Consumers in a food chain
I can identify and name consumers in different food chains.
Consumers in a food chain
I can identify and name consumers in different food chains.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A food chain shows how living things depend on each other for food. The arrows in a food chain represent 'is food for'.
- Animals do not make their own food. They need to hunt or find plants or other animals to eat to survive.
- Animals are called consumers in a food chain because they eat plants or other animals.
- The first consumer in a food chain (primary consumer) can be a herbivore or an omnivore.
- Consumers are not arranged in order of importance, rather they all depend on each other for survival.
Keywords
Food chain - A food chain shows how living things depend on each other for food.
Producer - A producer in a food chain makes its own food.
Consumer - A consumer in a food chain is an animal which eats other animals or plants.
Herbivore - A herbivore is an animal which eats only plants.
Omnivore - An omnivore is an animal which eats both plants and other animals.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that the consumers in a food chain are organised in order of importance.
This lesson focuses on food chains showing how living things depend on each other for food. Individual living things in a food chain are just as important as each other.
Equipment
Pupils may wish to draw their food chains so will need access to pens, pencils, rulers and paper.
Content guidance
- 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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Starter quiz
6 Questions
eats only other animals
eats only plants
eats other animals or plants
Exit quiz
6 Questions
