“WHAT’S COOKING IN THE RAINFOREST?” By Katie Badger

Information About Learners Characteristics: 3 rd grade students, traditional classroom, 20 students, equal amount of boys and girls, students have a basic understanding of technology. Environment: Computer lab at school, each student has their own computer

Objectives Given an example of what an animal eats, be able to tell whether it is an herbivore, an omnivore, or a carnivore on their first try. Given a list of animals in a food chain, be able to put them in order of who eats who on their first try. Given a photograph of an animal, be able to describe how that animal obtains food in at least two sentences. Given a photo of a predator and its prey, be able to tell which is which on their first try.

Hey there! My name is Freddy Frog. I’m going to guide you through this activity and teach you about what different animals eat in the rainforest!

Navigation Buttons Next Slide: Go to Main Menu: Before we begin, here are some important buttons that you should know how to use. Previous Slide:Final Slide: Finish Button:

How Animals get their Food Predators and Prey Food Chains Consumers in the Rainforest Click on any part of the lesson to go over it. After you’ve finished a lesson, click on the box mark near its name to check it off. Click the final slide button when you’re finished! MAIN MENU

What Is A Consumer? A CONSUMER is a person or other living thing that eats things to get energy. You’re a consumer, too! Think of how hungry you were before you ate breakfast this morning!

In the rainforest, there are three different types of consumers: HERBVORES,CARNIVORES, and OMNIVORES. CARNIVOREHERBIVORE OMNIVORE

HERBIVORES An HERBIVORE eats only plants- like grass, leaves, and berries. They need a LOT of energy, so they spend all day searching for food. They also need to watch out for carnivores who are trying to eat them. Some herbivores in the rainforest are: SLOTHSTAPIRS DEER

CARNIVORES A CARNIVORE eats other creatures to stay alive. They’re very active because they need to hunt down or trap their food. The bigger the carnivore is, the more creatures they need to eat- a wolf would eat more than a spider. Some carnivores in the rainforest are: CROCODILEJAGUARSNAKE

OMNIVORES An OMNIVORE eats BOTH plants and meat to stay alive. However, their diets are special ones: their meat is usually insects or eggs, and they eat only some types of plants. Some omnivores in the rainforest are: ORANGUTANTOUCANLEMUR

NOW YOU TRY! It’s snack time in the rainforest! Match the consumers to their proper food sources. Type the letters of the correct foods on the lines below. A B C

HOW DID YOU DO? Here are the correct answers: C A B A B C

NOW YOU TRY! Give an example of an herbivore, a carnivore, and an omnivore in your area. Type your answers in the text boxes below. ________________

HOW DID YOU DO? For HERBIVORES, did you choose animals like cows or rabbits? For CARNIVORES, did you choose animals like wolves or bears? For OMNVORES, did you choose animals like birds or mice? If you did, great job!

CHECKPOINT #1 It’s quiz time! Go over these questions to see if you’ve mastered this part of the lesson.

QUESTION #1 Which of these animals is an herbivore? Crocodile Sloth Toucan

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Remember, herbivores only eat plants. Try again!

YES, THAT’S CORRECT! A sloth is an herbivore because it eats plants!

QUESTION #2 What type of food is a carnivore most likely to eat? Berries LeavesInsects

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about what types of animals are carnivores. What do they eat? Try again!

THAT’S CORRECT! Carnivores eat other creatures, like insects, to survive!

QUESTION #3 What makes omnivores so special? A) They have sharp claws B) They only eat plants C) They can eat both plants and other animals.

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about herbivores and carnivores. How are omnivores different from them?

THAT’S CORRECT! Omnivores can eat both plants and other creatures to survive!

CONGRATULATIONS! Now you know all about the different types of consumers in the rainforest! Click on the Main Menu button to explore more of the lesson.

HOW ANIMALS GET THEIR FOOD Animals in the rainforest get their food using one of three ways: HUNTING, TRAPPING, and SEARCHING. Hunting Trapping Searching

HUNTING Many carnivores use this way of getting food. They’ll watch out for animals, then chase after them until they catch them. It helps to be fast, or to have sharp teeth and claws. I hunt my food! Watch this video to see how I do it!

TRAPPING Some creatures make special traps to catch their food. Spiders make a sticky web using their own thread, then wait for bugs to get stuck in it. When the bugs get trapped, the spider digs in! Watch this video to see for yourself.

SEARCHING Many animals-usually herbivores-just search for foods they can eat. Fruit bats, for instance, will fly through the jungle until they find fruits like mangoes or guavas to snack on. The animals have INSTINCTS- or special senses- that tell them what they can or cannot eat- they each have special diets.

NOW YOU TRY! Think of some creatures near you. Write your answers in the text boxes below. Which one TRAPS its food? Which one SEARCHES FOR its food? Which one HUNTS for its food?

HOW DID YOU DO? For creatures that TRAP their food, did you choose creatures like spiders? For creatures that HUNT their food, did you choose creatures like wolves or coyotes? For creatures that SEARCH FOR their food, did you choose animals like deer or squirrels? If you did, good job!

CHECKPOINT #2 It’s quiz time! Let’s see how much you know about how animals get their food! If you need to, you can go back and review the information before starting the quiz.

QUESTION #1 An HERBIVORE is most likely to get food by: A)HuntingHunting B)TrappingTrapping C)SearchingSearching

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about what herbivores eat. What do they need to do to get what they eat? Try again!

CORRECT! Herbivores get their food by searching for it-like how fruit bats search for fruit!

QUESTION 2 An animal that traps its food would most likely: A)Build a webBuild a web B)Look for food in treesLook for food in trees C)Hunt for an animal to eatHunt for an animal to eat

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think- what are some good ways to trap food? Remember- the food is usually other animals or insects. Try again!

CORRECT! Webs are a great way to trap insects. They’re very sticky, so the insects can’t get away!

QUESTION #3 Which of these animals would be most likely to hunt for their food? A)JaguarJaguar B)TapirTapir C)SlothSloth

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about what features animals who hunt for and catch their food would need. Which animal has these features? Try again!

CORRECT! Jaguars have sharp claws and teeth, and can run quickly. This makes hunting for and catching food easy for them!

CONGRATULATIONS! Now you know all about the different ways that animals in the rainforest get their food. Click on the main menu button to explore more of the lesson.

PREDATORS AND PREY All animals in the rainforest fall into one of two categories: PREDATORS and PREY. PREDATORPREY

PREDATORS Predators hunt and eat other creatures to survive. They are usually carnivores, but can sometimes be omnivores. For example, if a jaguar caught an animal to eat, then the jaguar would be the predator.

PREY Prey are the creatures that get eaten by predators. They are usually herbivores, like deer, but they can sometimes be omnivores, like birds. For example, if a fly gets caught and eaten by a frog, then the fly would be the prey.

NOW YOU TRY! Put what you know into action! Look at each picture and decide if the animal is a predator or prey. Write your answers in the text boxes below.

HOW DID YOU DO? Here are the correct answers: PREDATORPREY PREDATOR

CHECKPOINT #3 It’s quiz time! Let’s see how much you know about predators and their prey. If you need to, you can review the information again before taking the quiz.

QUESTION #1 Are predators CARNIVORES, OMNIVORES, or HERBIVORES? A)CarnivoresCarnivores B)HerbivoresHerbivores C)OmnivoresOmnivores D)Both carnivores and omnivoresBoth carnivores and omnivores

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think of what types of foods predators eat. What types of consumers eat those foods? Try again!

THAT’S CORRECT! Predators can be both carnivores and omnivores!

QUESTION #2 PREY is the animal that: A)Gets eatenGets eaten B)Eats other animalsEats other animals

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about what prey usually eat. What types of consumers are they? Try again!

THAT’S CORRECT! Prey get eaten by other animals.

QUESTION #2 An animal has sharp teeth, hunts for its food, and is a carnivore. It is most likely: A)A predatorA predator B)PreyPrey

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about what predators and prey usually eat. What features would they need to get their food?

YES, THAT’S CORRECT! That animal definitely sounds like a predator.

CONGRATULATIONS! Now you know all about predators and their prey. Click on the main menu button to explore more of the lesson.

WHAT ARE FOOD CHAINS? Food chains are systems that tell you who eats what in an environment. It begins with things that get eaten, and moves up to the things that eat them. For example:

WHAT ARE FOOD CHAINS? (continued) Food chains begin with what HERBIVORES eat (plants)- then move up to the herbivores themselves. Finally, they move up to the carnivores and omnivores. Carnivores and omnivores are always at the top of the food chain. Think: Herbivores are the PREY, so they are at the bottom. Carnivores and omnivores are PREDATORS, so they are at the top.

NOW YOU TRY! Put what you know into action! Fill in the different parts of the food chain using words from the word bank. Write your answers on the lines below! Herbivore’s Food Herbivore Carnivore

NOW YOU TRY! (continued) Make your own food chain! Use creatures that can be found near you, like foxes, deer, and rabbits. Use the text boxes to fill in your food chain.

CHECKPOINT #4 Time for the quiz! Let’s see how much you know about food chains!

QUESTION #1 What do food chains show? A)Who eats what in an environmentWho eats what in an environment B)How animals in an environment get foodHow animals in an environment get food C)The amount of animals in an environmentThe amount of animals in an environment

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about the creatures and plants in a food chain. How do they relate to each other? Try again!

YES, THAT’S CORRECT! Food chains show who eats what in an environment.

QUESTION #2 The first thing on a food chain is usually: A)A plantA plant B)A carnivoreA carnivore C)An herbivoreAn herbivore

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about how food chains are set up. What do herbivores eat? What about carnivores? Try again!

YES, THAT’S CORRECT! Plants usually start food chains off.

QUESTION #3 Put the plants and animals in this food chain in the correct order: Frog Leaf Bug A)Frog  bug  leafFrog  bug  leaf B)Leaf  bug  frogLeaf  bug  frog C)Bug  frog  leafBug  frog  leaf

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. Think about what types of consumers the frog and the bug are. How do they relate to each other? Try again!

YES, THAT’S CORRECT! The leaf is eaten by the bug, who then gets eaten by the frog.

CONGRATULATIONS! Now you know all about food chains! Click on the main menu button to explore more parts of the lesson!

It was fun learning about snack time in the rainforest with you! Press the finish button at the bottom. See you next time!