Food Chains & Food Webs Teaching Resources
Get ready to teach your students the difference between a food web and a food chain, examples of food chains, and more core components of the elementary school science curriculum with this teacher-created collection of resources!
From food webs and food chains worksheets to printables that will help your students follow producers, consumers, and decomposers through the ecosystem, this curated library of printables and Google Slides templates has been created by teachers for teachers.
Food Chain + Food Web Lesson Planning
Save time on lesson planning with curriculum-aligned instructional slide decks, vocabulary guides, and activities that can easily be differentiated to meet your students' individual needs.
Moved into a science classroom this year and just getting up to speed? The expert science teachers on the Teach Starter team have put together the answers to some of teachers' most common questions!
What Is the Difference Between Food Web and Food Chain?
By definition, a food chain is an outline of who eats what (or whom!). It follows how energy and nutrients move down one single path within an ecosystem and describes the relationships of the various organisms along the chain. Organisms are broken down into three basic levels along the food chain:
- Producers — The first level of every food chain, producers make their own food.
- Consumers — This level of the food chain can be broken down into herbivores (who eat producers), secondary consumers (who eat herbivores), tertiary consumers (who eat secondary consumers), and predators (who eat other consumers).
- Decomposers — These organisms break down organic waste, turning it into soil that is then used by producers.
A food web, on the other hand, is more complicated than a food chain, just as the name implies. The food web shows a connection between the various food chains in a single ecosystem.
How Do You Teach the Food Chain and Food Webs?
There's a lot to cover in your food chain lesson plans, but here are a few tips to make teaching about the food chain easier — and more fun too!
- Explore food chain vocabulary to start things off.
- Identify producers, consumers, and decomposers right in your school neighborhood.
- Set up a food web on your classroom floor using painter's tape and printed pictures, then allow students to walk the web to see how organisms interconnect.
- Allow students to explore magazines — cutting out images of the various levels of the food chain — then create their own circle of life on a paper plate.
- Download dozens of food chain and food web worksheets and activities from Teach Starter, ready to use in the classroom!
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Forest Biome Food Web – Worksheet
Challenge students to create a food web and explain how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Producer, Consumer, Decomposer - Poster
A poster explaining the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers in the food chain.
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Comparing Food Chains Across Habitats Worksheet Pack
Compare and contrast different habitats and how energy flows through them with our Comparing Food Chains Across Habitats Worksheet Pack.
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Build a Food Chain - Sorting Activity
Create food chains for a variety of ecosystems with this hands-on, student-centered activity.
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Ocean Biome Food Web Activity Worksheet
Challenge students to create a food web and explain how energy flows between organisms with this Ocean Food Web Activity Worksheet.
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Food Chains & Food Webs – Vocabulary Posters
Display this set of science vocabulary posters in your classroom when learning about food chains and food webs.
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Food Chains - Interactive Activity
Review producers, consumers and decomposers in food chains with this interactive digital quiz.
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Food Chains – Worksheet
Use this worksheet to identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain.
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Forest Food Chain – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create a forest food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Food Webs vs. Food Chains – Instructional Slide Deck
Learn the difference between a food chain and a food web with this 18-slide instructional slide deck.
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What’s for Dinner? Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore Game
Play ‘What’s for Dinner’, a Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore game to explore animal teeth and eating habits.
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Swamp Food Chain - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create a swamp food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Rainforest Food Chain - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create a rainforest food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Food Chains – Teaching Presentation
Learn about the flow of energy in a food chain with this 12-slide teaching presentation.
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Who Lives Here? Animal Habitat Task Cards
Identify producers, consumers, and decomposers in different habitats with our Who Lives Here? Animal Habitat Task Cards.
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Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers PowerPoint
Explore habitat roles, food chains, and the effects of environmental change on ecosystems with an interactive Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers PowerPoint presentation.
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Environmental Impact Experiment Pack
Observe the effects of soil, salinity, sunlight, and temperature on the growth of plants with an engaging Environmental Impact Experiment.
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Carnivores, Herbivores, and Omnivores PowerPoint
Explore types of consumers and how they get their food with an engaging Carnivores, Herbivores, and Omnivores PowerPoint.
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Honeybees vs. Environmental Change Worksheet Pack
Explore the effects of environmental change on honeybee populations with a set of printable Environmental Changes Worksheets.
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Food Webs - Research Project
Explore the food webs that exist in various biomes around the world with this student-centered inquiry task.
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Desert Food Chain - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create a desert food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Ocean Food Chain - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create an ocean food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Arctic Food Chain - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create an Arctic food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Producer, Consumer and Decomposer - Sorting Activity
Explore the roles and relationships of producers, consumers and decomposers in food chains with this hands-on sorting activity.
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Food Chain Poster
A poster to display in the classroom that shows the food chain.
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Effects of Habitat Stress Activity Cards
Explore how environmental stress affects plants and animals with our Effects of Habitat Stress Activity Cards.
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Where Do We Belong? Humans in Food Chains Worksheet
Explain the human role in the web of life with a printable Humans in Food Chains Worksheet.
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Habitat Roles Foldable Templates
Explore habitat roles including producers, consumers, and decomposers with our printable Habitat Roles Foldable Templates.
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Build a Food Chain Worksheet Pack
Explore and build 3, 4, and 6 link food chains with our Build-a-Food-Chain Worksheet Pack.
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What Animals Live in Social Groups? PowerPoint Presentation
Discover what animals live in social groups and why with an engaging interactive Animal Behavior PowerPoint.
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Printable Worksheets About Bees - 2nd Grade
Use our 2nd grade worksheets about bees to discover what there is to know about bees, how they help plants, and how they make honey.
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Producer, Consumer, Decomposer - Comprehension Worksheets
Explore the role of producers, consumers and decomposers within ecosystems with this comprehension task.