1. Science: Waste & Our World
What are Producers, Consumers and DECOMPOSERS?

2. Today’s Essential Question…
What are Producers, Consumers and DECOMPOSERS?

3. Materials…
Would the oldest student in each desk group please get a WHITE BOARD, MARKER & KLEENX (to function as a white board eraser).

4. What are PRODUCERS?
A producer is a living thing that makes its own food from sunlight, air, and soil. Green plants are producers who make food in their leaves.
Examples: a tree, a bush, grass, flowers & even weeds!
DG Discussion: Can you think of any examples of PRODUCERS? List 5 on your whiteboard.

5. What are CONSUMERS?
A consumer is a living thing that cannot make its own food. Consumers get their energy by eating food. All animals are consumers.
Examples: cows, hawks, wolves, fish & even people!
DG Discussion: Can you think of any examples of PRODUCERS? List 5 on your whiteboard.

6. What are DECOMPOSERS?
A decomposer is a living thing that gets energy by breaking down dead plants and animals. Fungi and bacteria are the most common decomposers.
Decomposers are made up of the FBI (fungi, bacteria and invertebrates—worms and insects). They are all living things that get energy by eating dead animals and plants and breaking down wastes of other animals.

7. What are DECOMPOSERS?
Let’s watch a video about DECOMPOSERS!

8. What are DECOMPOSERS?
DG Discussion: Can you think of any examples of DECOMPOSERS? List 5 on your whiteboard.
DG Discussion: What are DECOMPOSERS? Please create a short definition to share with the class.

9. What are DECOMPOSERS?
Individual Activity: The teacher will handout a blackline master (BLM).
Put that assignment into the “Science” section of your binders.
Take 5 minutes and tell whether each living thing listed is a producer, consumer, or decomposer.
The class will correct the assignment as a group after 5 minutes.

10. Food Web Tag: Set-up Instructions
Set a boundary for students to run in.
Select 4 students to be consumers. Give them a “C” to be taped onto shirts..
Select 6 students to be decomposers. Give them a “D” to be taped onto shirts.
The rest of the students are producers.
Instructions
Producers run around, avoiding the consumers.
Consumers tag the producers to eat them. When a producer is “dead”, they must fall on the floor or freeze in position.
Decomposers can tag “dead” producers to turn them into new producers.
Play a few rounds, switching students’ roles

11. Closing:
Answer the following questions with a sheet of loose leaf in your “Science” sections. Answer each question with at least 1 complete sentence and a list of 5 or more examples…
1) What are PRODUCERS?
2) What are CONSUMERS?
3) What are DECOMPOSERS?