Simple Food Chains
Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify different sources of food
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Teaching Table
Set out your lesson
Build a simple food chain and interpret its arrows.
Ask the learner to explain one prerequisite idea before starting. If uncertain, revisit it; graph order is not learner readiness.
Check readiness rather than assuming source graph order establishes attainment.
Use feeding cards; arrows can be drawn on scrap paper.
Use the supplied stage cards on screen or scrap paper; adult key stays separate.
Materials are ready in each step. Use them on screen or print just the current step. Put teaching examples aside before the learner tries.
What this lesson covers and its limits
These are bounded opportunities, not learner attainment. Partial and blocked source requirements remain so.
- partial: Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify different sources of food
Bounded objective: Build a simple food chain and interpret its arrows. Canonical always start with a plant is overbroad; algae and non-photosynthetic producers exist. We teach only selected plant-based chains, not universal coverage.
- partial: Draw a simple food chain with at least three organisms using arrows to show energy flow
Three-organism chains drawn from supplied feeding links.
- partial: Explain that food chains always start with a plant (producer) that makes its own food
Only plant-based examples; universal always clause explicitly not supported.
- partial: Use the terms 'producer' and 'consumer' correctly when describing a food chain
Producer/consumer roles named for these examples.
- partial: Can {{name}} draw a food chain showing how a caterpillar eats a leaf and then a bird eats the caterpillar?
Try offers new-supplied-links-application for the bounded objective; it does not establish every part of the source assessment. Canonical always start with a plant is overbroad; algae and non-photosynthetic producers exist. We teach only selected plant-based chains, not universal coverage.
Canonical always start with a plant is overbroad; algae and non-photosynthetic producers exist. We teach only selected plant-based chains, not universal coverage.
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Build a simple food chain and interpret its arrows.
Build a simple food chain and interpret its arrows.
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Learning resources
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Check understanding
- Draw a simple food chain with at least three organisms using arrows to show energy flow
- Explain that food chains always start with a plant (producer) that makes its own food
- Use the terms 'producer' and 'consumer' correctly when describing a food chain
“Can your child draw a food chain showing how a caterpillar eats a leaf and then a bird eats the caterpillar?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Ecosystems & Habitats
- Age range
- Ages 6–7
Standards