Farm Ecosystems

Overview

In this lesson, students explore how animals need habitats to survive by building simple food chains with familiar farm animals and plants. They will read and follow picture prompts, then create and share their own food chain model.

Learning intentions

• Students will understand that living things need places to live and find food.
• Students will connect sentences and picture information to understand a short text.
• Students will create a simple food chain (plant → animal → animal).
• Students will monitor their understanding by checking if their picture sequence makes sense.

Success criteria

• I can tell where a farm animal lives (its habitat) using a complete sentence.
• I can point to the next part of my food chain and say what it eats.
• I can use “first, next, then” to explain my food chain.
• I can check my food chain by asking, “Does the eater match the food?”

Curriculum links

• EN1-RECOM-01: Students comprehend independently read texts by activating background and word knowledge, connecting sentences and the whole text, and monitoring comprehension and recalling details.
• CA1-VIS-01: Students make artworks using materials and techniques to represent subject matter and ideas, and describe how artists convey ideas in artworks.
• EN1-CWT-01 (optional link through speaking-to-write planning): Students plan and create a short text/sequence using vocabulary and sentence structure (shared writing from their model).
• EN1-OLC-01: Students communicate effectively by using oral language to elaborate ideas during social and learning interactions.

Lesson structure (90 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Welcome and farm talk

• Teacher shows 4 habitat images (grass/field, pond/water, barn/shelter, soil/ground).
• Students take turns naming one habitat for a farm animal and say: “The cow lives in ___.”

2. 10–25 min · Read a picture text (shared reading)

• Teacher displays a short, word-light picture story: “The grass grows. A sheep eats grass. Then the fox catches the sheep.”
• Students listen, then teacher points to each picture while asking: “What happens first? What eats what?”
• Students answer using sentence frames: “First, the ___. Next, the ___. Then, the ___.”

3. 25–35 min · Word meaning check (quick comprehension)

• Teacher introduces 3 key words using gestures and real objects/mini flashcards: “habitat”, “food”, “eat”.
• Students match picture cards to meanings (e.g., food = what animals eat).

4. 35–55 min · Create a food chain artwork

• Teacher explains: “A food chain shows what food comes next.”
• Students choose 3 picture pieces (plant, small animal, larger animal) and make a chain using string/pipe cleaners on paper.
• Teacher prompts representation: students place each picture in order and attach arrows with tape.

5. 55–65 min · Micro-conference: check understanding

• Teacher asks each student to “read” their own model from start to finish.
• Students use a checklist prompt: “Does the first picture grow? Does the next picture eat the first? Does the last picture eat the middle?”

6. 65–80 min · Build two chains (guided practice)

• Teacher models one chain on the board: grass → sheep → fox (or similar farm-friendly options).
• Students build a second chain with different picture choices, repeating “first, next, then”.
• Teacher records a simple shared sentence under each chain using student words and teacher support (no independent writing required).

7. 80–90 min · Exit sharing and recall

• Students present their favourite chain to the group and answer two questions:
• “Where does the animal live?”
• “What does it eat first?”
• Teacher listens for sentence order and correct “eats” relationships.

Resources

• Picture cards: farm plants (grass/vegetables), animals (sheep, rabbit, cow, fox/bird), and habitats (field, barn, pond, soil)
• Large paper or A3 sheets, coloured pencils/crayons
• String/pipe cleaners, tape, glue sticks, scissors (teacher-handled if needed)
• Arrow stickers or arrow cards
• Short picture story cards (teacher-made, word-light)
• Sentence frames on cards: “First ___ Next ___ Then ___” and “The ___ lives in ___”
• Student observation checklist (teacher clipboard)

Assessment

• Formative check during shared reading: students respond to “What happens first/next/then?” and “What eats what?”
• During artwork creation: teacher observes if students sequence pictures in a valid food chain.
• Exit recall: two oral questions to confirm habitat knowledge and food relationship (plant → animal → animal).

Differentiation

• Support: use sentence frames, gestures, and consistent visual order cards (First/Next/Then); provide pre-selected picture sets to reduce choice overload.
• For students needing more help: teacher holds the arrow/tape choices while the student places pictures in order.
• Extension: challenge students to explain an alternative chain using a “different eater” option and compare: “Which chain is longer?”
• EAL/SEN: keep language predictable, repeat key words (habitat, food, eat), and allow pointing/choosing instead of full sentence answers where necessary.

Extension (optional)

• N/A