Course: 8Th Grade Integrated Science

Course: 8th Grade Integrated Science

Standard: II, Objective 2.a

Title: Cube Wars

Description: Students fill out squares with information about the different roles of organisms in an ecosystem. Students then challenge each other in a timed event to put the cubes into the correct order.

Materials Needed: Students paper, book or Internet, colored pencils and or crayons, scissors.

Time Needed: 50 minutes

Specialized background knowledge: Students should already have background on the roles of organisms in an ecosystem. Students may need some guidance at the first to get them started. Give them an example on the board that they cannot use.

Teacher Procedures:

1. Play the music from “Star Wars” found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiNQc4RomWE&feature=related.

Tell the students that today they will be playing Cube Wars!!!!

2. Sketch the chart on the board.

3. Fill out part of the chart using the students to feed you information or have several different students fill it out with the classes help. These specific examples cannot be used by the students on their papers.

4. Hand out the worksheet and text books. The students complete using their best effort. The drawings need to be good enough that others can tell what they are.

5. After the students have filled out the paper have them cut out the cubes and challenge other students to put them back in the correct order.

Scoring Rubric or answer key:

1. Complete, best effort, used time effectively………………………………….…4

2. Complete, best effort, ……..……………………………………………………...3

3. Partially complete and lacking effort……………………………………………..2

4. Started lab and did not complete…………………………………………………1

Student Page

Standard II Name ______

Objective 2.a Date ______

Period ______

Title: Cube Wars

Introduction: All organisms have a role in an ecosystem. These are organized into three groups, producers, consumers and decomposers. This activity will help you remember the role of each of these groups of organisms.

Procedures:

1. You are going to create a game and challenge others to play it.

2. Start by filling out each box with the correct information and colored drawing. 3. Make sure that you write an example that you are going to look for. The boxes will then be cut apart.

4. Your opponent is given the boxes. You will time them on how long it takes them to match the four boxes up. Write their name and time on the back of this paper. You will then try their game and compare your times.

5. You will need to challenge at least 4 people. See who has the best time for your project.

Analysis:

1. What did all the producers have in common?

2. What did all the consumers have in common?

3. How were the decomposers different from the producers and consumers?

4. Finish these analogies:

A producer is to a consumer as a ______is to a ______

A producer is to a decomposer as a ______is to a ______

A consumer is to a decomposer as a ______is to a ______

5. If you are good at “cube wars” what else might you be good at?

(name)
Producer / (job) / (example) / (picture)
Consumer / (job) / (example) / (picture)
Decomposer / (job) / (example) / (picture)