3.D.
5 Animal Life Cycles
Creating a diagram of an animal life cycle
Grade Level 3
Sessions 1 – 50 minutes
Seasonality N/A
Instructional Mode(s) Whole class, Individual
Team Size N/A
WPS Benchmarks 03.SC.TE.04, 03.SC.LS.07
MA Frameworks 3-5.TE.2.1, 3-5.LS.0.3
Key Words Amphibian, Bird, Diagram, Fish, Insect, Mammal, Reptile
Summary
Students will learn to construct a diagram that demonstrates how animals change in a
predictable pattern called a life cycle. In general, a diagram is a useful way to convey
various types of information; this particular diagram will show the distinct stages through
which an animal passes.
Learning Objectives
2002 Worcester Public Schools (WPS) Benchmarks for Grade 3
1. 03.SC.TE.04 Describe different ways in which a problem can be represented,
e.g., sketches, diagrams, graphic organizers, and lists.
2. 03.SC.LS.07 Recognize that plants and animals go through life cycles that
include birth, growth, development, reproduction and death.
2001 Massachusetts Frameworks for Grade 3
1. 3-5.TE.2.1 Describe different ways in which a problem can be represented, e.g.,
sketches, diagrams, graphic organizers, and lists.
2. 3-5.LS.0.3 Recognize that plants and animals go through predictable life cycles
that include birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death.
Additional Learning Objectives
1. Students will work independently to solve the problem of representing an animal
life cycle graphically.
Required Background Knowledge
1. A basic understanding of differences among various animal groups (mammals,
reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians, and insects).
2. A solid understanding of the idea of a “life cycle”, which normally includes birth,
growth, development, reproduction, and death.
Essential Questions
1. What is a diagram?
2. Why is a diagram useful?
3. How can a diagram show different stages of an animal’s life cycle?
Introduction / Motivation
Review with students the idea of an “animal life cycle”. Students should recall that
various animal groups experience different life cycle stages that usually include: birth,
growth, development, reproduction, and death.
Procedure
The instructor will:
1. Discuss as a class the purpose of a diagram (see Vocabulary with Definitions).
2. Ask each student to select one animal, either living or extinct.
3. Provide students with adequate time in their school library to research the life
cycle of their chosen animal.
4. As a class, create an example diagram in a visible location (blackboard,
whiteboard, etc.) that shows the life cycle of an animal (see Additional Resources
for examples).
5. Ask students to create a diagram depicting the life cycle of the animal that they
have researched (see “Animal Life Cycles”).
Materials List
Materials per student Amount Location
Animal Life Cycle One End of lesson plan – print or photocopy
Worksheet
Vocabulary with Definitions
1. Amphibian – a cold-blooded vertebrate that hatches in the water as larva with
gills. Larva eventually change, or metamorphize, into adults with lungs.
2. Bird – a warm-blooded, egg-laying, feathered vertebrate with wings.
3. Diagram – a visual representation of information that shows and explains
relationships.
4. Fish – a cold-blooded aquatic vertebrate with fins, gills, and a skeleton made of
bone or cartilage.
5. Insect – a small arthropod that, as an adult, has three pairs of legs and a
segmented body (head, thorax, and abdomen).
6. Mammal – a warm-blooded vertebrate whose skin is covered with hair or fur;
females possess mammary glands for feeding young.
7. Reptile – a cold-blooded vertebrate that usually lays eggs to bear young. Reptiles
are covered with scales or plates and breathe through lungs.
Assessment / Evaluation of Students
The instructor may assess the students in any/all of the following manners:
1. Collect student worksheets to determine whether students understand the use,
function, and proper construction of a “diagram”.
2. Collect student worksheets to determine whether students understand “animal
life cycles”.
Lesson Extensions
1. Students might create a model of an animal’s life cycle or habitat. This may take
the form of a diorama, topographical map, or other type of constructed
representation.
Attachments
1. Animal Life Cycles
Troubleshooting Tips
1. Students may need to be guided when selecting an animal. The instructor may
offer a list of animals from which students may select one, or may ask the
students to choose their “favorite” animal, the “strangest” animal, etc.
2. If students have difficulty understanding the purpose of a diagram, consider
creating one as a class to represent a familiar concept (for example, the life cycle
of a frog).
Safety Issues
None
Additional Resources
1. Children’s diagram of a Rainbow Trout life cycle
http://ccsd.net/schools/neal/graphics/Events/Trout/troutlifecycle2.jpg (accessed
28 December 2005).
Animal Life Cycles
Name: Date:
Directions: Use the information that you have collected an animal. Draw each stage of
the animal’s life cycle, beginning with birth. Label each stage in the diagram.
Birth
Growth
Development
Reproduction
Death
