This 5th grade science sheet asks students to sort sixteen organisms into five columns: producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and decomposers. The cards run from algae and oak tree to shark, bear, human, earthworm and bacteria. Page 2 has two written questions, one on producers and one on decomposers. The answer key is on page 3. It supports NGSS 5-LS2-1.
5-LS2-1
“Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.”
The chart sorts organisms by how they get energy, and question 2 asks what happens to dead matter and nutrients without decomposers.
Sixteen word cards to write into a five-column chart. Four are producers, three are herbivores, three are carnivores, three are omnivores and three are decomposers.
Two boxed questions: why producers sit at the start of every food chain, and what would happen to a forest with no decomposers. A forest photo shows an oak, a rabbit and mushrooms on a log.
The completed chart and model answers that mention photosynthesis and nutrients returning to the soil.
Argue the omnivores
Ask what a bear, a raccoon and a human each eat. Students who list only meat or only plants find the omnivore idea for themselves.
The earthworm card
Expect a split on earthworm, which many students file under herbivores. Use it to talk about what decomposers actually feed on.
Quick write
Use question 2 as a quick write at the end of a lesson on decay and nutrient cycles.
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