• 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? lettuce → slug → hedgehog → ___ (phytoplankton / grass / badger / algae) → badgerPrompt: 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? ___ → slug → hedgehog → badger (mouse / lettuce / caterpillar / rabbit) → lettucePrompt: A food chain starts with a plant.

• 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.

• 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.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

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

• 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. grass → zebra → lion What is the grass in this food chain? (producer / tertiary consumer / secondary consumer / primary consumer) → producerPrompt: Start at the plant and count the arrows.
2. algae → tadpole → fish → heron Which animal is the prey of the fish? (tadpole / heron / fish / algae) → tadpolePrompt: A predator hunts and eats other animals; its prey is the animal it eats.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-3.