A Food Chain for Deserts

A food chain shows how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem. For example, the Sun gives energy to plants, which are then eaten by animals, such as herbivores. The energy continues to move when carnivores eat the herbivores. This is how energy is transferred between different organisms.

With this cut-and-paste worksheet, students will create a food chain consisting of five organisms for the desert biome. Students must cut out the organisms and then glue them into the correct boxes to create a food chain. The boxes are labeled as follows:

• Producer
• Primary Consumer
• Secondary Consumer
• Tertiary Consumer
• Decomposer

 An answer key is included with your download to make grading a breeze!  

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

We know that teachers are always juggling to ensure that all their students’ needs are catered to in every lesson! We’re here to help make this differentiation process easier. Here are some tips on how you might differentiate this resource to suit both your high fliers and your less-confident students.

• Challenge Your High-Flying Students – Once your students have completed their food chain, have them write a paragraph that describes how energy flows within the food chain from one organism to the next.
• Support Your Less-Confident Learners – Scientific vocabulary can be tricky for some of our learners! To take some of the pressure off, direct less-confident learners to our set of vocabulary posters to support them in remembering what each role in the food chain does. 

Choose Your Preferred Version of This Food Chain Worksheet

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or editable Google Slides version of this resource. 

Because this resource includes an answer sheet, we recommend you print one copy of the entire file. Then, make photocopies of the blank worksheet for students to complete. 

This resource was created by Kaitlyn Blevins, a teacher in Georgia and a Teach Starter collaborator.

Click below for more time-saving resources to use when teaching your students about food chains!

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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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Biome Food Web - Anchor Charts

Learn how energy flows through food webs in different biomes with this set of classroom anchor charts.

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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.