• This resource details the ways in which food chains and food webs can represent the flow of energy and matter in ecosystems. 
• Students will learn about autotrophs, heterotrophs, trophic levels, food webs, food chains, and decomposers. 

Positives

• This resource provides a high-level overview of many important aspects of food chains and food webs. 
• The included graphics offer further clarification and understanding for visual learners. 

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the concept and importance of ecosystems.
  

Differentiation

• Cross-curricular connections can be made in language arts classes where students are working on non-fiction reading strategies.
• This resource would lend itself well to a research-based jigsaw activity, where students do additional research on one of the sections of the resource to learn more about and present their learning to their classmates. 
• Consider using the interactive assessment on the site about energy flow through ecosystems to gauge understanding and reading comprehension.
• Connect this topic to climate change by using this video resource about natural climate solutions, this resource about the importance of biodiversity, and this resource about how climate change is impacting vital ecosystems on Earth.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.