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Why would a hawk move to New York City?
Web of Life Unit | Lesson 1 of 7
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Why would a hawk move to New York City?

Web of Life Unit | Lesson 1 of 7
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:

Which living things should you be able to find near you, next time you spot a squirrel?

Ask the questions:
1) What does it eat?
2) What is it eaten by?

Here's what we think...

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DISCUSS:

1) What animals might live in your neighborhood? Come up with 3 places where you could look.

2) Ask the food chain questions: "What does it eat?" and "What is it eaten by?" Does this lead you to think of any new animals to look for?

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Slide Image
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predator


1 of 12

an animal that hunts and eats other animals
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prey


2 of 12

an animal that is hunted by and eaten by another animal
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herbivore


3 of 12

an animal that only eats plants
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carnivore


4 of 12

an animal that eats only other animals
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omnivore


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an animal that eats both plants and animals
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consumer


6 of 12

a living thing that eats other living things
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producer


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a living thing that makes its own food
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food chain


8 of 12

how living things are connected through what they eat and what they are eaten by
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model


9 of 12

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
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food web


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many different food chains found in one place
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matter


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anything that takes up space; can be in different forms such as solid, liquid, or gas
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matter flow


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the movement of material through an ecosystem, such as through food chains and food webs
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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
Park Shanghai by Iakov Kalinin
iridescent pigeons by Denis Omelchenko
pigeons city landscape by Maglara
pigeons flying city by F. Alzheimers , used under CC BY
spooked pigeons by F. Alzheimers , used under CC BY
blue sky by Elliot Brown , used under CC BY-SA
red tailed hawk soaring by Ferris Akel
pigeons eating crumbs by Victoria Zinchenko
old man pigeons by Garry Knight , used under CC BY-SA
pigeon in hand by schankz
Pigeons in Tarnów by Aktron , used under CC BY-SA
hawk in motion by Phoo Chan
hawk in the city by Gavin Nevill
hawk perched/hunting by jeremy Seto , used under CC BY-SA
hawk cliffs by Jodie Wilson , used under CC BY-SA
hawk superimposed over skyscraper by TheBrockenInaGlory , used under CC BY-SA
skyscraper by Andreas Øverland , used under CC BY-SA
pigeon skyline by Zero One , used under CC BY-SA
hawk pouncing city by EarnestTse
pigeon walking by petrovichlili
light tan squirrel by DesignFife , used under Public Domain
squirrel by Eric Isselee
black cat by Ermolaev Alexander
nuts by Dionisvera
chain links by ClkerFreeVectorImages , used under Public Domain
red house by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , used under Public Domain
flipping over log by Hidden Villa's Science and Nature Video Series
city view of hill by Kevin Wong , used under CC BY-SA
caterpillar mini by Unsplash , used under Public Domain
lights-bugs by Leonid Eremeychuk
brick + butterfly by Leonora Enking , used under CC BY-SA
salamander by breki74 , used under CC BY-SA
salamander crawling by BrunoExplorations , used under CC BY
salamander crawling by PaddyDillon777 , used under CC BY
salamander by Vitalii Hulai
beetle by Henrik Larsson
caterpillar by Didier Descouens , used under CC BY-SA
log by ScarletKelley
nest of blue eggs by Unsplash , used under Public Domain
rabbit by PublicDomainPictures , used under Public Domain
arizona/desert house by jessicakirsh
cityscape by Yoshikazu TAKADA , used under CC BY-SA
countryside by MaxyM
suburbs by Lindasj22
Activity
pigeons by cybervelvet
crow sketch by MaKars
dead leaves by abramsdesign
fence lizard by Neil Lockhart
jumping spider by hin255
mouse sketch by chronicler
pigeon sketch by MaKars
spider by Potapov Alexander
cat sketch by onot
clover sketch by Val_Iva
cricket sketch by United States Department of Agriculture , used under Public Domain
lunch leftovers by Aleks Melnik
opossum by Apostrophe
snail sketch by onot
sparrow sketch by Teagan White
swallowtail butterfly sketch by Essentials
ant sketch by Tropinina Olga
daddy long legs sketch by Pearson Scott Foresman
flower garden sketch by Gulnara Khadeeva
gopher by Lenny712
hawk sketch by Kerris Paul, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , used under Public Domain
mole by Pearson Scott Foresman / papapishu , used under Public Domain
oak tree sketch by marijaka
beetle sketch by ClkerFreeVectorImages , used under Public Domain
cockroach sketch by evgdemidova
frog by frankes , used under Public Domain
parlsey plant by warszawianka
robin by palform
rotting log sketch by ClkerFreeVectorImages , used under Public Domain
salamander by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , used under Public Domain
caterpillar by Kirsanov Valeriy Vladimirovich
earthworm sketch by Morphart Creation
garter snake sketch by The Popular Science Monthly , used under Public Domain
grass sketch by onot
honeybee by panki
pillbug sketch by Eric Isselee
squirrel sketch by diana pryadieva
vegetable garden by dedMazay
Other
Unit: red-tailed hawk by Robert L Kothenbeutel
Credits

Featured Reviews

“I really liked how the kids had to listen to each other in the game to see if they drew a card that they would need. I saw students working together to figure out who ate who. Great collaboration and engagement!”
· Quinn · Teacher
“Students liked the examples and images. They could relate to the topics and easily understand them. The also enjoyed the game and learning about different animals and their place in their food chains.”
· Heather · Teacher
“5th graders really seemed to enjoy the card game that goes along with the lesson. I struggle to find engaging activities when learning about environments, so this game really made learning fun!”
· Kimberly · Teacher
“Students loved the game! The next day, they worked with a partner to create the longest food chain they could with the cards. Then they presented them to the class and peers could “challenge” their choices. So much great vocabulary and reasoning came out of this lesson!”
· Sharon · Teacher
“Students loved making the food chains. They were asking great questions about what animals ate what and had good arguments. They were talking and providing justifications for why they were adding an animal to their food chain. I think they really did learn and took a lot away from this mystery. ”
· Denise · Teacher
“The video was really engaging. We discussed possums instead of squirrels as they are native to our local area (Sydney, Australia) which worked well. The 10-12 year olds I teach were thoroughly engaged in the game and it really cemented the concept of Food Chains to them. They have asked if we can play the game again.”
· Monique · Admin
“The students LOVED it! They keep asking when they can do it again and won't stop asking to play the "Eat or Be Eaten" food chain card game! This was definitely a hit!”
· Hillary · Teacher
“The students loved the game. They were having so much fun while they were learning. Also, the video was very understandable for my students (SDC 4th-6th grade). We paused it and talked about it. Students started finding predator/prey situations on the playground, etc. It was a great lesson- thank you!”
· Lorraine · Teacher
“The students had wonderful discussions during the introduction and continued through the "Eat or be Eaten Game." It also raised questions about the biospheres in the anchor lesson and if the food chain items needed to be part of their list of twenty.”
· Heidi · Teacher
“The students enjoyed playing the food chain game. It really helped them to understand how the food chain works. I liked how the lessons are simple and easy to follow. This is a great resource. ”
· Kenda · Teacher
“My students thoroughly enjoyed the Eat or Be Eaten game! They had fun while learning how organisms fit together in a food chain!!! They had the opportunity to play the game again the next day after finishing an assignment. They were just as engaged the second time around as they were the first!”
· · Teacher
“The lesson and information provided were wonderful. ”
· Caitlin · Teacher
“I loved this lesson. The video's were informative. It really helped students think about a food chain. The game is well designed to make kids think about the parts of an ecosystem.”
· Betsy · Teacher
“The videos helped bring the lesson to life. The materials were very easy for the students to understand. The lesson also provides enough support for teachers to teach the concept successfully. ”
· Myron · Teacher
“I loved the card game-it can be used again and agin and gives a visual for the food chain. I love the reading integrated into the cards. I found it opened up discussion about the students own neighborhood or area and what wildlife they have seen and what they may be eating. The videos are ALWAYS so helpful in providing visual background knowledge for all students in an accessible format.”
· Renee · Other
“Watching the kids' understanding grow of what eats what and how to make the longest food chain. Also, reading and listening practice as they had to read the cards aloud and listen for what other students said. ”
· · Teacher
“Students were engaged and wanted to continue playing to make longer and longer food chains. They actually read the information about each animal since it helped them get higher scores. The videos were short and engaging and explained the information well. I had no questions about how to play the game or about the information presented! Everyone listened.”
· Ginger · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade 5

Ecosystems & The Food Web

Food Chains, Producers, & Consumers

5-LS2-1

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students develop their thinking about the predator/prey relationships between living things. In the activity, Eat or Be Eaten, students play a card game in which they make food chains with predators and prey, and producers and consumers. The students who make the longest food chains win the game!
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Eat or Be Eaten Cards printout
Print on card stock if possible. 		Print 8 copies
Eat or Be Eaten Score Card worksheet 30 copies
Eat or Be Eaten Teacher Tips worksheet 1 copy
Rules Of The Game worksheet 8 copies
Scissors
30 scissors
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in groups of four. Homeschool students will need a partner to play the “Eat or Be Eaten” game as it is designed for 2 to 4 players.

Each group of players will need enough table space to lay out their cards as they form food chains. Clusters of student desks work well for this.

Exploration

15 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Grade 5

Ecosystems & The Food Web

Food Chains, Producers, & Consumers

5-LS2-1

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Ecosystems Lesson 1: Why would a hawk move to New York City?

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