Subject/Topic:
What is a food chain?
2 Set the Sc
ene
1 Background
ty of life’ and can
Biodiversity means ‘varie
er of different
be measured as the numb
e quantities of
things in an area, and th
rtant because
each. Biodiversity is impo
portant role in
all living things play an im
de variety of
their environments. A wi
to maintain a
organisms are necessary
st organisms
healthy ecosystem as mo
least affected
are dependent on - or at
onnections
by - each other. The interc
e a complex web
between creatures creat
of who eats who.
Food chains/webs,
biodiversity
Introduce the idea of
a food chain using su
n,
grass, cow, human. As
k, where does the gr
ass get
its energy to grow?
Continue to link each
ele
ment.
Show children images
of seaweed, herring,
co
d,
dolphin and orca. Ask,
‘Who eats who?’
Create a food chain to
show connections.
Ask what the seawee
d eats - compare to
plants. Explain that se
aweed gets its energy
from the sun. Add to
the food chain.
5 Apply
Use Food Chains to demonstrate building
a food chain from the selected animals.
Emphasise that mostly, the larger animals
eat the smaller. Children may work in pair
s.
They can then create their own food chai
n and
explain the connections to demonstrate thei
r
understanding.
Suitable for:
1 Younger years
3 Resources
Food Webs
Worksheet: Food Chains,
gallery and interactive
game
4 Investigate
Explain that everythin
g in our ocean is
connected in
food chains and that
these join to make a
food web.
Use interactive food
web game on IWB. Di
scuss the
interconnections betw
een all animals. Ask ch
ildren
what they think would
happen if one animal
die
d out?
Ask if anyone knows
what ‘extinct’ means.
W
ha
t about
if a particular animal
population grew? Intr
oduce
the terms threatened
and endangered. Ask,
do
es it
matter if an animal be
comes extinct?
6 Extend
in the Food
Use the interactive game
marine food
Webs section to build a
web.
7 Reflect
In groups, children to discuss
the following statements: Animals’
need
habitats are important. All animals
fish from the
protecting. People can take as many
sea as they like..
A project made
possible by
Food chains 1
Name:
.
What to do..
ach of the
e
t
u
o
t
u
C
.
1
als.
plants/anim
Stick here
Stick here
2. Starting with the
sun, arrange them
into a food chain.
Stick here
3. Stick them into place
below.
Stick here
Stick here
Cuttlefish
Periwinkle
Cut along dotted lines
Seaweed
Sun
Crab
Name:
Food chains 2
.
What to do..
ach of the
e
t
u
o
t
u
C
.
1
als.
plants/anim
Stick here
Stick here
2. Starting with the
sun, arrange them
into a food chain.
Stick here
3. Stick them into place
below.
Stick here
Stick here
Blenny
Zooplankton
Cut along dotted lines
Phytoplankton
Sun
Barnacles
Food chains 3
Name:
.
What to do..
ach of the
e
t
u
o
t
u
C
.
1
als.
plants/anim
Stick here
2. Starting with the
sun, arrange them
into a food chain.
Stick here
Stick here
3. Stick them into place
below.
Stick here
Stick here
Cut along dotted lines
Prawn
Sun
Phytoplankton
Anemone
Zooplankton
Seaslug
Food chains 4
Name:
.
What to do..
ach of the
e
t
u
o
t
u
C
.
1
als.
plants/anim
Stick here
Stick here
2. Starting with the
sun, arrange them
into a food chain.
Stick here
3. Stick them into place
below.
Stick here
Stick here
Cut along dotted lines
Seaweed
Sun
Dog whelk
Limpets
Crab