Science – Food Chains & Habitats
Key Stage 2
Museum led activity
Description:
Curriculum links:
An interactive workshop focusing on food chains
and feeding relationships in the natural world,
which gives pupils the opportunity to create their
own food chains from real mounted animals and
skeletons.
Most suitable for years 5 and 6.
This session can be adapted
Science - Interdependence of organisms
o Learn about life processes in familiar plants and animals. for some special needs groups
– please contact to discuss.
o Use food chains to show feeding relationships in a
habitat.
o Learn how nearly all food chains start with a green plant.
o Use the appropriate scientific language and terms.
Feedback:
“Fantastic for learning about food chains. Kids
really enjoyed getting hands-on to make the food
chains.” Mount Stuart Primary.
Scientific Enquiry
o Make careful observations.
o Discuss ideas.
o Describe what they have found out.
Skills Development
Thinking – suggest ideas, identify similarities and
differences, and explain relationships.
Communication – listen to others and respond in group
tasks.
Learning objectives
Pupils will
o Create food chains, from real specimens.
o Use appropriate scientific language to explain a food chain.
o Engage in a group task to construct a woodland food web.
To make a booking: Tel: (029) 2057 3240 E-mail: learning@museumwales.ac.uk
For more details see: www.museumwales.ac.uk/learning
Science – Food Chains & Habitats
Activity
Skills
Skills framework
During the session pupils will –
Developing
Thinking
Introduction
Habitats
Group discussion in front of the woodland diorama.
Talk in pairs to identify the main features of the habitat. Through discussion and questioning,
develop own opinions of what these features might represent.
What do animals and plants need to survive? How are woodland animals and plants
interconnected?
Share opinions with whole class to generate a wider whole class discussion
Making food chains
Using real specimens, pupils work in small groups to discuss, choose and construct their food
chains.
Specimens include mounted birds, mammals, skeletons and skulls.
In small groups pupils discuss which of the specimens is the producer, and which are primary
and secondary consumers. They will also consider whether the animal is an herbivore, carnivore
or omnivore, depending on prior knowledge. They then move the animals and plants into the
right positions for their food chain.
Ask and answer questions
Make significant contributions to
discussions.
Form opinions and make
decisions.
Listen to the contributions of
others, considering their points of
view.
Present information and ideas.
Identify and make links with prior
knowledge.
Explain relationships.
Work in groups to complete the
task.
Making food webs - Group discussion and activity
Using ideas from their food chains, the class creates a woodland food web.
What happens to the web when environmental factors change? Pupils will consider how human
influences on habitats can affect the food web, and the consequences for the habitats’
ecosystem.
To make a booking: Tel: (029) 2057 3240 E-mail: learning@museumwales.ac.uk
For more details see: www.museumwales.ac.uk/learning
Developing
Communication
Science – Food Chains & Habitats
Before your visit:
Follow-up activities:
Collect information ....
Introduce the idea that food chains exist in nature, through looking
at a range of animals and considering what they eat, and what eats
them.
Explain how we can use teeth to show us what an animal eats.
Write diary page ....
Draw one of the food chains created during the workshop onto
pieces of card and attach together to create food chain mobiles.
Create a class food web mobile based on the food web created on
your visit.
Some words we may use on the visit (depending on ability level):
Create your own ‘Who eats who?’ card game in the classroom.
Producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, top consumer,
predator, prey, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, insectivore,
detritivore, canine, molar, incisor, vertebrate, invertebrate.
Create feeding top trumps – what categories would you choose?
Who would be the top predator in the woodland?
To make a booking: Tel: (029) 2057 3240 E-mail: learning@museumwales.ac.uk
For more details see: www.museumwales.ac.uk/learning