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What Kind of Energy Is Stored in 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 comprehensive 400-word reading passage teaches Grade 5 students about how food contains energy, aligned to NGSS standards 5-LS1-1 and 5-PS3-1. Students discover that food is not just something to satisfy hunger—it is stored energy that powers all living things. The passage explains how plants use photosynthesis to capture the sun's energy and store it as glucose (sugar), and how animals release this stored chemical energy when they digest food. Real-world examples help students understand concepts like why eating breakfast gives them energy for the school day, and how their bodies break down food molecules to release energy for running, thinking, and growing. The passage includes audio integration for accessibility, a simplified differentiated version for struggling readers, Spanish translations, a comprehensive glossary of key terms, multiple-choice questions testing recall and application, writing activities, and graphic organizers. Students engage with vocabulary including energy, photosynthesis, glucose, digest, and chemical energy through concrete examples and age-appropriate explanations that build foundational understanding of energy transfer in living systems.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

This flowchart details energy lost in the trophic pyramid. "Trophic pyramid" by Entropyrider / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).

Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. All living things need energy to survive, grow, and move. Food is not just something we eat when we are hungry—it is stored energy that powers our bodies.

Plants are the starting point for most food energy on Earth. Through a process called photosynthesis, plants use energy from sunlight to make their own food. During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil. They use the sun's energy to change these materials into a type of sugar called glucose. This glucose stores the sun's energy in a form that can be used later. Plants store this energy in their leaves, stems, roots, and fruits.

When animals eat plants, they get the stored energy. Inside an animal's body, food is broken down through a process called digestion. When animals digest food, they break it into smaller pieces that can enter their cells. The cells then release the stored energy from the food molecules. This released energy powers everything the animal does—running, breathing, thinking, and growing.

The energy in food is called chemical energy because it is stored in the bonds that hold food molecules together. Think of it like a battery that stores energy until you need it. When you eat breakfast, your body breaks down the food and releases the stored energy, giving you the power to learn and play throughout the school day. Without food, your body would not have the energy it needs to function.

Animals that eat other animals also get their energy from food. However, that energy originally came from plants. A mouse eats seeds and stores the plant's energy in its body. When a hawk eats the mouse, the hawk gets that stored energy. No matter how many steps there are, all food energy can be traced back to the sun and photosynthesis in plants.

Interesting Fact: A single slice of bread contains about 80 calories of energy, which is enough to power your brain for about one hour of thinking!

What is energy?

The ability to do workA type of foodOnly found in animalsA kind of plant

What do plants make during photosynthesis?

Carbon dioxideWaterGlucose (sugar)Soil

Where do plants store energy?

Only in their leavesIn leaves, stems, roots, and fruitsIn the airIn the soil

Why does eating breakfast give you energy?

It makes you feel fullBody releases stored energy from foodIt wakes you upIt makes you thirsty

How does a hawk get energy?

Directly from the sunFrom water it drinksFrom eating animals like miceFrom the air

What happens when animals digest food?

Food disappears completelyFood is broken down and energy releasedFood becomes waterFood turns into sunlight