Web of life game
Objectives:
To help children Understand Connections in an Ecosystem
Materials required:
Index cards
Marker or Pen
Ball of twine
List of connections:
| sun | earthworm | dead leaf | snail |
| bumblebee | ant | butterfly | living leaf |
| mushroom | spider | flower | owl |
| rock | river | tree | squirrel |
| grass | woodpecker | snake | soil |
| mouse | rain | frog | deer |
Instructions to do the index cards
- List out the organisms exists in the ecosystem to make the list of connections
- Cut the cardboard sheet in rectangular shape to make index cards
- Write the names of each organism from the list of connections on an index card also add pictures of organism
- Keep ready a ball of twine to give it to children during the gam
Pre requisites:-
(a) Names of organisms in the ecosystem
(b)Interaction within the organisms
Process:
• Make groups of 6 children& make them sit in a circle
• Keep index cards in the middle and ask each child to take an index card from a pile and hold it up so that everyone can see the name of the organism on the card
• Give a ball of twine to the child with the tree card and ask him/her to start off the game by tossing the ball of twine to someone else in the circle.
• The child who catches the ball tries to explain how the organism on his or her card interacts with the tree. Allow anyone in the group
• Next, the child who caught the ball holds onto the string and tosses the ball to a third child
- The third child explains how the organism on his or her card interacts with the second child's organism. If the child gets stuck, anyone in the game can make a guess • The game continues until everyone has had a turn at catching the twine
The twine is now complex and tangled - everyone in the group is connected to everyone else. Players can also talk about how their organisms are connected to others that came up earlier in the game.
- Choose one of the organisms in the game. Can anyone predict what would happen if it was removed from the web? Which other organisms would be affected?
What would happen if you cut the twine with scissors? What effect would this have on the ecosystem?
Note: You need at least 6 people to play this game.
Pedagogic Principle:
Multi -sensorial experience: Visual, aural, oral, kinesthetic
Enable children to understand how closely organisms in an ecosystem interact with one another.
Also enable children to understand anything that happens to part of the web has an effect on the whole system.
Assessment:
| Criterion | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Able to find interdependence | Is able to find interdependence quickly on his own | Finds inter-dependence by taking the help of peer | Finds interdependence after prompting | Struggles to find interdependence | Not able to find |
| Follow s instruction to participate in game | Is able to grasp instruction quickly and participate | Participate with the assistance of teacher | Participate with the peers support | Struggles to follow instruction and participate | Not able to follow and inactive |