Purpose A classroom game to demonstrate the balance of life in the ocean. Materials ball of yarn species cards safety pins Background Information Either directly or indirectly, almost every animal in the ocean depends on microscopic phytoplankton for food. These tiny plants form the base of nearly every food chain in the ocean.
Plants use energy from the sun to make their own food through photosynthesis.
In turn, some animals eat plants, and other animals eat the plant-eating animals. Procedure Hand out the role cards and ask students to sit in a circle wearing the card pinned to their shirt. Ask the students to identify which organisms rely directly on the sun for their growth and nutrition. The student that represents the sun holds a ball of yarn and passes it to one of the members identified. Ask the students to identify which organisms rely on plankton and repeat the questioning and passing of the yarn until the each level of the web is identified.