Third graders follow energy as it moves from the Sun to a plant, to the animals that eat it, and finally to the decomposers that recycle what is left.
Students will be able to…
Every meal, from a rabbit's to yours, can be traced back to the same source. How does energy travel from the Sun through the living things in a habitat?
Project this and put the links of the food chain in order — tap each one from the Sun's energy to the decomposer.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A rabbit eats grass and a fox eats the rabbit. Where did all that energy start?
Students put a food chain in order.
Students trace where the energy goes.
Students build a food chain from their area.
Students reflect on where energy begins and ends.
Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (Grade 3 / Elementary Science).
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
Use models to describe that energy in animals' food was once energy from the sun.
Construct an argument that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Use information gained from illustrations and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students pick a local habitat, choose four living things, and draw a food chain with arrows showing which way the energy flows. A printable food-chain worksheet is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.