Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 30 minutes
Simple food chains
Ecosystems and food chains
CCSS NGSS.5-LS2-1England: KS1 Y2 Living things and their habitatsEngland: KS2 Y4 Animals, including humans
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Simple food chains.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: no earlier skill in the map; start from what students know.
Leads to: Producers, consumers, predators and prey; Environments change: human impact
Materials: Food web cards, Arrows to build chains, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval: three short questions students should already manage. Answers on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? acacia leaves → giraffe → ___ (algae / oak leaves / seeds / lion) → lionPrompt: It must eat the thing before it in the chain.
- grass → rabbit → fox. Which living thing is a plant? (rabbit / fox / grass) → grassPrompt: It is at the start of the chain.
- In a food chain, what does the arrow mean? ("lives next to" / "eats" / "is bigger than" / "is eaten by" (energy passes along)) → "is eaten by" (energy passes along)Prompt: Think: grass → rabbit. Which way does the food go?
Hook · 3 min
- Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
- Share the objective: Simple food chains. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? phytoplankton → ___ → penguin → leopard seal
- Step 1: phytoplankton → krill → penguin → leopard seal
- Step 2: So the answer is: krill
- Answer: krill
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? ___ → tadpole → fish → heron (algae / caterpillar / giraffe / rabbit) → algaePrompt: A food chain starts with a plant.
- In a food chain, what does the arrow mean? ("eats" / "is bigger than" / "lives next to" / "is eaten by" (energy passes along)) → "is eaten by" (energy passes along)Prompt: Think: grass → rabbit. Which way does the food go?
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- grass → rabbit → fox. Which living thing is a plant? (grass / fox / rabbit) → grassPrompt: It is at the start of the chain.
- Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? grass → rabbit → ___ (seeds / fox / phytoplankton / algae) → foxPrompt: It must eat the thing before it in the chain.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Use concrete materials: food web cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Producers, consumers, predators and prey; Environments change: human impact.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder