Teachers’ notes – Food and feeding
Synopsis
The aim of this activity is for learners to explore how animals and plants feed and the
interdependence of plants and animals within different environments. Initially, they explore
their ideas about why humans and other animals eat food. Using photographs, learners
consider the range and diversity of foods eaten by various animals and where and how they
obtain food. They use their ideas to group different animals and explain their reasoning.
Learners explore their own and others’ ideas about how plants feed, before discussing and
developing simple food chains. They are asked to define ‘food chain’ and encouraged to
check and develop their understanding by searching secondary sources for definitions.
Learners consider different plants and animals and use food chains to show how some of
these plants and animals might be linked. Finally, they search for information that will allow
them to define terms used to describe food chains and provide examples based on their
fieldwork enquiries.
Curriculum links
Interdependence of organisms:
2. the need for a variety of foods and exercise for human good health
4. through fieldwork, the plants and animals found in two contrasting local environments, e.g.
identification, nutrition, life cycles, place in environment
5. the interdependence of living organisms in those two environments and their representation
as food chains
6. the environmental factors that affect what grows and lives in those two environments, e.g.
sunlight, water availability, temperature
The sustainable Earth:
1. the daily and annual movements of the Earth and their effect on day and year length
Skills
Communication: 1 & 2
Enquiry – Planning: 2 & 3
Enquiry – Developing: 5, 6 & 7
Enquiry – Reflecting: 5 & 6
Activities
Tab 1
In the first tab in this activity learners are asked why they think
humans and other animals eat food. Rollover questions aim to
support discussion about the reasons living things consume food
and the range of foods needed.
All animal activity requires energy. Animals acquire this energy
from the food they eat. This food may consist of plants, other
animals or a combination of both, depending on the animal in
question.
People who eat a healthy, balanced diet are perceived to have
plenty of energy for work and play and are ill less often than
others. Children who eat well usually grow well; pregnant women
on a good diet are more likely to produce healthy babies. The
effects of poor diet and malnutrition in humans can be all too
obvious.
It is important to understand the different types of food and how
different combinations of food produce healthy balanced meals.
Food provides – energy for activity and growth and different
functions of the body such as digesting food and breathing. It
also provides materials for the growth and repair of the body and
keeps the immune system healthy. Mammals require large
amounts of carbohydrates, fats and proteins and small amounts
of minerals and vitamins.
‘5-a-day’ is now part of the rhetoric of most children. They will be
aware that eating fruit and vegetables is ‘good’ for you and that a
diet lacking in fruit and vegetables is ‘not so good’ for you.
However, many children are unsure about what a balanced diet
is and will think that eating just salad three times a day
constitutes a healthy diet. The essential ideas to promote with
learners are moderation and balance.
Tab 2
In this tab
buttons generates photographs of a range of
different animals that are familiar to learners. Learners are asked
to consider what they think each animal might eat and where and
how it obtains its food.
animal
what it eats
1. Spider
Whole array of insects –
mainly flying ones like
flies, wasps and
butterflies.
Rodents – Rats, mice,
moles. Spiders, beetles,
small birds and other
small animals.
Cows are ruminants –
plant eating animals.
Usually eat grass and
other legumes.
2. Owl
3. Cow
4. Worm
Generally, worms will eat
any organic material they
find in soil.
Worms that live close to
the surface eat dead
grass, leaves (containing
very small organisms),
etc. The small organisms
provide the worms with
bacteria, fungi and algae
that they require.
Worms that live deeper
under the ground eat
where and how it
obtains food
Predator – most
spiders trap prey in a
web.
Predator – nocturnal
hunting birds
Beef cattle usually
graze and eat fresh
grass.
Dairy cows might never
graze so might be
given feed, silage and
different supplements.
An earthworm has
strong mouth muscles
and does not have any
teeth. Many worms pull
fallen leaves down into
their burrow. As the leaf
decomposes or softens
they pull off small
pieces to eat. Worms
also ‘swallow’ soil as
they burrow and extract
nutrients from it.
5. Tiger
6.
Tortoise
7. Fly
8. Fish
9. Frog
10.
Robin
mainly soil that contains
the bacteria, fungi and
algae they need.
Depending on habitat
and the area of the world
where they live tigers
might feed on buffalo,
boars, zebras, deer,
antelopes, monkeys,
camel, wild horses etc.
Vegetables – cabbage,
spinach, lettuce, etc.
The house fly does not
have teeth and absorbs
food like a sponge. It
turns many solid foods
into a liquid by spitting or
vomiting on them. They
will eat any wet or
decaying matter, but are
particularly attracted to
pet waste because of the
strong odour.
Different fish eat different
things. Some are
carnivores, some
herbivores and others
are omnivores.
Fish might eat, for
example, algae, sea
grasses, sponges,
plankton, other fish,
crustaceans, small
invertebrates, parasites.
Algae form a major part
of the diet of herbivorous
fish and also omnivorous
fish along with
crustaceans which they
hunt for. Fish that feed at
the bottom of the ocean
are usually omnivorous
and their diet might
include worms and small
fish as well as almost
anything else that is
edible.
Other animals – mainly
bugs, worms and insect
pests
Larger species have
been known to eat other
frogs, small fish, reptiles
and mammals.
Seeds, berries, worms
and bugs.
Can’t digest hard fruits or
Carnivores - They hunt
mainly between sunset
and dawn.
Examples:
Sharks – might feed on
seals, smaller fish,
plankton and even their
own species.
Dolphins – feed on a
variety of fishes
including squid and
especially mackerel
due to the large fat
content.
Salmon – krill, herrings
and other small fish.
Jelly fish – lacks a fully
developed digestive
system. Generally eat
zoo plankton and small
fishes.
Gold Fish – omnivore –
diet ranges from
plankton, detritus,
worms and insects to
larvae.
Generally feed off the
ground.
grains.
Tab 3
In this tab a
button generates photographs of different
animals that are mostly familiar to learners. Learners are asked
to consider what each animal usually eats and to group the
animals on this basis. Two overlapping circles are provided for
learners to use for groupings. Learners will need to view and
discuss all of the animals before they consider how to group
them. It should be noted that some learners may wish to have
more groups than are catered for by the two overlapping circles.
animal
1. pig
2. red kite
3. cat
4. snail
5. ladybird
6. bat
7. mouse
8. snake
9. puffin
10. prawn
what it might eat
Omnivorous – eating both animals and plants. They
will eat almost any kind of food, for example, dead
insects, worms, tree bark and waste food and so on.
In the wild, pigs will forage for their food, eating
mainly grass, leaves, roots, flowers and fruit.
Mainly carrion (dead animals, but will also take live
prey including, for example, birds, small mammals,
large insects and earthworms.
Domestic cats obviously eat commercial cat food
but will kill and eat mice, rats and birds as well.
Wild cats are carnivores and will kill and eat
almost any mammal – the main limiting factor
being risk of injury. The larger the cat the larger
the mammals it will eat.
Typically a land snail is herbivorous and will most
likely eat any ingredient that might be included in
a garden salad.
Some eat aphids but not all. Some species are
herbivores and others eat mildew and other
fungi. However, most eat other things like
insects, ripe fruit, nectar and pollen.
Different types of bats eat different foods.
There are bats that eat, for example, insects,
nectar, pollen, fruit, frogs, fish, rodents, birds and
other bats.
When living in the wild, mice will eat fruits and
seeds from the ground. Some mice might eat
insects or grasshoppers. Mice living near farms
might eat grain and other crops. Mice usually try
to live inside when it starts to get cold. It is at this
time that they might try and eat anything that
they find.
This will depend on the type of snake. Snakes
are predators that eat other animals. Generally,
they will eat any animal that they are able to
overpower and swallow. There are snakes that
eat warm-blooded and cold-blooded vertebrates
and invertebrates.
Eat different fish but particularly keen on sand
eels.
Prawns eat plankton – organic life that may be
found at several different depths in salt or fresh
water.
Tab 4
In this tab learners are told that animals feed by eating plants
and/or other animals. Then they are asked for their ideas about
how they think plants ‘feed’. They are then encouraged to share
and discuss these ideas.
Tab 5
This tab provides learners with a series of children’s ideas about
how plants feed. The ideas appear on grey cards one at a time.
Learners are required to discuss each idea and decide if they
agree or disagree with the statement, dragging the grey card into
one of three boxes – agree, disagree or unsure. They are
encouraged to explain why they have placed each idea in a
particular box. The additional learners’ ideas have been chosen
to facilitate the discussion of common misconceptions and the
enhancement of learners’ understanding. These provide a basis
for discussion and exploration of ideas and are invaluable for
moving learner’s thinking forward.
Tab 6
This tab provides learners with a simple ‘food chain’ showing
grass, a rabbit and a fox. Each plant or animal appears in a box
and each pair of boxes is inked by an arrow. They are asked to
consider what this represents. Learners are provided with 3 blank
boxes linked by arrows and invited to draw their own food chain.
Rollover questions ask them to explain and define what they
think a ‘food chain’ is and they are encouraged to check and
develop their understanding and definitions by searching
secondary sources for definitions.
Tab 7
This tab requires learners to consider the plants and animals in
one of the habitats they studied. They are required to use a food
chain to show how some of these plants and animals might be
linked.
Tab 8
This tab provides learners with four empty recording boxes that
are linked by arrows.
A generator provides learners with photographs of different
plants and animals:
Dragonfly, berries, gannets, nuts and badger.
The aim of this tab is for learners to explore possible food chains
that might contain one or more of these plants and animals.
When considering the berries and nuts then these must be
placed at the start of the food chain as they are both producers
and cannot eat anything. Nuts are typically eaten by squirrels,
birds including pigeons and ducks, mice and some deer. Berries
are eaten by a wide range of different animals, including, bears,
foxes, deer, some birds, monkeys, porcupines and squirrels.
Dragonflies are insects that typically eat butterflies, mosquitoes
and flies. They may be eaten by spiders, frogs and birds in the
main.
Gannets mainly eat small fish and squid. Gannet eggs and young
might be eaten by some birds and red foxes. The bald eagle is
the only natural predator of the adult gannet, however, it has
been known for some seals and sharks to catch and eat gannets
at sea.
Badgers are omnivores with a diet mainly consisting of worms,
grubs and insects. However, when available or if chanced upon
badgers will eat fruit, carrion, small mammals, frogs, snakes and
lizards, for example. Badgers will also eat cultivated cereals like
wheat and dig for roots, bulbs and tubers. Small badgers might
be eaten by birds of prey but adults have few natural predators.
The main threat to badgers comes from being knocked down or
shot by humans.
These three animals could each be placed in different boxes in
the blank food chain provided. Food chains will again differ
depending on where they are placed.
Tab 9
The final tab in this activity requires the learners to find answers
to the following questions in the context of food chains and the
interdependence of plants and animals:
What is a ‘predator’?
What is a ‘consumer’?
What is a ‘producer’?
What is ‘prey’?
The purpose of the activity is for learners to share ideas and to
search for information and discuss their findings to find answers
to each of the four questions. Learners are provided with a table
in which the first column poses the questions. They are required
to record the answer to the question, how and where they found
the answer and include an example of each from their habitat
enquiries.
Background information
Information relating to Tab 5:
Plants gain the essential nutrients for their growth from a number of sources:
 the necessary energy is gained by the leaves from sunlight,


the leaves also absorb carbon dioxide from the air,
water and minerals are taken up from the soil by the roots.
A process called photosynthesis occurs during daylight hours when the energy in sunlight
enables chlorophyll in the leaves to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and
oxygen. The carbohydrates and the minerals form the plant material and the oxygen is
released by the leaves into the atmosphere.
Information relating to Tab 6:
All living things need to obtain energy to live. Many plants get energy from sunlight, some
animals eat plants, some eat other animals and some eat both plants and animals.
In terms of the KS2 Programme of Study a food chain might be thought of as representing ‘the
interdependence of living organisms’ in an environment. Generally, they are seen as a way of
showing the relationships between different predators and prey within a habitat.
In its simplest form a food chain shows what eats what to obtain nutrition. It starts with the
‘producer’ – at KS2 this is usually a green plant. Next come organisms that eat ‘producers’.
These are called primary consumers and are usually ‘herbivores’. The next link in the food
chain is an animal that eats herbivores. These are called secondary consumers and in turn
these may be eaten by tertiary consumers. A food chain will continue until it ends with the ‘top
predator’ – an animal that usually has no natural enemies. The arrows in a food chain are
often thought of as meaning ‘is eaten by’ but are designed to show the flow of energy from a
producer to a top predator. The same producers and consumers can form parts of several
different food chains. In consequence these food chains can be linked together into a network
of feeding relationships termed a food web.
Information relating to Tab 9:
A predator is an animal that hunts and eats other animals. Prey is an animal that gets hunted
and eaten by predators.
A ‘producer’ is an organism that produces its own nutrition using a primary energy source like
sunlight. All plants are producers. A ‘consumer’ is a living organism that obtains energy by
eating something else. In this sense all animals are consumers. Following on from the notes
for tab 6.
An animal that eats only plants is referred to as a ‘herbivore’ or a ‘primary consumer’.
An animal that eats other animals is called a ‘carnivore’. It follows that a ‘carnivore’ that eats
‘herbivores’ must be a ‘secondary consumer’ and that a ‘carnivore’ that eats other carnivores
must be a ‘tertiary consumer’. Animals that eat plants and animals are referred to as
‘omnivores’.