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Science lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 30 minutes

Producers, consumers, predators and prey

Ecosystems and food chains

CCSS NGSS.5-LS2-1CCSS NGSS.MS-LS2-3England: KS2 Y4 Animals, including humans

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Producers, consumers, predators and prey.

  • 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: Simple food chains

Leads to: Decomposers and recycling nutrients; Food webs and interdependence; Why some animals live in groups

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 from earlier learning (Simple food chains). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? grass → zebra → ___ (algae / lettuce / lion / acacia leaves) → lionPrompt: It must eat the thing before it in the chain.
  2. grass → rabbit → fox. Which living thing is a plant? (grass / rabbit / fox) → grassPrompt: It is at the start of the chain.
  3. Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? oak leaves → ___ → blue tit → sparrowhawk (phytoplankton / fox / lion / caterpillar) → caterpillarPrompt: It must eat the thing before it in the chain.

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
  • Share the objective: Producers, consumers, predators and prey. 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: phytoplankton → krill → penguin → leopard seal What is the krill in this food chain?
  • Step 1: It is number 2 in the chain.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: primary consumer
  • Answer: primary consumer
  • 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.
  1. grass → rabbit → fox What is the grass in this food chain? (producer / secondary consumer / tertiary consumer / primary consumer) → producerPrompt: Start at the plant and count the arrows.
  2. grass → zebra → lion Which animal is the prey of the lion? (lion / zebra / grass) → zebraPrompt: A predator hunts and eats other animals; its prey is the animal it eats.

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.
  1. oak leaves → caterpillar → blue tit → sparrowhawk Which animal is the predator of the caterpillar? (caterpillar / sparrowhawk / blue tit / oak leaves) → blue titPrompt: A predator hunts and eats other animals; its prey is the animal it eats.
  2. seeds → mouse → owl What is the seeds in this food chain? (producer / primary consumer / tertiary consumer / secondary consumer) → producerPrompt: Start at the plant and count the arrows.

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

  • Review first: Simple food chains.
  • 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: Decomposers and recycling nutrients; Food webs and interdependence; Why some animals live in groups.
  • 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-3.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Producers, consumers, predators and prey

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    seeds → mouse → owl Which animal is the predator of the mouse?

    • A. seeds
    • B. mouse
    • C. owl

  2. Question 2

    Food chains: which statement is true?

    • A. A consumer gets its energy by eating other living things.
    • B. Producers eat consumers.
    • C. Herbivores are predators.
    • D. A food chain can start with a lion.

  3. Question 3

    grass → rabbit → fox What is the fox in this food chain?

    • A. secondary consumer
    • B. producer
    • C. tertiary consumer
    • D. primary consumer

  4. Question 4

    oak leaves → caterpillar → blue tit → sparrowhawk Which animal is the prey of the blue tit?

    • A. oak leaves
    • B. caterpillar
    • C. blue tit
    • D. sparrowhawk

  5. Question 5

    lettuce → slug → hedgehog → badger What is the slug in this food chain?

    • A. primary consumer
    • B. secondary consumer
    • C. producer
    • D. tertiary consumer

  6. Question 6

    phytoplankton → krill → penguin → leopard seal Which animal is the predator of the krill?

    • A. phytoplankton
    • B. penguin
    • C. krill
    • D. leopard seal

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Answer key: Producers, consumers, predators and prey

  1. 1. C. owl

  2. 2. A. A consumer gets its energy by eating other living things.

  3. 3. A. secondary consumer

  4. 4. B. caterpillar

  5. 5. A. primary consumer

  6. 6. B. penguin