Racing to English

Food chain rummy

TEACHERS NOTES

AIMS

The key items practised by this activity are:

• the concept of a food chain

• names of plants and animals

• tenses - difference between active and passive `eats' and `is eaten by'

MATERIALS

• A set of 24 food chain rummy cards. The cards belong in sets of three (e.g. Rattlesnakes which eat lizards which eat flies).

• Worksheet with oral and written exercises

ACTIVITY 1 - Ask learners to work cooperatively to group the cards into food chains.

ACTIVITY - Food chain rummy

This game is a mixture of rummy and happy families.

The game can be played by two or three players.

The object of the game is to collect as many complete food chains as possible.

Shuffle the cards and deal out five to each player.

Lay the remaining cards in a pile face up on the table.

Take it in turn to do one of these things:

• if you have a pair of cards (e.g. fish and seals) put them on the table and take two more cards from the pack or if you have the three cards for a complete chain, put them on the table and take three new cards;

• take the top card from the table and put one of your original cards at the bottom of the pile;

• ask one of the other players for an animal (`Please can I have a lion?'); if the other player has the card they must hand it over; if not they must say `No I'm sorry I haven't got one';

• add a card to one of your pairs to make a complete chain and take one new card from the pile.

The first person to make three complete food chains is the winner.

Flies are the first part of this food chain They are eaten by lizards 1	Fish are the first part of this food chain They are eaten by seals 1
Lizards Some lizards eat flies Lizards are eaten by rattlesnakes 2	Seals eat fish Seals are eaten by polar bears 2
Rattlesnakes eat lizards They are the top of this food chain 3	Polar bears eat seals They are the top of this food chain 3
Leaves are the first part of this food chain They are eaten by impala 1	Earthworms are the first part of this food chain They are eaten by chickens 1
Impala Impala are a type of deer that eat leaves Impala are eaten by leopards 2	Chickens Some chickens eat earthworms Chickens are eaten by humans 2
Leopards eat impala They are the top of this food chain 3	Humans eat chickens They are the top of this food chain 3
Grass is the first part of this food chain It is eaten by hippos 1	Wood is the first part of this food chain It is eaten by termites 1
Hippos eat many plants including grass Baby hippos are eaten by hyenas 2	Termites eat wood They are eaten by anteaters 2
Hyenas eat hippos that are very young, very old or very sick They are the top of this food chain 3	Anteaters eat termites They are the top of this food chain 3
Millipedes are the first part of this food chain. They are eaten by scorpions 1	Trees are the first part of this food chain Their wood is eaten by porcupines 1
Scorpions eat millipedes They are eaten by meerkats 2	Porcupines eat the wood under the bark of trees They are eaten by lions 2
Meerkats eat scorpions They are the top of this food chain 3	Lions eat many animals including porcupines They are the top of this food chain 3

Racing to English Worksheet

Food chains

Ask your friend some questions:

Are

fish flies impala leaves lizards millipedes scorpions seals

eaten by

impala? leopards? lizards? meerkats? polar bears? rattlesnakes? scorpions? seals?

Now write ten questions and answer them.

Now work with some friends to think about other food chains. Can you write four new chains?

2

Racing to English

� Gordon Ward 2010. Photocopiable only for use in the purchasing institution. Step 24: Food chain rummy

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