Rocket lays string between cards on the floor. One card says Sun. One says oak tree. One says caterpillar.
"Food goes in a line," he says.
Raven adds a card for a chickadee and one for a worm. "What do you notice? The line is turning into a net!"
Nova hovers above. "Which way should each arrow point?" she asks.
A food chain shows how food energy moves from one living thing to the next.
Arrows point from the food to the eater.
The arrow means "is eaten by."
| Step | Living thing | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun | gives light energy |
| 2 | oak tree | producer |
| 3 | caterpillar | consumer (eats leaves) |
| 4 | chickadee | consumer (eats caterpillars) |
| 5 | worms and fungi | decomposers (break down what dies) |
Most plants and animals are part of more than one food chain.
When many chains link together, they make a food web.
Matter moves around and around the web.
Plants turn air and water into plant matter.
Animals eat plants. Decomposers break down whatever dies.
Then nutrients go back to the soil for new plants.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Most living things are part of only one food chain. | ? |
| Food chain arrows point from the food to the eater. | ? |
| Decomposers send nutrients back to the soil. | ? |
| Plants build their bodies mostly from soil. | ? |
Measure your bean plant one more time. Add today's numbers to your notebook.
Terrific web weaving! Tomorrow we learn why living things do well in some spots and not others.