New
New
Year 4

Comparing different food chains

I can create my own food chains and use scientific language to compare them with others.

New
New
Year 4

Comparing different food chains

I can create my own food chains and use scientific language to compare them with others.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A food chain includes a producer and consumers, including predators and prey.
  2. Food chains can be compared by looking at what is similar and what is different.
  3. A plant or animal can be part of many different food chains.
  4. People who work with and study animals can be used as secondary sources of information about what animals eat.

Keywords

  • Food chain - A food chain shows how living things depend on each other for food.

  • Predator - A predator is an animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals.

  • Prey - An animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal is called prey.

  • Compare - We compare things by looking at what is the same and what is different.

  • Secondary source - Secondary sources are texts, images or objects created using information gathered by others.

Common misconception

Children may think that a plant or animal can only be part of one food chain.

This lesson shows a number of examples of how plants and animals can be part of many different food chains. Children are encouraged to research and create different food chains for the same plant or animal.

A simple internet search: Which animal is prey of (insert animal name) or Which animal is predator of (insert animal name) will help children to use the internet as a secondary source of information.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Access to secondary sources such as books and the internet. An opportunity to video call someone who works with animals, or arrange a visit or visitor in school would enrich this lesson further.

Content guidance

  • Exploration of objects
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What do we do when we compare objects?
We look at what is interesting about objects.
Correct answer: We look at what is the same and what is different.
We find out where the objects were made.
Q2.
What does it mean to look for similarities between objects?
look for what is unusual
look for what is different
Correct answer: look for what is the same
Q3.
What does it mean to carry out research?
Correct answer: To research something is to discover information about it.
To research something is to measure it.
To research something is to write a report about it.
Q4.
True or false? The plants in a food chain are producers.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: True, true
Q5.
True or false? Some producers in a food chain can also be predators.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: False, false
Q6.
Which statement about predators and prey is correct?
An image in a quiz
An animal that is a predator cannot be prey.
An animal that is a prey cannot be a predator.
Correct answer: Some animals in a food chain can be both predator and prey.

6 Questions

Q1.
We can food chains by looking at what is similar and what is different.
Correct Answer: compare
Q2.
Compare these food chains. What is the same about them?
An image in a quiz
They have the same predator.
Correct answer: They have the same producer.
Correct answer: They have the same number of prey.
Q3.
Compare these food chains. What is different about them?
An image in a quiz
They have different producers.
They have a different number of consumers.
Correct answer: They have different prey.
The arrows mean different things.
Q4.
True or false? An animal can only be part of one type of food chain.
An image in a quiz
true
Correct answer: false
Q5.
Which of these can be used as secondary sources of information to find out what animals eat?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: non-fiction books about animals
Correct answer: animal websites on the internet
Correct answer: people who work with and study animals
Correct answer: magazine articles and leaflets about animals
Q6.
Which statement about food chains is correct?
Correct answer: Food chains start with a producer.
Food chains end with a producer.
Consumers in a food chain include predators and producers.
Consumers in a food chain are all prey.
Correct answer: Consumers in a food chain include predators and prey.