Assessment
Use 3.5 Assessing the Tracing Energy Worksheet to get a sense of students’ ideas and explanations about tracing energy. At this point, students should trace energy correctly through an ecosystem. Pay close attention to how students describe the movement and transformation of energy: in their explanations, do they ever break the “rule” by suggesting that energy is created or destroyed? Make sure to review the rule: energy lasts forever!
Tips
For this activity, you will need to revisit some materials from previous activities: Activity 3.2 The Carbon Dice Game.