Science lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 45 minutes
Decomposers and recycling nutrients
Ecosystems and food chains
CCSS NGSS.5-LS2-1CCSS NGSS.MS-LS2-3England: KS3 Biology: Interactions and interdependencies
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Decomposers and recycling nutrients.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Producers, consumers, predators and prey
Leads to: The carbon cycle; The greenhouse effect and climate change; Microorganisms: helpful and harmful
Materials: Food web cards, Arrows to build chains, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Producers, consumers, predators and prey). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- oak leaves → caterpillar → blue tit → sparrowhawk What is the sparrowhawk in this food chain? (tertiary consumer / primary consumer / secondary consumer / producer) → tertiary consumerPrompt: Start at the plant and count the arrows.
- oak leaves → caterpillar → blue tit → sparrowhawk Which animal is the predator of the caterpillar? (caterpillar / oak leaves / blue tit / sparrowhawk) → blue titPrompt: A predator hunts and eats other animals; its prey is the animal it eats.
- Food chains: which statement is true? (Producers eat consumers. / A food chain can start with a lion. / Herbivores are predators. / Plants are producers because they make their own food.) → Plants are producers because they make their own food.Prompt: Producers make food; consumers eat.
Hook · 5 min
- Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
- Share the objective: Decomposers and recycling nutrients. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which of these is a decomposer?
- Step 1: Fungi and bacteria are the main decomposers.
- Step 2: So the answer is: mushroom (fungus)
- Answer: mushroom (fungus)
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Compost heaps rot faster when they are… (frozen / warm, moist and have air / completely dry / sealed in plastic with no air) → warm, moist and have airPrompt: Microorganisms need suitable conditions to grow.
- Is a seaweed a producer, a consumer or a decomposer? (producer / consumer / decomposer) → producerPrompt: Does it make food, eat living things, or break down dead things?
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Is a caterpillar a producer, a consumer or a decomposer? (producer / consumer / decomposer) → consumerPrompt: Does it make food, eat living things, or break down dead things?
- What do decomposers do? (hunt living animals / make food from sunlight / pollinate flowers / break down dead plants and animals) → break down dead plants and animalsPrompt: What happens to a fallen leaf over a few months?
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Producers, consumers, predators and prey.
- Use concrete materials: food web cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: The carbon cycle; The greenhouse effect and climate change; Microorganisms: helpful and harmful.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-5.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder