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How Consumers Get Food

Interactive passage with audio narration, comprehension questions, and printable PDF.

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Format: Interactive (Online), Printable (PDF)
Grades: 456
Subjects: scienceelareading
Standards: 5-LS1-15-PS3-1
Languages: English, Spanish

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What's included

Reading passage

Reading comprehension

Audio narration

With word word highlighting

Comprehension quiz

Auto-graded

Writing activity

Open-ended response

Glossary & flashcards

Vocabulary practice

Differentiated version

Adapted for varied levels

Spanish translation

Bilingual support

About this reader

This engaging 400-word reading passage introduces fifth-grade students to the concept of consumers in ecosystems. Aligned with NGSS standards 5-LS1-1 and 5-PS3-1, the passage explains how consumers are animals that cannot make their own food and must eat other organisms to obtain energy. Students explore different types of consumers including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores, and learn how energy flows from producers to consumers in food chains. The passage uses relatable examples like deer eating grass and hawks hunting mice to illustrate these concepts. Audio-integrated features support diverse learners, while differentiated versions ensure accessibility for all reading levels. The passage pairs perfectly with lessons on producers to help students understand the complete picture of energy flow in ecosystems. Includes comprehension questions, writing activities, and graphic organizers to reinforce understanding of how consumers depend on other organisms for survival.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

Consumers must eat other living things to get the energy they need to survive. "A rabbit nibbling on leaves in a lush, green meadow setting." by Chris F / Pexels.

Consumers are animals that cannot make their own food. Unlike plants that use sunlight to create food, consumers must eat other living things to get the energy they need to survive. This matters because every animal on Earth depends on eating other organisms to stay alive and grow.

All consumers need energy to move, grow, and carry out life processes. Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. Animals get this energy by eating plants or other animals. When a deer eats grass, it gets energy that was stored in the grass. When a hawk eats a mouse, it gets energy that was stored in the mouse's body. This transfer of energy from one organism to another is how life continues in nature.

There are different types of consumers based on what they eat. Herbivores are consumers that eat only plants. Rabbits, cows, and caterpillars are herbivores. They get their energy directly from producers, which are organisms like plants that make their own food. Carnivores are consumers that eat only other animals. Lions, hawks, and spiders are carnivores. They get energy that originally came from plants but passed through other animals first.

Some consumers eat both plants and animals. These are called omnivores. Bears, raccoons, and humans are omnivores. This eating pattern gives them more food choices and helps them survive in different environments. Think of omnivores like people at a buffet who can choose from many different foods instead of being limited to just one type.

All consumers depend on producers or other consumers for survival. Without plants making food from sunlight, herbivores would have nothing to eat. Without herbivores, carnivores would have no prey. This connection shows how important each organism is in the flow of energy through nature. Every consumer plays a role in moving energy from one living thing to another, creating a web of life that connects all organisms together.

Interesting Fact: A hummingbird must eat about half its body weight in nectar every day to get enough energy to power its incredibly fast wings, which can beat up to 80 times per second!

What are consumers?

Animals that make their own foodAnimals that eat other living thingsPlants that use sunlightOrganisms that create energy

How do animals get energy?

By making food from sunlightBy eating plants or animalsBy drinking water onlyBy breathing air

What do herbivores eat?

Only other animalsBoth plants and animalsOnly plantsNothing at all

Why do omnivores have better survival?

They can fly fasterThey have more food choicesThey are bigger animalsThey sleep more often

What would happen without producers?

Carnivores would eat moreHerbivores would have nothing to eatAnimals would make their foodEnergy would increase

How does energy move in nature?

It stays in one placeIt disappears completelyIt transfers from organism to organismIt comes only from water