Arts Now Learning: Using Tableau and Role Drama to Examine the Ecosystem [Pdf]

In this lesson, 4th graders use tableaux to dramatize their roles in the food chain of an ecosystem. Next, they write in role arguing why they are important to the ecosystem. This is followed by a debate in the format of a Character Panel about which plant or animal is most important to the ecosystem, with other students acting as interviewers. This results in a class discussion about the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem.