1. Introduce or review a number of different classification schemes as defined below.

• Producer: An organism that makes it’s own food (green plant)
• Consumer: An organism that feeds on those below it on the food chain
• Decomposer: An organism that derives its energy from decomposing matter
• Predator: An animal that kills others for food
• Prey: An animal that is hunted and killed by predators
• Carnivore: An animal that eats meat (animals)
• Omnivore: An animal that eats animals and plants
• Herbivore: An animal that eats plants

2. Download the signs here. Randomly hand out one of the common ecosystem elements included in the Who am I signs (e.g. grass, hare, coyote, etc.). You are not allowed to look at your own sign!

3. Help each other hang the sign on the back of everyone else. The object of this game is for you to determine what ecosystem element you are. You can do this by asking questions of the other students that use the keywords on the board such as, “Am I a carnivore?” – All questions can only be answered by a yes or a no! You can guess what your ecosystem tag is, but you only get ONE guess, so keep asking yes or no questions until you’re fairly sure what you are. Schmooze around and mingle with each other and think of as many yes/no questions as possible.

4. Answer any questions and let the games begin! If you find they need more information, stop the game briefly, and tell everyone that they are allowed to ask more general yes/no questions (“Do I have fur”? “Am I bigger than a breadbox?”) to find out more.

5. Encourage questions such as “Am I a consumer? Am I a herbivore?” to help reinforce the terminology.

6. Once everyone has discovered their identities, challenge your group to create a “Frozen Drama” in which each member of the ecosystem demonstrates their interactions with others (e.g.. the tree might be standing with its arms outstretched, the cougar is preparing to pounce
on a browsing deer, etc.).

7. Once you are done, randomly select more cards and start over!