All living things need energy. Energy is the power to live and grow. Where does energy come from? It starts with the sun!
Plants catch the sun's energy. They use it to make their own food. Then a rabbit eats the grass. The energy moves from the grass into the rabbit. Next, a fox eats the rabbit. The energy moves into the fox.
This path of energy is called a food chain. We draw food chains with arrows. The arrow means "gives energy to." Here is one: grass → rabbit → fox.
Every food chain starts with the sun and a plant. Then come the animals. Animals that eat plants are called herbivores. Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores.
1. Where does the energy in a food chain start?
2. What does the arrow in a food chain mean?
3. What do we call an animal that eats plants?
4. What do we call an animal that eats other animals?
Write what each word means in your own words.
Read each food chain out loud. Then answer below.
1. In the first chain, who gets energy from the rabbit?
2. In the second chain, what does the caterpillar eat?
Sort these animals: rabbit, fox, cow, shark, caterpillar, lion, deer, hawk
| Herbivores (eat plants) | Carnivores (eat animals) |
|---|---|
| Statement | T | F |
|---|---|---|
| All energy in a food chain starts with the sun. | T | F |
| A fox is a herbivore. | T | F |
| The arrow means "gives energy to." | T | F |
| Food chains always start with an animal. | T | F |
| A rabbit gets energy by eating grass. | T | F |
| A shark is a carnivore. | T | F |
Draw the three links of this food chain: grass, rabbit, fox.
1. grass
2. rabbit
3. fox
Word Bank:
sun energy food chain plants herbivore carnivore
1. All living things need ________________ to live and grow.
2. Energy for a food chain starts with the ________________.
3. ________________ catch the sun's energy and make food.
4. The path of energy from plant to animal is a ________________.
5. A deer eats plants, so it is a ________________.
6. A lion eats other animals, so it is a ________________.
Fill in the missing links. Use your own ideas!
You are part of food chains too! Write a food chain that ends with YOU. (Hint: sun → grass → cow → ...)
Write one new thing you learned about food chains today.