Energy | Project Based Learning
Students investigate how energy enters, moves through, and is used by living organisms. Working in teams, they design and present a model that explains energy flow in an ecosystem and connects it to cellular energy use.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Energy | The ability to do work or cause change. |
| Photosynthesis | The process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make glucose. |
| Producer | An organism that makes its own food, usually using sunlight. |
| Consumer | An organism that gets energy by eating other organisms. |
| Decomposer | An organism that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the environment. |
| Food chain | A sequence showing how energy passes from one organism to another. |
| Energy transfer | The movement of energy from one organism or system to another. |
| Energy transformation | The change of energy from one form to another. |
Show a short image set or quick demonstration of a plant, an animal moving, and a decomposing log. Ask: Where does the energy come from? Where does it go? Record student ideas and connect them to living systems.
Observe, discuss in pairs, and share prior knowledge about energy in living things.
Briefly explain key ideas: the Sun as the main energy source, producers capturing light energy, energy moving through food chains/webs, and energy being used and lost as heat. Introduce vocabulary.
Take notes, ask clarifying questions, and define vocabulary in their own words.
Present the project task: teams will create a model, poster, or digital product that explains energy flow in a chosen ecosystem or food chain and shows how energy is transformed and used by organisms.
Form teams, choose an ecosystem or teacher-assigned scenario, and review success criteria.
Circulate, guide source selection, and prompt students to use evidence. Support teams in identifying producers, consumers, decomposers, and at least one energy transformation in living systems.
Research, gather facts, sketch ideas, and complete a planning organizer with organism roles and energy pathways.
Provide feedback on accuracy, clarity, and scientific vocabulary. Ask guiding questions such as: How does energy start here? Where is energy used? What happens to energy at each step?
Create the final model/poster/digital product, label parts clearly, and include written explanations or captions.
Set up a quick gallery walk. Ask students to leave one strength and one question on sticky notes for each team.
Review other groups’ products, give feedback, and compare different ecosystems or food chains.
Invite teams to improve one part of their product based on feedback, then share a brief presentation or explanation.
Revise their work, present key ideas, and answer questions from the class.
Lead a closing discussion: What did you learn about energy in living things? How is energy transferred and transformed? Emphasize the connection between sunlight, food, and life processes.
Complete a short reflection verbally or in notebooks and summarize the main idea in one sentence.
Students share one important idea about how energy moves through living systems and one question they still have. End by reinforcing that energy enters ecosystems mainly through sunlight, is transferred through organisms, and is transformed for life processes.