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Tracing Food Energy Back to the Sun

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 400-word reading passage introduces fifth-grade students to the concept of energy transfer from the sun to animals through plants. Aligned with NGSS standards 5-LS1-1 and 5-PS3-1, the passage explains how plants capture sunlight energy through photosynthesis and convert it into food energy stored in sugars. Students learn how this energy moves through the food chain when animals eat plants or other animals. The passage guides students through creating their own energy flow models using diagrams, flowcharts, or drawings. Audio-integrated features support diverse learners. Activities include multiple-choice questions testing recall and comprehension, writing prompts requiring students to explain energy transfer concepts, and graphic organizers for mapping the sequence of energy flow. The passage uses age-appropriate language and relatable examples like breakfast cereal and playground energy to help fifth graders understand that all energy in their food originally came from the sun, building foundational knowledge for understanding ecosystems and energy conservation.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

Gemini_Generated_Image_h3hjsgh3hjsgh3hj — You can create an energy flow model by drawing the sun, then an arrow pointing to a plant, then another arrow pointing to an animal that eats the plant, and finally an arrow pointing to an animal that eats other animals.

Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. All living things need energy to grow, move, and survive. Understanding where this energy comes from helps us see how all living things are connected.

Plants get their energy directly from the sun through a process called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide from the air to make their own food in the form of sugars. These sugars store the sun's energy inside the plant. This is why plants are called producers—they produce their own food using energy from the sun.

Animals cannot make their own food like plants can. Instead, animals are consumers—they must eat other living things to get energy. When a rabbit eats grass, the energy stored in the grass moves into the rabbit's body. When a fox eats the rabbit, that same energy moves again into the fox. Even though the energy passes from one living thing to another, it all started as energy from the sun.

Scientists use models to show how energy moves from the sun to plants to animals. A model is a simple diagram or drawing that represents something more complex. You can create an energy flow model by drawing the sun, then an arrow pointing to a plant, then another arrow pointing to an animal that eats the plant, and finally an arrow pointing to an animal that eats other animals. The arrows show the direction that energy moves. Think of the arrows like a path that energy travels, similar to how water flows down a slide at a playground—it only goes one direction.

Creating your own energy flow model helps you see that the energy in a hamburger, a bowl of cereal, or an apple all came from the sun originally. The cereal came from wheat plants that captured sunlight. The hamburger came from a cow that ate grass or corn, which also captured sunlight. No matter what food you trace back, you will always end up at the sun as the original energy source.

Interesting Fact: A single leaf can capture enough sunlight energy in one day to power a small LED light bulb for several hours!

Where do plants get their energy?

From the sunFrom the soilFrom water onlyFrom animals

What is photosynthesis?

How animals eat foodHow plants make food using sunlightHow water moves through soilHow energy disappears

Why are plants called producers?

They eat other living thingsThey need animals for energyThey make their own foodThey only use water

What happens when a rabbit eats grass?

Energy moves from grass to rabbitEnergy disappears completelyEnergy goes back to sunEnergy stays only in grass

What do arrows show in energy models?

The color of organismsThe size of animalsThe direction energy movesThe temperature of sun

Where did energy in cereal originally start?