1. The Food Chain
The student knows that animals eat plants or other animals to acquire the energy they need for survival.
Today, we are going to look at the food chain. Animals eat plants or other animals to acquire the energy they need to survive. Take yourself for example, for dinner you might have chicken, steak, or a salad. These products come from animals and plants. Without energy, we would starve.

2. Food chains involve three types of organisms:
Producers
Consumers
Food chains involve three different types of organisms: produces, consumers, and decomposers.
Decomposers

3. Producers are organisms that are able to make their own food.
Producers include plants, protists, and other microorganisms.
Producers are organisms that are able to make their own food. Producers include plants, protists, and other microorganisms.

4. Consumers Consumers are organisms that get energy by eating
other organisms.
Three Types of Consumers
herbivores
carnivores
omnivores
Consumers cannot make their own food. They get energy by eating other organisms. We are consumers. There are three types of consumers: herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. We will learn the distinguishing characteristics of each consumer a little later.

5. Decomposers Decomposers are organisms that get energy by feeding on
dead materials and wastes.
Decomposers, the third type of organism are organisms that get energy by feeding on dead materials and wastes. Decomposers break down matter into simpler materials, allowing the material to return back to the soil as nutrients.
Decomposers break down
materials into simpler materials. 5

6. Examples of Decomposers
Earthworms
Bacteria
Earthworms, mushrooms, and bacteria are all examples of decomposers.
Mushrooms 6

7. Herbivores Herbivores are organisms that eat
only plants and plant products.
Grasshoppers
Elephants
Let’s backtrack for a minute and talk about the three types of consumers. Herbivores are consumers that eat only plants and plant products. Elephants, grasshoppers, deer, and cows are animals that only eat plants.
Deer
Cows 7

8. Carnivores are animals that
eat other animals.
Spiders
On the other hand, carnivores are animals that eat other animals. Spiders, lions, sharks, and bald eagles prey on other animals.
Sharks
Lions
Bald Eagles 8

9. Omnivores Omnivores are animals that eat
both plants and other animals.
Omnivores are consumers that eat both plants and animals. Bears and raccoons eat both plants and animals. And guess what? So do humans. You and I eat meat such as chicken nuggets, hamburgers, and fish sticks. But, we also eat plants such as fruits and vegetables. That makes us omnivores.
Raccoons
Bears
Humans 9

10. What are their roles?

11. What position does each animal have in the food chain?

12. Let’s practice!

13. and practice!