Introduction:

• Introduce Aquatics (freshwater).
  
• Have students list organisms from an aquatic area nearby.


• Review what is to be covered: food webs, the organisms and how they relate

Main Body:

• Have students use index cards to name one animal that depends on the other from the list compiled in the introduction
  
• Read aloud results-explain they just designed a simple food chain
  
• Food chain-feeding relationships among organisms
  
• Brief introduction of aquatic invertebrates if not mentioned in lists
  
• Shredders, grazers, gathering collectors, filter feeders

• What are producers?
  
• What are decomposers?
  
• What are consumers? (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, parasites, detritovores)


• Pass out examples (specimens)

How do they interconnect?

• Discuss when food chains interconnect they become a food web-Have students break into groups of 3 to5 and on overhead paper create a food web using organisms showed in class
  
• Share student food webs
  
• Put up an example of an actual food web-pointing out organisms
  
• Briefly discuss trophic levels in a food web and discuss how it narrows as you move up in the food chain

Conclusion:

• Go over key points: what have we learned?
  
• Have students attempt to classify a couple of the specimens. Where does it belong in a food web?
  
• Questions?

Aquatic Invertebrate trivia:

• Shredders-feed on organic matter by shredding, chewing then digesting
  
Ex. Stonefly, cranefly, caddisfly

• Grazers-(scraper)
  
-feed on algae on rocks/hug the bottom
Ex. Caddisfly, mayflies

• Gatherers-roam the stream collecting deposits from rocks
  
Ex. Mayflies

• Filter collectors-use a "net" to catch small animals/invertebrates coming downstream
  Ex. caddisfly