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Why would a hawk move to New York City?

Why would a hawk move to New York City?
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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?

The next video introduces a card game, “Eat or Be Eaten.” This was revised on 1/20/17. The older version, which features arrows on the cards, instead of chains, still accessible. But we strongly recommend using the revised version.

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration you just completed.
#Activity: Pill Bugs!

Pill bugs (also known as roly polys) are a kid-friendly critter for classroom observation.

Bugman Education offers Take a Pill Bug to Lunch, a inquiry-based activity for those willing to set up a pill bug habitat.

This video shows how simple setting up a pill bug habitat can be.

For more information on these critters, check out “The secret life of pillbugs” on The Infinite Spider, a science & nature blog.

#Read and Discuss

These readings can start students thinking. Channel that energy into a class discussion.

Featured Reviews

“My students absolutely loved the Eat or Be Eaten card game! I had to extend science time for 30 more minutes because every student was engaged and wanted to fill out their papers completely. I plan to have this as an activity for students who finish early to reinforce the concepts. ”
· Anna · Teacher
“Very complete and well planned out. I love how there are video instructions for playing the games”
· Joe · Teacher
“The game was able to include all students, and they were able to clearly grasp the idea of the food chain.”
· Irene · Teacher
“The hands on aspect caused kids to constantly work at an analysis or synthesis stage of Blooms. ”
· Brigetta · Teacher
“The kids learning about food chains; it was really interactive and my son was so engaged, which is no easy feat!”
· Saadiqa · Homeschooler
“The game was great for students to learn about the food chain! My special needs student was still talking about the purpose of a food chain and how to make one today! :) He remembered from yesterday!”
· Ayla · Teacher
“My students LOVED the game! They were excited about it and even made chains on their own in their free time!”
· Gina · Teacher
“Kids loved being able to go into there own backyard to look for evidence of a food chain”
· Sharon · Teacher
“LOVED the step by step directions for the game.”
· Katherine · Teacher
“The game was such fun and a great reading and learning tool”
· Amanda · Teacher
“Students LOVED the Eat or Be Eaten game.”
· Kari · Teacher
“Going outside and uncovering at least 5 different creatures!”
· Karen · Homeschooler
“Kids very motivated by video and loved doing the Food Chain game.”
· Claire · Teacher
“My sub taught it, but she said it went well.”
· David · Teacher
“My kids LOVED the Eat or Be Eaten game!!! They learned so much.”
· Jackie · Teacher
“predators flying above. My ASD son loves MS! He especially loves the experiments on each mystery. Thankyou! ”
· Trudy · Homeschooler
“The kids loved the game and it made food chains easier to understand for them. I like that the videos are step-by-step and they pause to allow discussion at key moments.”
· Clinton · Teacher
“My students loved the game. They asked to play it everyday.”
· Marla · Teacher
“Some of these challenged my student's misconceptions about what animal ate what.”
· Claribel · Teacher
“The dialogue is so engaging and different from any other material we've used! The kids were glued to the screen. I told them we were trying it out to see if we should buy it. They said it's a definite buy! I love the way the lessons are laid out with clear directions for me to follow. The best part was how you taught them how to play the game step by step without any intervention from me. They ask to stay in recess to play the eat or be eaten game. They can't wait for part 2.”
· Carolyn · Teacher
“My students loved the Food Chain game! Great way to cement the concept that we are all connected!”
· Janalie · Teacher
“Eat or be Eaten was a hit in my classroom! The students enjoyed it so much we played it for two science classes! They were also able to make great connections and have rich discussions about the food chain and ecosystems. ”
· Shonda · Teacher
“My class especially loved the game! They've asked to play it again and again. They were super engaged while playing and it was very self-directed once they understood the rules.”
· Dana · Teacher
“The video accompaniment they found very entertaining. You can let DOUG know that he has a small fan club in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. When the students come into the classroom and see a Mystery Science lesson ready to go, they yell, "Yay! Doug!" He's almost as popular here as that science guy.”
· John · Teacher
“My students loved the food chain activity. They were so engaged that they wanted to keep going and see if they could use all the cards to create a food web! ”
· Nicole · Teacher
“This was a great review of food chains, and the game was fantastic and very engaging.”
· Josie · Homeschooler
“I used this with my third graders. They loved the food chain game. It was easy to differentiate because my higher kids made food webs while my on level focused on just chains!”
· Krista · Teacher
“The kids really enjoyed the card game. I loved that it involved so much reading. Even the reluctant readers did well reading about what each animal eats. There were some great conversations about how the food chains should be assembled. Some of the kids even asked if I could make them a copy of the game to take home. ”
· Jill · Teacher
“My class was begging to play the game again.”
· Shannon · Teacher
“video was great mix of beautiful imagery and humor, game was enjoyed by everyone”
· Ruth · Homeschooler
“-collaboration and engagement of the kids during the food chain activity -amazing discussion afterwards -connection to local observations and prior knowledge”
· Meralee · Teacher
“THey loved the food chain game! One student even asked to take it home to play with her mom!!!”
· Katie · Teacher
“The students had a bit of a difficult time understanding the game at first, but once they got the hang of it, they LOVED it and wanted to have their own cards so they can play at home with their families. They were able to articulate their understanding of the concepts learned. The videos and activities motivated students to look around their surroundings to find food chains. It did take longer than 30 minutes to complete the activity, but it was well worth the extra time spent.”
· Julie · Teacher
“The cards are perfect. Most games like this don't include the "What I eat, and what eats me." The kids would like to play it all day. ”
· Lindsay · Teacher
“The game is great and something that can be played over and over again. Thank you.”
· Spencer · Admin
“The Eat or Be Eaten game is so great! The students played two rounds of it, and they wanted to know when they can play it again!! ”
· Dana · Teacher
“I really like the way the video stops and ties in questioning skills.”
· Cindy · Teacher
“My students had a super great time with the "Eat or be Eaten Cards". It was interesting to see how they separated their cards into groups of producers, herbivores, etc. We had very interesting discussions with this activity.”
· Jeannette · Teacher
“My students loved the card game! Also it was amazing that the video connected with city students. ”
· Bridget · Teacher
“AWESOME!!! The kids really enjoyed the game. ”
· Kathy · Teacher
“They love playing the game. I am using it as a center rotation game during math/science ”
· Penny · Teacher
“The kids were really engaged in the lesson, and they are begging to play the game again!”
· Julie · Teacher
“I LOVE YOUR LESSONS!!! Engaging, interactive, and right on target with NGSS. Thank you!!”
· Lisa · Teacher
“We really enjoyed the food chain game. The next time we went to the park we explored and made food chains there.”
· Wendy · Homeschooler
“Students loved the game! I am from a rural area with lots of wildlife so it was good to get info about an urban area.”
· Natalie · Teacher
“Loved the step by step instructions! My students were actually challenged by the game and asking really great questions.”
· Nicki · Teacher
“This lesson was absolutely fantastic. Little prep, great video clips that kept students engaged, and step by step instructions for the activity! Loved it! ”
· Emily · Teacher
“I adapted this lesson to use with my 3rd-5th grade classes. They are loving it! You guys put it out just in time for my test review and I can't wait to use it at the beginning of the year next year. ”
· Melissa · Teacher
“They loved the card game. All I heard was "Can we play again tomorrow?" ”
· Jennifer · Teacher

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this Mystery, students develop their thinking about the relationships among organisms in their everyday world. In the activity, students play a card game which deepens their understanding of organisms’ interrelationships.
Preview activity

Get supplies and print handouts.

In this activity, students will be playing Eat or Be Eaten, a card game in which they make food chains. The game is designed for 2 to 4 players.

Each group of players will need:

  • A set of these 5 sheets to be cut into playing cards -- (Use card stock if possible.)
  • scissors for each player (so everyone can help cut up the cards)
  • a table where player can lay out their cards as they form food chains

Each player will need:

Teacher will need a print out of Teacher Tips , which provides game rules and a suggestion for advanced play.

Exploration

20 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Extend this lesson

 
Ecosystems Lesson 1: Why would a hawk move to New York City?

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