Lesson 3: Food Chains & Interconnected Food Webs in NZ Native Bush
Exploring NZ ecosystems, biodiversity, energy flow, invasive pests, kaitiakitanga, and field restoration projects.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions
Food chains vs food webs, arrows indicating energy flow direction, interdependency between species, and cascade effects when a key species is removed.
Construct a complex NZ native forest food web linking honeydew, bellbirds, kererū, invertebrates, and falcons, and predict ripple effects of species removal.
🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Food Webs & Trophic Cascades in Forest Ecosystems
Video Clip: Energy flow in food chains & webs — Khan Academy (Watch in full — declared full-watch).
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
What do the arrows in a food web diagram actually represent, and why are food webs more realistic than food chains?
👁️ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)
- As you watch: Which direction do food web arrows point — from eater to food, or from food to eater? What does the arrow represent?
- Note: How are food webs more realistic than simple food chains? What happens when one species is removed?
- Apply to Aotearoa: Think about a NZ beech forest — scale insects → honeydew → tūī/kākā. How would a trophic cascade unfold if bird numbers collapsed?
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako Move: Facilitate a 'Yarn Web of Life' activity where students hold string connections; dropping one string pulls down connected partners.
Immediate Task: Complete Section 3 of your Ecology Field Journal: NZ Bush Food Web Diagram & Cascade Prediction Log.
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Ecology Recall (10 mins)
Review key ecological vocabulary, native species names, and kaitiakitanga principles for Lesson 3. Connect previous field observations to today's inquiry.
📖 Activity 1: Field Investigation & Ecological Analysis (25 mins)
Construct food webs, calculate trophic energy transfer, execute quadrat/transect sampling, monitor stream water quality, or design native restoration plans in pairs.
📝 Activity 2: Ecology Field Journal & Reflection Scaffolding (20 mins)
Draft your formal Field Journal entry for Lesson 3. Apply exact scientific and cultural terminology (e.g., biotic/abiotic, trophic levels, 10% rule, endemic species, invasive predators, rāhui, mauri, quadrat sampling, MCI score, eco-sourcing) to justify your findings.
🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes
Year 9 Curriculum Alignment: Te Mataiaho Science Phase 4 — Living World / Ecosystems strand. Fosters environmental stewardship, field research skills, and Te Ao Māori kaitiakitanga perspectives.