What animals eat
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can name and group animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
Key learning points
- Different animals eat different types of food.
- Some animals only eat meat, including the flesh of other animals. They are called carnivores.
- Some animals only eat plants or plant products. They are called herbivores.
- Some animals eat both meat and plants. They are called omnivores.
- Animals can be named and grouped according to what they eat.
Keywords
Carnivore - A carnivore is an animal that eats other animals.
Herbivore - A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants.
Omnivore - An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and other animals.
Meat - Meat is the flesh of an animal when it is used for food.
Plants - A plant is a living thing that often has roots, stem and leaves.
Common misconception
All animals eat the same food.
Examples of animals that eat different types of food.
Teacher tip
Arrange a visit to a zoo or wildlife park so that children have the opportunity to see lots of different types of animals first-hand.
Equipment
Images from the slide deck and worksheet for naming and grouping activities.
Content guidance
Exploration of objects
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.True or false? All animals have the same body parts.
Q2.The structure of an animal tells us about ...
Q3.Which of these animals has no legs?
Q4.A woodpecker has a long beak ...
Q5.Lucas is describing an animal. He says it has four legs, a tail and a body covered in scales. Which animal is he describing?
Q6.Which of the following animals have gills?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Squirrels eat nuts. Which of these statements is true?
Q2.Animals that get their food only from plants are called ...
Q3.Animals that only eat other animals are called ...
Q4.Animals that eat both plants and other animals are called ...
Q5.Which of these animals is a carnivore?
Q6.Which of the following animals are herbivores?
To help you plan your 1 science lesson on: What animals eat, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 science lesson on: What animals eat, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 science lessons from the Naming and grouping animals unit, dive into the full primary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.