson 3 –examines the relationship between food chain and pollution • Students are introduced to the concept of biomagnification. • 2-4-12 Identify substances that pollute air and water, and describe ways of reducing such pollution. GLO: B3, B5, D3, D ourlearninggarden.ca

31. Pollution can effect the shells of eggs ourlearninggarden.ca

32. What do you think happens when a egg shell is thin and weak? ourlearninggarden.ca

33. What do you think happens when a egg shell is thin and weak? ourlearninggarden.ca

34. What do you think happens when a egg shell is thin and weak? The eggs will not hatch and you do not get any chicks. ourlearninggarden.ca

35. Eagle were nearly extinctas their egg shells are very sensitive to pollution. ourlearninggarden.ca

36. Does pollution an a food chain affect you? ourlearninggarden.ca

37. Biomagnification Blue dots are pollution What is happening? ourlearninggarden.ca

38. Species on the food chain get more chemical or pollution in their body as they go up the food chain. This process is called biomagnification. It comes from the word magnify. Do you have a magnifying glass? ourlearninggarden.ca

39. Yellow circle is pollution What is happening? Is this biomagnification? ourlearninggarden.ca

40. Pollution runs into our rivers , lakes and oceans ourlearninggarden.ca

41. Pollution runs into our rivers , lakes and oceans ourlearninggarden.ca

42. Some farmers aerial spray crops with chemicals to kill weedsWhere do all the chemicals go? ourlearninggarden.ca

43. Some farmers sprays crops with chemicals to kill weedsWhere do all the chemicals go? ourlearninggarden.ca

44. Pollution runs into our rivers , lakes and oceans ourlearninggarden.ca

45. Can you draw a picture of biomagnification? • Identify what the source of the pollution is – glyphosate farmers use this to control weeds • Draw all the species in the food chain • Show the process of biomagnification glyphosate ourlearninggarden.ca

46. Lesson 4 • Lesson 4 further investigates how Investigates how technological developments often mirror physical adaptations. 4-1-06 . • We examine the sunflower seed and the spiral placement of seeds. • The students do a simple experiment that involve packing shoes . • This lesson includes a short video “Nature by Numbers” in which we expand the concept to math (technological developments often mirror physical adaptations) ourlearninggarden.ca

47. Look closely at the sunflower. ourlearninggarden.ca

48. Do you see a pattern? ourlearninggarden.ca

49. ourlearninggarden.ca

50. Is it a spiral pattern ourlearninggarden.ca