Chew and Chomp: Energy from the Food Chain

Name

Chew and Chomp: Energy from the Food

Chain

Questions
1. How do carrots get the energy they need to survive?

By Erin Horner
I'm tired and hungry. It's time for some food and
energy. It's a good thing that food is energy! My food
has stored energy. When I eat it, the energy stored
inside my meal enters my body. Let's eat! First I'll
have some carrots. Carrots grow in the ground. The
leafy tops of these plants create their own food. They
use sunlight and other ingredients to make all of the
energy they need. What the plant doesn't need it
stores...in the carrots that I eat! When I chomp and
chew a crunchy carrot, all of that plant energy helps to
fuel my body. The plant's energy first helped the carrot
to grow; now it will help me grow, too! Next, I'll have a
hamburger. A hamburger is made from cow meat.
Cows need a lot of energy to survive. They graze on grass. Like the
carrot, grass makes its own energy. When the cow eats the grass, the
grass's energy enters the cow. When I eat my hamburger, the energy
from the cow enters me. This is called the food chain. The food
chain shows how all living things are linked together. It illustrates
how we pass energy from one living thing to another. From the
carrots and the cow, their energy passes to me. Three bites, two
bites, one bite...and it's all gone!

2. Some words in the story are used to signal a comparison

between carrots and grass. Which of these words or phrases
signals the similarity?
A. both
B. on the other hand
C. are similar
D. like
3. Which of the following is an antonym for create?
A. make
B. invent
C. destroy
D. build
4. Which of the following is an opinion?
A. Plants must have sunlight to make their energy.
B. The best thing to eat for dinner is a hamburger.
C. Carrots have green, leafy tops.
D. Carrot plants make their own food.

Name

What do you think would happen if plants could not create their own
energy and died? Would that affect the food chain? If so, how? If not,
why not?

What did you have for dinner last night? Where do you think your
food's energy came from? Try to map a food chain. Show the links
between you and your food. Describe the original source of your
food's energy.