Lesson Plan: Animal’s Energy

Subject:  Science

Grade: 5

Lesson Objective: To understand and demonstrate how energy from the sun is used by animals

Next Gen Science Standard:  5-PS3-1. Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.

Materials:

• White paper
• Markers

Starter:

Say:

• What do animals use energy for?  (Allow the students to answer.)

Main:

Say:

• Animals use energy for many different things.  They need energy to grow, to move, to keep themselves warm and to heal their body when it gets hurt or sick.
• Where does the energy that animals use come from?  (Allow the students to answer.)
• The energy that animals use comes from the food that they eat.  Some animals eat other animals and some animals eat plants. 
• All of the energy that is consumed by animals comes from the sun.  Animals do not eat sunlight, so how do you think that happens?  (Allow the students to answer.)
• Plants use the sun to make food.  Their leaves absorb the sun and turn it into food that the plant uses to grow.
• Animals that eat plants, herbivores, then eat the plants.  The plants give herbivores energy.
• Animals that eat other animals, carnivores, eat herbivores.  The carnivores get energy from the herbivores that they have eaten.
• So, even carnivores are getting energy that once came from the sun.
• Now, you are going to draw and label a diagram showing everything that we just talked about. 
• Think about how all animals get energy that was originally from the sun.
• Draw a diagram showing how the energy from the sun is eventually used by animals.
• Does anyone have any questions?

Feedback:

Say:

• Who would like to share and explain the diagram that you drew?  (Allow the students to share.)

Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer

Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.

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