Food web game instructions
Step 3
Activities
1. Move to an open space, like a school hall or
Activity 1: 10 minutes - Producer/
outside. Consumer/Predator
Explain that together you’re going to
make a marine food web. Ask if students
Explain that today’s topic is going to focus on food
know what
(awhat
connection
of
chains,a
andfood
ask if theweb
childrenis
know
a food
chain is. Explain that food chains are the transfer of
food chains).
energy between species. Introduce the terms
2. Stand in‘producer’,
a large
circle
and hand out the food
‘consumer’
and ‘predator’.
web elements
tominutes
some
stud
In pairs, give cards
students a few
to think
of a ents (there
food chainso
for plants
and animals
on land, and for one each).
won't
be enough
are 14 cards
decide what in their food chain is a producer,
3. Draw attention
to the
smaller
consumer, predator.
Discuss
answers and text
then showing
introduce
the ‘primary’ and
‘secondary
where the
organism
gets
its energy. Remind
consumers’ and ‘apex predators’.
children this is really important for the game.
4. Start with
the sun, and ask who gets their
Activity 2 (Part 1): 15 minutes – Making a food
web
energy from
the sun (plankton and
seaweed).
that
producers.
Move Explain
to an open space,
like athese
school hall are
or outside.
that together
you’re
going using
to make a sseperate
sepearte peices ofpeices
string
ConnectExplain
these
to the
sun
marine
food
web. Ask if students know what a food web is
of string.
5. Now ask(awho
gets
connection
of foodtheir
chains). energy from seaweed,
and link Hand
with
string.
out the food web elements cards to some
6. Work through
one
food
chain
at a
students (there
won’t
be enough
for one each)
andtime, using
stand in a large circle. Draw attention to the smaller
a different
length of string for each food
text showing where the organism gets its energy.
chain. Remind children this is really important for the
game. Start with the sun, and ask who gets their
7. Explain that
thethecreature
at the end of the
energy from
sun (plankton and
seaweed).
Connect
these to the sun using string.
food chain
is a
predator.
Now ask who gets their energy from
8. Continue until all food chains are complete
This will form a visual food web.
This activity should take no
more than 10 minutes. If you
have time then complete
extension activity.
Food web game instructions
Step 3
EXTENSION
Activities
Activity 1: 10 minutes - Producer/
1. Ask students
what they think might happen to
Consumer/Predator
the food web if one of the animals
Explain that for
today’s
topic is going toiffocus
on food
disappeared,
example,
mussels
were
overfished. Then remove mussels (person
between species.
Introduce
the terms
holdingenergy
shellfish
lets
go
of
string).
‘producer’, ‘consumer’ and ‘predator’.
2. Children should identify the impact of this loss, i.e.
pairs,
give students
few minutes towoul
think of d
a have less
animalsIn
feeding
onamussels
food chain for plants and animals on land, and
food, possibly
impacting
numbers. Those
decide what in
their food chain istheir
a producer,
consumer, predator. Discuss answers and then
students
holding cards that eat mussels
introduce the ‘primary’ and ‘secondary
should consumers’
then be
andremoved
‘apex predators’.by letting go of
the string.
3. Observe
how
this
impacted
the web.
Activity
2 (Part
1): has
15 minutes
– Making a food
Discussweb
how creatures that mussels feed
on mayMove
increase
in number
because
to an open space,
like a school hall
or outside. of lack
of prey.Explain that together you’re going to make a marine
food web. Ask if students know what a food web is
4. Explain (athat
each
element
within a food web
connection
of food
chains).
can affect the others.
Hand out the food web elements cards to some
students (there won’t be enough for one each) and
stand in a large circle. Draw attention to the smaller
text showing where the organism gets its energy.
Remind children this is really important for the
game. Start with the sun, and ask who gets their
energy from the sun (plankton and
seaweed). Connect these to the sun using string.
Now ask who gets their energy from
Human
Orca
Seal
Flatfish
Mussels
Whelk
Eats whelk, edible
crab, mussels,
flatfish and
seaweed
Eats flatfish
Eats otter
Eats mussels
Eats plankton
Eats hermit crab
and mussels
Hermit crab
Otter
Urchin
Edible crab
Eats seaweed
Eats urchin
Eats seaweed
Eats worm,
mussels and
seaweed
Worm
Basking
shark
Eats whelk, edible
crab, flatfish and
seaweed
Plankton
Gets energy from
the sun
Eats plankton
Seaweed
Gets energy from
the sun
Flatfish, mussles, edible crab - Paul Naylor; Basking shark - Peter Bardsley; Whelk - Ria Tan
Food web worksheet
Apex
Predators
Secondary
Consumers
Primary
Consumers
Producers
Energy
Sun
Food web worksheet
Apex
predators
Seal
Humans
Secondary
consumers
Flatfish
Edible
crab
Whelk
Otter
Primary
consumers
Basking
shark
Worm
Hermit
crab
Urchin
Producers
Energy
Shellfish
Plankton
Orca
Seaweed
Sun