Text Set #3 Food Chain

                                                        Food Chain

I chose food chains as a text set and focused mainly on owls.  I have always had a fascination with owls and I enjoy teaching about owls and the food chain to kids.  They love the Owl Puke book and will definitely not forget what a food chain is after dissecting an owl pellet!  This text set is geared for lower grades but could be used in middle school as well.  Middle schoolers still like a good read aloud with a picture book, even if they act like they don't!  I plan on using this text set with my kindergarten kids in summer school.  Hope you enjoy!
                                           Books
 

Owl Puke, the Book 

                                                               by Jane Hammerslough 

Ages 8-12

Kids love science-especially when it's hands-on-and kids love yucky stuff.  The Owl Puke Book tells of the food chain, animal anatomy, life in the forest; of a bird that could read the bottom line of an eye chart from one mile away; and of a fierce hunter that swallows its prey headfirst and digests everything but the bones, which it spits back up in a pellet. As for the story the pellet tells, kids need only a toothpick to find out. 

                                      WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Quirky, Squirmy Poems from the Animal World

by Katherine B. Hauth, illustrated by David Clark

Age Range: 8 & up

"Finding food / is not a joke. / Living things must eat / or croak." This clever collection of 29 poems presents 'who eats what' in a graphic, irreverant, but ultimately educational tone that kids love!  Each poem is paired with comical ink and watercolor illustrations. This is amust-have book for teaching food chains for kids!

                                                Pond Circle

by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Stefano Vitale  On a summer night by a small pond, all seems still. But a closer look reveals a world of activity—mayflies dart, beetles dive, frogs spring, skunks shuffle, and owls swoop. As a young girl watches, the circle of life unfolds. Young readers will be inspired to journey into their own backyards and discover the wonder of the living, breathing world around them.

                                          Videos
 I used this site when we did a study on food chains.  This is a wonderful site that explains the owl food chain, owl pellets, how they form, and a virtual owl pellet dissection.
http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/flash/v4/index.htm

Here's a terrific video explaining barn owl pellets.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/231583605812166546/


This is a great site for teachers.  It gives interesting owl facts for kids including their diet, their behaviors, and what makes them unique animals.  It also has a cool, short video to watch.
http://animalstime.com/owl-facts-for-kids-owl-habitat-diet/


                                     Writing

                                           pinterest.com/pin/430304939369639268/
                             I thought this was a great graphic organizer for writing about owls.

A great way to organize your thoughts.

                                          pinterest.com/pin/430304939369639260/

                                                 Other Activities

What better way to help kids remember the food chain than dissecting actual owl pellets! I did this when I taught 5th grade and the students talked about it for weeks.    After they glued the bones on cardboard and they figured out what animal it was, I had them name it and write a story about it.

A very cool place to visit on a field trip or schools can pay to have them come to you. (Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee)  Students will explore food chains, learn about habitats and adaptations, and even have an encounter with a living invertebrate.