Skip to main content

Life Science · Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Food Webs: Matter & Energy in Ecosystems

Build and read food webs to trace how matter and food energy move through an ecosystem. Use arrows carefully and make predictions from direct feeding relationships.

Teacher workspace

Start with the lesson plan.

55 min~10 min prep7 materialsNGSS verified · 5-LS2-1 · 5-PS3-1

Plan with confidence

Lesson overview

What students will learn

  • I can use a food-web model to trace feeding relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers.
  • I can explain that energy in animals' food can be traced back to the Sun through producers.

Key science ideas

  • Producers form the base of many food webs.
  • Consumers get food by eating other organisms.
  • Decomposers break down dead material and return matter to the environment.

Lesson at a glance

  • Grade 5
  • 55 min
  • ~10 min prep
  • 5-LS2-1 · 5-PS3-1
  • 7 materials

What’s included

  • Lesson Plan
  • Investigation
  • Teacher Slides
  • Printable Worksheet
  • Teacher Answer Key
  • Interactive Activity
  • Vocabulary