Why do animals and plants need each other?

1. Let’s think back!

• How did you decide what to put in each food chain?

• What would happen to the rest of the chain if one of the animals or plants all died?

• What sort of event could affect your food chain? Would it affect both directions of the food chain? How?

• What do you agree about in your group? What do you disagree about?

Making food chains

Fruit and seedsEnergy from the sun

A woodland food web

• What would happen if one of the plants or animals in the food web all died? Would any other plants or animals die? Would any increase in number?

• Which do you think is a better way to show how animals and plants depend on each other, a food chain or a food web? Why do you think this?

• What do you agree about in your group? What do you disagree about?

2. Exploring a woodland food

web

3. The food web game

• What does it mean when you are pulling a string with nothing on the end of it?

• If you were an animal in this situation, what would you do? What are your alternative energy sources?

• Think about all the possible things that could happen next. Which do you think is most likely? Why do you think this?

• How does this help you understand how plants and animals depend on each other?

4. Plenary: a balloon debate

• Which plant or animal do you think is the most important? Why do you think this?

• If you could only save one plant or animal from extinction, which would it be?

• What are your arguments that support your point of view? What arguments might there be against it? Do you agree in your group?

• How could you explain to another group why you do not agree with them?