Grade 5 · Science · 25 minutes
Food webs
Draw the original sun-grass-rabbit-fox energy path. Share observations in a guided discussion.
Mr. S Teaches · Starter mini-lesson · elem-5-food-websLearning objective
Explain and practice food webs using the activity and evidence, then take part in a grade-appropriate discussion.
Gather your materials
- Paper and drawing supplies
- An adult-prepared safe observation setup or photographs
Use the items named in the teaching steps; paper models or adult-prepared photographs can replace physical equipment.
Supporting Common Core connection
SL.5.1Prepare, build on others’ ideas, follow roles, and draw conclusions from discussion.
Read the official standard ↗Code and grade verified 2026-11-03. This mini-lesson addresses a selected skill, not the entire standard. The connection is to the guided literacy discussion; it does not establish alignment with this subject’s content standards.
Teach it step by step
- Draw the original sun-grass-rabbit-fox energy path.
- Explain that arrows point toward the organism receiving energy.
- Add a grasshopper eating grass and a bird eating grasshoppers to make linked paths.
- Prepare evidence, respond to partners and summarize agreement or uncertainty.
- Prepare evidence, respond to others, and summarize where the group agrees or differs. Give each person a turn, invite a question, and finish by naming an idea heard from someone else.
Watch, notice, discuss
Video choices for this lesson
Preview a video, then choose what fits your learners. “Show to class” opens a larger view; use the player’s play and full-screen controls when you’re ready.
Teacher preview needed. Check the language, level and length before showing. YouTube may show ads or related videos.
Food Chains for Kids: Food Webs, the Circle of Life, and the Flow of Energy - FreeSchool
By Free School
Connect this video to the lesson on food webs. Pause to try an example together.
Open on YouTube: Food Chains for Kids: Food Webs, the Circle of Life, and the Flow of Energy - FreeSchool (opens a new tab) ↗Food Chains Compilation: Crash Course Kids
By Crash Course Kids
Connect this video to the lesson on food webs. Pause to try an example together.
Open on YouTube: Food Chains Compilation: Crash Course Kids (opens a new tab) ↗Draw two connected food chains as a web. Explain what the arrows represent.
An external player loads only after you choose Preview or Show to class. Playback connects to YouTube. Videos belong to their creators; availability and embedding can change.
Make the thinking visible
Example to work through together
Less grass may mean less food for rabbits and grasshoppers, which can affect predators. This is a prediction, not a guaranteed population count.
Try the starter activity
Draw a food web with sun, grass, rabbit, and fox. Arrows show energy moving from food to consumer. Then discuss your findings with a partner or adult, using the discussion goal above.
Student practice
Draw a connected web, predict one effect of reduced grass and discuss an alternative outcome.
Quick check for understanding
What could happen if grass decreased?
Sample answer and teacher guidance
Sample answer: Look for a plausible food connection. Other food sources or movement may change the outcome; arrows should show energy direction.
Listen or look for: Look for a plausible food connection. Other food sources or movement may change the outcome; arrows should show energy direction.
Invite the learner to explain, demonstrate, draw or dictate their reasoning. Revisit a teaching step when the explanation is unclear.
Make it work for your learner
A little more support
Offer organism cards and arrow strips before drawing.
An additional challenge
Explain how an alternative food source could weaken a predicted effect.