Year 8 Science Work

Week beginning 11th May – Lesson 1

Food Chains
This week’s work has been set by Miss Start

Where you see the pencil symbol, please write the

information from the page down in your exercise book or on
some paper

If you have any questions or problems, please email me:

h.start@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk
Learning objectives
• Use information to construct a food chain

• Combine food chains to make a food web

• Describe a food web using key words

Starter: match the key words below with the correct
definitions, and write them down in your exercise book
Key words Definitions

An animal that eats both

Carnivore plants and other animals

Omnivore An animal that eats plants

An animal that eats other

Herbivore animals
Answers
Key words Definitions

An animal that eats both

Carnivore plants and other animals

Omnivore An animal that eats plants

An animal that eats other

Herbivore animals
What are food chains? Write the information down and copy
the food chain into your book

Food chains show which organisms eat other organisms in a habitat

An example:
Acorn Squirrel Fox

This food chain shows that acorns are eaten BY squirrels, and squirrels are
eaten BY foxes

The arrows show the transfer of energy from one organism to the next (energy from
the acorn is transferred to the squirrel when the squirrel eats it, and so on).
Your turn to practice!
Write down or draw the organisms shown below into the correct order
of a food chain:

Owl Ant Mouse Plant

How did you do?
Correct order:

Plant Ant Mouse Owl

 Plants
Key words about food chains photosynthesise
to make their
own food
• A food chain always starts with a
producer – an organism that makes its
own food by photosynthesis (plants
and algae do this) Green algae
floating on the
surface of a lake

• Organisms that eat to survive (whether

they eat plants, other animals, or a
combination of both) are called
Dogs are
consumers, because they must consumers
consume (eat) other living things to because they must
eat to get energy –
get their energy they can’t produce
their own food!
Key words about food chains
In this food chain:
The tree that produces the acorns is the producer The squirrel is the
primary consumer,
because it is the FIRST
consumer in this food
The squirrels and foxes are consumers chain, and the fox is the
secondary consumer

Acorn Squirrel Fox

What about predators and prey?
Watch this video for some examples of predators and prey in the wild!

Think: What do the words predator and prey mean?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtnLNmB3ZNE
Predators and prey

Cheetahs are predators: they Gazelles are prey: they are

hunt and eat other animals hunted and eaten by predators
Task 1:
1. In your book, write down the definitions for predator and prey

2. Write down as many examples of predators and prey that you can
think of

3. Challenge: how are cheetahs well adapted to hunting, catching and

eating their prey?
Answers:
1. Predators hunt and eat other animals, prey are hunted and eaten
by other animals

2. Predators: lions, polar bears, cats, eagles…

Prey: mice, antelope, fish…(remember that an animal can be both
predator and prey)

3. Cheetahs have strong muscles so they can run quickly, sharp claws
to help catch prey, sharp teeth to eat prey, and the pattern on their fur
helps them to camouflage and hide
Task 2:
• On the next slide are three different food chains

• Copy each food chain out into your book (you can just write the
words – you don’t need to draw the pictures – unless you particularly
want to!)

• Label each food chain with the producers, consumers, herbivores,

carnivores, predators and prey
Copy these
out and
follow the
instructions
from the
previous
slide
Answers – please mark your work!

Producer Consumer Consumer Consumer

Herbivore Carnivore Carnivore
Prey Predator Predator
Prey
Answers – please mark your work!

Producer Consumer Consumer Consumer

(tree) Herbivore Carnivore Carnivore
Prey Predator Predator
Prey
Answers – please mark your work!

Producer Consumer Consumer Consumer

Herbivore Carnivore Carnivore
Prey Predator Predator
Prey
Food webs Lots of food chains
exist in different
habitats. These are
joined up together
to make a food
web.

Food webs show

the feeding
relationships that
exist in an
environment.
Food webs Print out or draw
this food web in
your book, and
write down as
many food chains
as you can identify

Example:

Grass -> zebra ->

lion
Food webs Food chains in this web:

Grass -> zebra -> lion

Acacia tree -> giraffe -> lion

Acacia tree -> impala -> cheetah ->

lion

Acacia tree -> impala -> leopard ->

lion
Plenary: quiz!
1. What does a food chain always start with?
2. Name a consumer in this food chain:

Grass -> grasshopper -> frog -> hawk

3. What does an omnivore eat?

4. What is the difference between predators and prey?
Plenary: answers
1. What does a food chain always start with? A producer (plant or algae)
2. Name a consumer in this food chain:

Grass -> grasshopper -> frog -> hawk

3. What does an omnivore eat? Plants and animals

4. What is the difference between predators and prey? Predators hunt
and eat other animals (their prey), prey are hunted and eaten by
predators
Challenge: make your own food web!
• Can you create your own food chain or food web?

• Maybe you could go outside into a garden or outdoor space, and use your
surroundings, along with some research, to put a food web together?

• Or could you do some internet research about animals and food chains in
another ecosystem – for example, the rainforest, or the Arctic?

• You could be creative and make your food web colourful, add pictures, or
even make it into a poster and add interesting information about the
animals and plants in your web!
Well done
There will be another lesson for you to complete this week about
ecosystems, which will follow on from what you have learned in this lesson

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at

h.start@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk

And if you complete the food web challenge, I would love to see a photo of
your work!

Miss Start 