Activity Overview
In this activity students are going to demonstrate their understanding of the transfer of energy between living things by creating different food chains. The arrows in the food chain represent the flow of energy and also the transfer of matter. Remind students that all food chains start with energy from the Sun. In most food chains, this energy is converted to glucose by photosynthesizing green plants.
The instructions provided in the assignment use the first four food chains listed below, and can be edited as needed.
Example Food Chains
- Sun → Grass → Caterpillar → Sparrow → Hawk
- Sun → Tree → Squirrel → Fox
- Sun → Grass → Cow → Human
- Sun → Red Oat Grass → Termites → Mongoose → Caracal
- Sun → Grass → Vole → Owl
- Sun → phytoplankton → Krill → Leopard Seal → Orca (Killer Whale)
- Sun → Typha (cattail) → Mouse → Opossum → Red Fox → Puma
- Sun → phytoplankton → zooplankton → Jellyfish → Shark
Extend this activity by providing students with a habitat and having them research food chains in these habitats! This is a great way for students to see how animals have adapted to the habitat in which they live. After completing this activity, students can have the opportunity to evaluate their models. Lead students through the strengths and limitations of the models giving them an opportunity to make suggestions for improvements.
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Show your understanding of food chains by reordering the following plants and animals into food chains. Remember to use arrows to show the flow of energy.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- In the first row, put these animals into a food chain: Sparrow, Caterpillar, Grass and Hawk.
- In the second row, put these animals into a food chain: Squirrel, Tree, and Fox.
- In the third row, put these animals into a food chain: Human, Cow, and Grass.
- In the last row, put these animals into a food chain: Mongoose, Caracal, Red Oat Grass, and Termites.
- For each food chain, label each organism as a herbivore, omnivore or carnivore.
- Use Photos for Class to find an example image for each one.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 33 Points | Emerging 22 Points | Beginning 11 Points | Try again 0 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animals | All the animals are in the correct order. | Most of the animals are in the correct order. | Some of the animals are in the correct order. | None of the animals are in the correct order. |
| Labels | All animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. | Most animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. | Some of the animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. | None of the animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. |
| Evidence of Effort | Work is well written and carefully thought out. | Work shows evidence of effort. | Work shows little evidence of effort. | Work shows very little evidence of any effort. |
Activity Overview
In this activity students are going to demonstrate their understanding of the transfer of energy between living things by creating different food chains. The arrows in the food chain represent the flow of energy and also the transfer of matter. Remind students that all food chains start with energy from the Sun. In most food chains, this energy is converted to glucose by photosynthesizing green plants.
The instructions provided in the assignment use the first four food chains listed below, and can be edited as needed.
Example Food Chains
- Sun → Grass → Caterpillar → Sparrow → Hawk
- Sun → Tree → Squirrel → Fox
- Sun → Grass → Cow → Human
- Sun → Red Oat Grass → Termites → Mongoose → Caracal
- Sun → Grass → Vole → Owl
- Sun → phytoplankton → Krill → Leopard Seal → Orca (Killer Whale)
- Sun → Typha (cattail) → Mouse → Opossum → Red Fox → Puma
- Sun → phytoplankton → zooplankton → Jellyfish → Shark
Extend this activity by providing students with a habitat and having them research food chains in these habitats! This is a great way for students to see how animals have adapted to the habitat in which they live. After completing this activity, students can have the opportunity to evaluate their models. Lead students through the strengths and limitations of the models giving them an opportunity to make suggestions for improvements.
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Show your understanding of food chains by reordering the following plants and animals into food chains. Remember to use arrows to show the flow of energy.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- In the first row, put these animals into a food chain: Sparrow, Caterpillar, Grass and Hawk.
- In the second row, put these animals into a food chain: Squirrel, Tree, and Fox.
- In the third row, put these animals into a food chain: Human, Cow, and Grass.
- In the last row, put these animals into a food chain: Mongoose, Caracal, Red Oat Grass, and Termites.
- For each food chain, label each organism as a herbivore, omnivore or carnivore.
- Use Photos for Class to find an example image for each one.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 33 Points | Emerging 22 Points | Beginning 11 Points | Try again 0 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animals | All the animals are in the correct order. | Most of the animals are in the correct order. | Some of the animals are in the correct order. | None of the animals are in the correct order. |
| Labels | All animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. | Most animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. | Some of the animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. | None of the animals are labelled correctly with either omnivore, herbivore or carnivore. |
| Evidence of Effort | Work is well written and carefully thought out. | Work shows evidence of effort. | Work shows little evidence of effort. | Work shows very little evidence of any effort. |
More Storyboard That Activities
Food Chains
- 2011.06.13_17.47.49_CIMG5793 • andrey_zharkikh • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Caracal • angela n. • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Caterpillars • agavegirl13 • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- cow • steve p2008 • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- eat • oskay • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- fox • digitalprimate • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Grass • theerawat • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- hawk • Dawn Huczek • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Mongoose • Jean & Nathalie • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Oak branches • jcnapw • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Sparrow • barryskeates • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- squirrel • Dawn Huczek • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- sun • alexisnyal • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Termite • dotcompals • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
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