Unit Resource Portfolio: Food Chains

A food chain shows how each living thing gets food, and how nutrients are passed from creature to creature. Food chain begin with plant-life, and end with animal-life.

Virginia Standards of Learning
Science SOL 3.5, The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include:
a) producer, consumer, decomposer;
b) herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and
c) predator and prey.

Background Information

• A food chain shows a food relationship among plants and animals in a specific area or environment.
  
• Terrestrial organisms are found on land habitats such as deserts, grasslands, and forests. Aquatic organisms are found in water habitats such as ponds, marshes, rivers, and oceans.
• A green plant makes its own food using sunlight, air, and water. Green plants are producers.
• A consumer is an animal that eats living organisms (plant or animal).
• Certain organisms break down decayed plants and animals into smaller pieces that can be used again by other living organisms. These organisms are decomposers.
• A food chain, which shows part of a food web, can have an animal that eats only plants (herbivores). It can have an animal that eats only other animals (carnivore). It can also have an animal that eats both plants and animals (omnivore).
• An animal can hunt other animals to get its food (predator).
• An animal can be hunted by another animal for food (prey).

Vocabulary
In order to successfully complete this unit, students will need to have mastered the following vocabulary words: decomposer, producer, consumers, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, predator, and prey.

Day 1: Introduction to Food Chains

Objective
Students will: identify that a food chain shows a food relationship among plants and animals.

Introduce the concept of a food chain by asking students if they have ever heard of the term "food chain". As a class, fill out the "K" column of a KWL chart (both on the board and in student's Science notebook) by asking students what they already know about food chains. Next, read the book Trout Are Made of Trees by April Sayre. Follow up by asking questions such as: How are trout and trees connected? Do animals and plants depend on each other? Next, explain to students that we are going to learn how all animals and plants are connected through a process called a food chain. Have students watch the following food chain video. Once the video is over, fill out the "W" column on the KWL chart with the students. After students have listed several ideas, explain to students that we are going to be spending the next two weeks learning about food chains.

Day 2: Online Scavenger Hunt

Objective
Students will: identify and define the different terms associated with food chains.
create a foldable using the terms producer, consumer, decomposer.

Read the book Hey Diddle, Diddle: A Food Chain Tale by Pam Kapchinske. Have students recall yesterday's lesson by reviewing the KWL chart in their Science notebook. Explain to students that they are going to go on an "Online Scavenger Hunt". With the following sites, have students define the following terms in their Science notebooks: producer, consumer, decomposers, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, prey, predators, decomposers, producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers. Once students have finished the scavenger hunt, draw a pyramid on the board. Explain to students that we are going to fill out different levels of this pyramid by using the following site: Food Chains. As a class, fill out the pyramid. To close the lesson, return to the book Hey Diddle, Diddle: A Food Chain Tale. As a class, identify the different producers and consumers in the book. Using their notes from the scavenger hunt, follow up by having students create a producer, consumer, decomposer foldable.


Day 3: Test Your Knowledge!

Objective
Students will: test their knowledge on food chains by playing several food chain games.
create a foldable using the terms carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore.

As a class, review the terms from Day 2's scavenger hunt. Be sure to emphasize the different vocabulary words students identified yesterday. Create a shutter foldable using the terms carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore. Next, explain to students that they are going to test their knowledge on food chains by playing some food chains games with a partner. Have students partner up and play the following games: Chain Reaction, Food Chain Interactive Movie Game, and National Geographic Food Chain Quiz. As students play the games, remind them to keep notes and results in their Science notebook.

Day 4: Food Chain Snapshot

Objective
The student will: identify the different components that make up a food chain (decomposer, producer, consumer).

Read Pond Circle by Betsy Franco. Review the terms that relate to food chains. Make sure students identify who was at the "top" and "bottom" of the food chains. Next, have students play the interactive game Food Chain Snapshot. Remind students to takes notes of the game in their Science notebook. Once students have finished the game, have them return to their seats to review. Ask students what animals they took pictures of in the Food Chain Snapshot game. Write down the animals as student share. Be sure to include all eight different animals from the Food Chain Snapshot game. Once students have finished sharing, conduct an informal poll by asking students the following questions: What are the producers/consumers/decomposers. Conduct the poll and review results with the students. If the results are not unanimous, have students defend their answers.

Day 5: Different Animals Means Different Food Chains

Objective
The students will: create a foldable to understand the concept that different animals mean different food chains.

Ask students what kind of animals we find here in Virginia. List them on the board. Ask students if we have camels in Virginia? Lions (etc.)? Explain to students that there are different animals all over the world. To help enforce the idea create a hot dog booklet highlighting different food chains from a forest in Virginia, the Ocean, and a desert.



Day 6: Food Chains Around the World

Objective
The students will: identify different types of food chains in different biomes.

Remind students that there are different types of food chains, because there are different types of animals around the world. In pairs or groups, have students look at the following food chains from the following places, using the following sites: coniferous forest, deciduous forest, desert, ocean, and temperate. Have students take notes about each food chain in their Science notebook. One students are finished have them return to their seats. Next, ask students to list the five different food chains they looked at from around the world (students may use their notes). As students list the different food chain locations, write them on the board. Next, have individual students come up and write an animal that is located in one of the different food chain location. Once completed, ask students which living thing would be at the beginning of the food chain for each of the locations. Conduct an informal poll. Remind students that no matter where a food chain is located, it will most likely always begin with a green plant.

Day 7: Components of A Food Chain

Objective
The student will: create an accurate food chain using pictures.
label each component of the food chain.

On the SmartBoard, display the images of a mushroom, flower, grasshopper, raccoon, and a hawk. Together as a class, move the images around to create an accurate food chain (mess up a few times so students can correct you). Once you have completed an accurate food chain, as a class, label each component of the food chain (decomposer, producer, consumer, etc.) Once you have finished, explain to students that they are going to make their own food chain using the website Create A Food Chain. Have students pair up and create their own food chain using the site. Also, have students draw and label the food chain they create in their Science notebook.


Day 8: Make Your Own Food Chain!

Objective
The student will: apply their knowledge of food chains to create their own food chain.
physically create their own food chain using magazine images and yarn.

With a partner, have students share the food chain they created the day before with a partner. Next, explain to student that they are going to create their own food chain using magazines, markers, and crayons. Have students create their own food chain using pictures/drawings and yarn. As students create their food chains, make sure they label each component of their food chain. Once students have completed their food chain, individually call students up front to show their food chain to the class. While each child shows their food chain, call on the rest of the class to identify each component of the food chain.

Day 9: Let's Make A Food Web!

Objective
The student will: create a food web by combining food chains with other students.

Read to students Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds: The Story of a Food Web by Pam Kapchinske. Follow up by asking students the following questions: What were some of the animal in the story? Was there just one food chain in this story? What is it called when many different food chains connect together? Explain to students that they are now going to see how they will use their food chain they made yesterday to create something even bigger, a food web! Have students meet with partners and pass out each group a poster board and some yarn. Explain to students how to connect their food chains together to make a food web. Have students work on creating their food web.

Day 10: Closure

Objective
The student will: identify and label different components of a food web.
apply knowledge of food chains to a formal assessment.

Have students add the finish touches to their food web. Make sure that students identify the different components of their food chain and food web. Once each group has finished, individually call each group to the front to display their food chain. Have each group identify which food chain was their own and explain how they connected it with their partner's food chains. As a pre-assessment quiz, have the rest of the class identify the different components of each web. Also, make sure students identify which animals are either prey or predators. Finish up the unit by having students complete the Food Chain Assessment. Answer Key.

Additional Resources

Butternut Hollow Pond. By Brian J. Heinz. Illus. by Bob Marshall. 2005. 32p. First Avenue Editions, (9780822559931). Gr. 2-6.
Using beautiful watercolors, this book illustrates to students how animals depend on each other. The book takes place during one full day at a pond.

Decomposers in the Food Chain. By Alice B. McGinty. Photo. by Dwight Kugn. 2002. 24p. PowerKids Press, (9780823957578). Gr. 1-4.
This is book is great because it focuses solely on the importance of decomposers in the food chain cycle.

Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale. By Pam Kapchinske. Illus. by Sherry Rogers. 2011. 32p. Sylvan Dell Publishing, (9781607181309). Gr. 2-5
Using the tune from the rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle”, this book gives numerous examples of different food chains in nature. With fun pictures and a catchy tune, this is a great book for children.

Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds: The Story of a Food Web. By Victoria Crenson. Illus. by Annie Cannon. 2009. 34p. Marshall Cavendish Copr/Ccb, (9780761455523). Gr. 2-6.
This book discusses food chains and food webs on the coast. This book has great illustrations and is very useful for teaching about food chains and food webs.

The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Chains. By Pat Relf. Illus. by Carolyn Bracken. 1996. 32p. Scholastic Paperbacks, (9780590484145). Gr. 2-4.
In this book, Ms. Frizzle takes the students on a food chain adventure. Using their school bus as a vehicle, the class drives into the ocean in search of food chain knowledge.

The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat.
By Michael Pollan. 2009. 352p. Dial, (9780803725001). Gr. 3-6.
This is a great book to use when teaching about carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores because it makes a real life connection for students.

Pleased to Eat You. By Sydnie Meltzer Kleinhenz. Illustrated by Beth Griffis Johnson. 2003. 32p. Millbrook Press, (9780761318279). Gr. 1-3.
This easy reader is great for students to read themselves! Following a young girl, this book tells the stories of food chains. Better yet, this book also has great facts at the end to further educate students on food chains.

Pond Circle. By Betsy Franco. Illus. by Stefano Vitale. 2009. 32p. Margaret K. McElderry, (9781416940210). Gr. 2-5
With amazing illustrations and a rhythmic flow, this book is great to use when introducing the concept of food chains. This book is great in that it also provides additional information about each animal from the story.

Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard. By Kathleen W. Zoehfeld. Illus. by Priscilla Lamont. 2012. 40p. Knopf Books for Young Readers, (9780517709902). Gr. 2-4.
A brand new book about food chain hitting shelves this spring! This book discusses food chains and food webs that we would find in our own backyards.

Trout Are Made of Trees. By April Pulley Sayre. Illus. by Kate Endle. 2008. 32p. Charlesbridge Publishing, (9781580891387). Gr. 2-4
This is a great book to use when teaching food chains because it shows students how plants are an extremely important component of food chains. Readers learn that leaves fall into streams and decompose into food for fish, beginning a food chain cycle.