Fifth Grade
Worksheets
You and the Food Chain
What's your favorite food? Where does it come from? Let's take pizza for example. Pizza has a crust that is made of flour. Flour comes from wheat, a plant. Why is part of a plant good to eat? It all begins with the sun.
Plants can make their own food using sunlight. Plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make their own food in a process we call photosynthesis. The plant uses most of the energy it makes - about ninety percent. The other ten percent that is not needed by the plant is stored for later. People and animals eat plants to get this stored energy. It may be stored in the plant's roots, stems, leaves, or seeds. Plants are the primary producers in a food chain. A food chain shows how food energy is passed from plants to animals.
You are an animal. Animals cannot make their own food. All animals are consumers , because they must consume, or eat, to get energy to live. Some animals eat only plants. They are called herbivores. Some animals eat other animals. Some animals eat both plants and animals. They are called omnivores. Most people are omnivores.
