Students discover why food chains form a pyramid — only about 10% of energy passes from one level to the next, so there’s far less energy at the top, which is why top predators are always rare.
Students will be able to…
Why are there thousands of grass plants, hundreds of rabbits, but only a few foxes in one field? What happens to all the energy?
Project this and change the producer energy. Watch how only ~10% passes to each higher level — which is why the pyramid narrows toward the top.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
Lots of grass, some rabbits, few foxes — why?
Students investigate.
Teacher explains.
Apply.
Three quick checks.
Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core literacy. State-standard crosswalks available on request.
Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
Construct an argument that changes to an ecosystem affect populations.
Analyze data for the effects of resource availability on organisms.
Integrate quantitative information with text in a model.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students start with a producer energy value and calculate the energy at each higher level using the 10% rule. A printable energy-pyramid worksheet is in the Science library.
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A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.