STAGING
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How could a fish feed a forest?

Matter Cycle & Ecosystems
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:
What are some ways these living things might interact with salmon?
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DISCUSS:
What ideas do you have about how matter from a salmon could get to a tree?
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Step
01/20
You’ll work with a partner.
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Step
02/20
Get your supplies.
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Step
03/20
Make your Matter Journal.
First, fold along the thick black line.
Then, fold along the thin black line.
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Step
04/20
Lay out your Forest Ecosystem pages. Make sure they look like this,
with the tree on the left and the bear on the right. Then, use a sticker
at the top and a sticker at the bottom to connect the pages.
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Step
05/20
You’ll use beans as a model for matter. Work with your partner to
add matter pieces to represent the soil, the water in the soil, and
the gasses in the air.
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Step
06/20
Here’s what our model looks like.
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Step
07/20
Read the Trees part of the Matter Journal aloud with your partner.
Look for clues about where matter travels. Use your pencil to
underline any clues you find.
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Step
08/20
With your partner, move the matter pieces to show where the
matter travels on its journey through the ecosystem.
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Step
09/20
Use your marker to show the path that you just moved the matter
pieces.
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Step
10/20
Here’s what our model looks like.
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Step
11/20
Discuss.
Then, record your answer for question 1 on your Matter Journal.
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Step
12/20
Open your Journal and read the Bears paragraph aloud with your
partner to find clues about where matter travels. Look for clues
about where matter travels. Use your pencil to underline those clues.
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Step
13/20
With your partner, first DRAW any parts that are missing from your
forest ecosystem model. Then, move the matter pieces to show
where matter travels. Draw arrows to show the path.
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Step
14a/20
Discuss.
Then, record your answer for question 2 on your Matter Journal.
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Step
14b/20
Here’s what our model looked like.
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Step
15/20
Read the Mushrooms paragraph aloud with your partner
to find clues about where matter travels. Look for clues about
where matter travels next. Use your pencil to underline those clues.
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Step
16/20
With your partner, first DRAW any parts that are missing from your
forest ecosystem model. Then, move the matter pieces to show
where matter travels. Draw arrows to show the path.
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Step
17a/20
Discuss.
Then, record your answer for question 3 in your Matter Journal.
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Step
17b/20
Here’s what our model looked like.
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Step
18/20
Discuss.
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Step
19/20
Work with your partner to move the matter pieces back to the
trees. Add arrows to show the path of the matter.
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Step
20/20
Put all your matter pieces back into the cup.
Discuss with your partner. Then, record your answer to
question 4 on the back of your Matter Journal.
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DISCUSS:
Where could the carbon that’s part of the tree move next?
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soil


1 of 14

found on the Earth's surface; made of tiny rocks and material from dead plants and animals
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producer


2 of 14

a living thing that makes its own food
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consumer


3 of 14

a living thing that eats other living things
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decomposer


4 of 14

a living thing that can break down dead plants, dead animals, or animal waste
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nutrient (micronutrient)


5 of 14

a substance that living things need to grow and stay healthy
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ecosystem


6 of 14

all the living things that interact with each other and their environment in one place
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environment


7 of 14

a living thing's surroundings, including other living things and non-living parts like soil, water, and air

matter


8 of 14

anything that takes up space and has weight; can be in different forms such as solid, liquid, or gas
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gas


9 of 14

a state of matter, such as carbon dioxide in the air

carbon dioxide


10 of 14

a type of gas that plants are able to take in and that animals release when they breathe
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cycle


11 of 14

a set of events that repeats in the same order over and over

matter cycle


12 of 14

the process of matter moving back and forth between non-living and living parts of the environment, like between air and plants
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carbon cycle


13 of 14

the process of carbon moving back and forth between non-living and living parts of the environment, like carbon dioxide moving into plants
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model


14 of 14

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
How could a fish feed a forest?
Matter Cycle & Ecosystems
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students explore the mystery of how the matter from salmon eventually ends up in spruce trees. In the activity, Matter Movers, students develop a model of a forest ecosystem to describe how matter cycles between living things and the environment to explain this phenomenon.
Preview activity

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

In your Mystery Pack Lesson Bag

Beans (Dried, Black)
15 beans per pair
Cups (Paper, 3 oz, Dixie)
1 cup per pair
File Folder Labels
We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom.
2 stickers per pair

Not included in your Mystery Pack

Forest Ecosystem printout
1 per pair
Matter Journal printout
1 per student
Markers
1 marker per student
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Prepare Cups

In each cup, place a small handful of beans or beads. We suggest about 15 beans, but the number doesn't need to be exact.

Prepare Stickers

Each pair of students will need two stickers.

Organize Supplies for Easy Distribution

We suggest organizing supplies beforehand for easier distribution. Students will need these supplies in Step 2:

Step2

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

10 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Wrap-Up

15 mins

Extend this lesson

Unit Reading

Unit Reading

What Can Young People Do to Protect the Environment?

In this reading, students learn simple steps they can take to help protect the environment.

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
Credits
 
Ecosystems Lesson 5: How could a fish feed a forest?

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