Assessment
Use 2.2 Meadow Simulation Worksheet to get a sense of students’ initial ideas and explanations about patterns in organic matter in ecosystems. At this point, students should not be penalized for incorrect ideas, and they should not be given the “correct” answers. During this activity, pay particular attention to the explanations that students have for why it takes so much plant mass to support so few foxes. This will be important in the next lesson.