Lesson Plan

Obey The Law: Using Computer Coding to Create an Interactive Energy Pyramid

Subject Area

Digital Literacy and Computer Science
Science

Grade(s)

9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

During this activity, the students will use drag and drop computer code to create an interactive ecological energy pyramid model that shows how the 10% law applies to the energy available at each trophic level.  As part of the hour of code, students can use this activity to participate in the Hour of Code week during their biology class.  

This lesson plan results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

Science (2015) Grade(s): 09-12 - Biology

SC15.BIO.8

Develop and use models to describe the cycling of matter (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, water) and flow of energy (e.g., food chains, food webs, biomass pyramids, ten percent law) between abiotic and biotic factors in ecosystems.

Unpacked Content

UP:SC15.BIO.8

Vocabulary

  • Autotroph
  • Heterotroph
  • Primary producer
  • Primary consumer
  • Secondary consumer
  • Tertiary consumer
  • Herbivore
  • Carnivore
  • Omnivore
  • Detritivore
  • Trophic levels: primary, secondary and tertiary
  • Food chain
  • Food web
  • Biomass
  • Energy pyramid
  • Biomass pyramid
  • Number pyramid
  • Matter
  • Nutrient
  • Biogeochemical cycle
  • Nitrogen fixation
  • Denitrification
  • Law of conservation of mass

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A food chain is a simple model representing the transfer of energy from organism to organism (e.g., sun → plant → grasshopper → mouse → snake).
  • Each step of a food chain represents a trophic level always starting with an autotroph in the first level and heterotrophs in the remaining levels.
  • The overlapping relationships between multiple food chains are shown in a food web.
  • An ecological pyramid is a model that can show the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem.
  • In an energy pyramid, only 10% of energy is passed from one trophic level to the next due to loss of energy in the form of heat caused by cellular respiration (10% rule).
  • In a biomass pyramid, the total mass of living matter at each trophic level tends to decrease.
  • In a numbers pyramid, it shows the number of organisms at each trophic level tends to decrease because there is less energy available to support organisms.
  • The exchange of matter through the biosphere is called the biogeochemical cycle and involves living organisms (bio), geological processes (geo), and chemical processes (chemical).

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use a self-created food web diagram to predict the impact of removing one organism on other organisms within the food web.
  • Use data to create ecological pyramids to show flow of energy, biomass and number of organisms.
  • Model the cycling of matter (e.g., Carbon, water, nitrogen) through the biosphere.
  • Combine a food web diagram with a matter cycling diagram to provide a holistic view of the many aspects that make up an ecosystem.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Everything in an ecosystem is connected to everything else (both abiotic and biotic), either directly or indirectly.
  • Nutrients, in the form of elements and compounds, flow through organisms in an ecosystem (e.g., grass captures substances from the air, soil and water and converts them into usable nutrients → cow eats the grass → human eats the cow → decomposers return the nutrients to the cycle at every level).

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

Crosscutting Concepts

Systems and System Models; Energy and Matter
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 09-12

DLCS18.HS.25

Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.HS.25

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how to use a variety of digital tools.
  • how to use a digital tool to create a digital artifact.
  • the appropriate use of digital tools and artifacts for specific content areas.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • use a variety of digital tools.
  • create digital artifacts using a variety of digital tools.
  • appropriately match digital artifacts and content areas for effective communication.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • digital tools are used to create digital artifacts that can be used for effective communication of competency across content areas.

Primary Learning Objectives

The students will describe how the ten percent law governs how energy flows from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem.  

Additional Learning Objective(s)

Learning Targets: 

Content:  I can describe how the 10 percent law governs how energy flows from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem.

Behavior:  I can construct an interactive ecological pyramid using a drag and drop computer coding program.  

Procedures/Activities

Before/Engage:  

As a starter question to activate prior knowledge, have students place their hand in a plastic grocery bag. The students should pull the bag so that it is fitting tightly on their hand.  

After 3 to 5 minutes, have the students unwrap their hands.  What has happened?  After taking some student answers, the teacher should ask WHY the hand was sweating. Use questioning to lead students to the conclusion that the loss of heat from the body led the hand to "sweat" when placed in the bag. The teacher should ask, "Where does this "heat" come from?"  

Explain that energy flow in an ecosystem isn't as efficient as we might think.  

Show the students a video (i.e. Energy Flow in Ecosystems by Bozeman Science) or formal presentation on energy flow in an ecosystem and the ten percent law. Have the students take jot notes. Pause the video to discuss key points.  

After the video, use the ELMO/projector combo or an application like Doceri for iPad to give students explicit instruction on how to determine the energy available to each trophic level in an energy pyramid. Show them how to move their decimal point. Also, show them how they can multiply to get the same answer. After working one or two in groups, give students a couple of problems to work on their own. (30 minutes)

During/Explore/Explain:  

Explain to the students that they will be using drag-and-drop computer coding to create an ecological pyramid that explains the flow of energy in an ecosystem (producer to primary consumer to secondary consumer, etc.) and demonstrates the amount of energy available to each trophic level by describing the 10 percent law on their ecological pyramid.  

Go over the Ecological Pyramid Rubric with the class. Ask for questions. Then, have the students complete the introductory activity on Tynker.  t will use "outer space" to show students the basics of drag-and-drop coding using the Tynker program.  Check for understanding by visually monitoring students and asking each student a question about the introduction.  Then, have each student create their interactive ecological pyramid using drag-and-drop coding.  

After/Elaborate:

Have each student let another student work on their interactive ecological pyramid to "test" it. (You may want to take this opportunity to discuss the career option of software testing.) Discuss how the student can improve their pyramid to make it better and easier to complete.  Then, have the student make any necessary changes to their pyramid and submit it for approval.  

Upon completion of the pyramids, ask the students to explain how the ten percent law governs how energy flows from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem. 

Assessment Strategies

Formative:  

Student answers during the video and 10 percent law calculation.

Student Peer Review during software testing.

Students can describe how the ten percent law governs how energy flows from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem. 

Summative:

Interactive Ecological Pyramid graded with rubric 

Acceleration

Students who finish their pyramid correctly and early can take the opportunity to complete another Hour of Code activity.  

Intervention

During the creation of the interactive energy pyramid, if students appear to be struggling with the content that goes in the pyramid, the teacher can pull the students in groups of 2 or 3 for small group instruction.  Use flash cards, matching games, drawing activities, and other methods to teach the material in small groups.  

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

61 to 90 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

The teacher will need to review the coding activity before it is assigned to help troubleshoot any incompatibilities and become familiar with the Tynker program.

Prior to this lesson, the students will need to know the following.

1.  Definitions and examples of autotrophs/producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and top predators/tertiary consumers.

2.  The direction of energy flow in an ecosystem using food chains and food webs.

During this lesson, students should follow these safety procedures.  

1.  Do not use any websites other than those approved by your instructor. 

2.  Do not get food, drink, or water near your computer or electrical devices.  

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Video or presentation that describes ecological energy pyramids and the ten percent law--BrainPop has an excellent video and Bozeman Science has a more advanced video here.

Ecological Pyramid Rubric

Technology Resources Needed

Each student or pair of students will need:

a computer with updated web browsing software

Each teacher will need:  

  • a computer with a projector,
  • Smart Board, or
  • other presentation materials.

Tynker Hour of Code Program--Choose the build an ecological pyramid option.  

Approved Date

2016-04-27
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