TEACHING GUIDE TEACHING Life Cycles 3rd Grade Reading Level 978-0-8225-9059-0 Green
2 TEACHING LIFE CYCLES Standards Life Sciences Visual Arts Understands the structure and function of cells and organisms. Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment. Understands the principles of heredity and related concepts. Knows a range of subject matter, symbols, and potential ideas in the visual arts. Art Connections Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines. Writing Reading Thinking and Reasoning Health Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing. Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions. Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts. Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences. Understands the fundamental concepts of growth and development. Multiple Intelligences Utilized Linguistic, logical, spatial, intrapersonal, and interpersonal Copyright 2007 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Student pages may be reproduced by the classroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercial resale. No other part of this teaching guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Visit www.lernerclassroom.com for a complete list of books in the Life Cycles series. LernerClassroom A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. 800-328-4929 Website address: www.lernerclassroom.com Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 IG 12 11 10 09 08 07
TEACHING LIFE CYCLES 3 Lesson 1 A Life Cycle Is... Purpose: Students will learn about the stages of plant and animal growth by reading a Life Cycles book and by constructing growth charts. Materials Life Cycles books Growth Chart pp. 10 11 KWL Chart p. 12 Objectives Define life cycle. Identify stages of plant or animal development. Illustrate plant or animal growth. Organize illustrations about plant or animal growth. Construct a chart showing a plant or animal life cycle. Compare two organisms life cycles. Activity Procedures large piece of butcher paper crayons, markers, paint, or colored pencils Prepare Copy Growth Chart pp. 10 11 and KWL Chart p. 12 for each student. Divide students into small groups and assign each group a different book from the Life Cycles series. Read (small groups) Each group will read their assigned Life Cycles book. Model Define life cycle and explain what it means in relation to plant and animal growth. Demonstrate how to depict in drawings the development of plants and animals. Write descriptions for each of the stages of development shown in your drawings. Practice (student) Complete Growth Chart pp. 10 11 by drawing pictures and writing descriptions of the stages of development found in the Life Cycles book read. Discuss (class, teacher) Compare completed Growth Charts pp. 10 11. What are the differences between plant and animal growth? Evaluate (student, teacher) Complete the last section of KWL Chart p. 12. Students should explain what they learned about plant and/or animal life cycles. Collect and evaluate completed Growth Charts pp. 10 11. Pretest (student) Students will preview their assigned books. Students should complete the first two sections of KWL Chart p. 12 by listing what they know and what they want to know about the plant or animal they will be reading about.
4 TEACHING LIFE CYCLES Lesson 2 Life Needs List needs that are specific to a certain developmental stage. For instance, a honeybee pollinating a flower is only necessary for a plant when its flowers are blooming, and mother s milk is only necessary for baby mammals. Purpose: Through reading and writing, students will learn what plants and animals need at various stages of development in order to live. Materials Life Cycles books Growth Chart pp. 10 11 Symbols p. 13 Life Cycle Evaluation p. 15 pencils chalkboard, overhead, or large piece of butcher paper crayons, markers, or colored pencils scissors tape or glue Read (student) Read Life Cycles books. Write the needs of the plant or animal found in the Life Cycles book read. (Label each note with the stage of development.) Model Demonstrate how to attach the symbols from Symbols p. 13 to the Growth Chart pp. 10 11. (Note: Symbols may be repeated in several or all of the stages on the Growth Chart.) Objectives Define life cycle. Identify what resources a plant or animal needs to live. Apply general needs to those of a specific plant or animal. Inventory what needs must be met for a plant or animal to complete a life cycle. Organize the list of needs. Rate the needs according to importance. Activity Procedures Prepare Copy Symbols p. 13 and Life Cycle Evaluation p. 15 for each student. Redistribute completed Growth Charts pp. 10 11. Practice (student) Draw additional symbols if needed. Cut out the completed symbols and labels and attach them to Growth Chart pp. 10 11. Discuss (class, teacher) What do animals need to live? What do plants need to live? Do plants and animals need different things at different stages in their life cycles? Which needs are most important for an animal to complete its life cycle? Evaluate (student, teacher) Use Life Cycle Evaluation p. 15 to score each student s Growth Chart. Pretest (class) On a chalkboard, overhead, or large piece of butcher paper, list basic needs for a plant and an animal.
TEACHING LIFE CYCLES 5 Lesson 3 My Life Cycle Purpose: Students will compare a human life cycle to that of a plant or animal by creating a chart of their own life cycle or that of a family member. Materials Life Cycles books My Life Cycle Story p. 14 Life Cycle Evaluation p. 15 crayons, markers, paint, or colored pencils Objectives Identify stages of one s life cycle. Record stages of one s life cycle. Illustrate one s life cycle. Compare stages of one s life cycle to that of another organism. Construct a chart of one s life cycle. Predict future stages of one s life cycle. Activity Procedures personal photographs or photocopies of photographs pencils tape Prepare Copy My Life Cycle Story p. 14 for each student. Complete My Life Cycle Story p. 14 for later display. Read (student) Read Life Cycles books. Model Collect pictures of yourself or another family member at various stages of development. Complete My Life Cycle Story p. 14 using pictures of yourself. Display and discuss your completed My Life Cycle Story. Discuss how you completed the chart and what stages of development are included in your chart. Practice (student) Collect photographs or photocopies of photographs of oneself or of a family member at different stages of development. (Students may draw themselves at various stages if photos are not available.) Complete My Life Cycle Story p. 14 for oneself or for another family member. Discuss (class, teacher) How is a human life cycle similar to that of a plant or animal? How is it different? Evaluate (class, teacher) Predict what you will be like at a later stage in your life cycle. Use Life Cycle Evaluation p. 15 to score each student s completed My Life Cycle Story p. 14. Pretest (class, teacher) Discuss human life cycles and the terms for each stage (i.e. infant/baby, toddler, child, adolescent/teenager, adult, elderly/senior citizen).
6 TEACHING LIFE CYCLES Lesson 4 Life Cycle Comparison Purpose: Students will compare the life cycles of two plants or animals, noting similarities and differences. Materials Life Cycles books Venn Diagram p. 16 lined paper Objectives Describe the features of an organism. Articulate important facts about an organism. Complete a diagram. Compare two organisms. Identify similarities and differences between organisms. Explain reasons for differences between two organisms. Activity Procedures pencils chalkboard chalk Prepare Copy Venn Diagram p. 16 for each student. Model (teacher, class) The teacher will draw a large Venn diagram on the board. Using the two lists created during the pretest activity, work together to fill in the Venn diagram. Show students how to write the things the organisms have in common in the center portion where the circles intersect. Practice (pairs) Students will pair up with someone who read a different Life Cycles book. Each student will share what he/she learned about the organism they read about. Using this information, each student will complete Venn Diagram p. 16. Discuss (class) Ask volunteers to name some things their organisms had in common, and some of their differences. What is the significance of the organisms differences? Assess Evaluate class discussion and each student s Venn Diagram p. 16 for understanding. Pretest (class) Preview Life Cycles books. Ask two volunteers to name some things they know or believe about the organism featured in their book. (Each must have a different book.) List these in two columns on the board. Read (student) Each student will read a Life Cycles book. Students will take notes as they read their books.
TEACHING LIFE CYCLES 7 Lesson 5 It s a s Life Purpose: Students will gain understanding of an organism s life cycle by reading and writing about it. Materials Life Cycles books My Life as a p. 7 Objectives Describe the life of an organism. Visualize what it would be like to be a different organism. Translate an experience from the third person to the first person point of view. Explore the feelings and sensations an organism might experience. Organize a story. Justify when a draft is polished enough for publication. Activity Procedures lined paper pencils chalkboard chalk Read (students) Read a book from the Life Cycles series. Model (class) Have students share a few of the things that happened to the plant or animal they read about. Write these on the board Show them how to rewrite the statements in the first person, so that they are telling about the experience as though they were the plant or animal. Add information regarding how the plant/animal might have felt (emotions), what it might have been thinking, or the sensations it might have felt. Practice (students) Students will write about their experiences as the plant/animal they read about in their Life Cycles books. Encourage students to add details that might not have been included in the books, including thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc. Write final drafts on My Life as a p. 7. Evaluate (teacher, class) Students will share their stories with the class. The teacher will evaluate each student s My Life as a p. 7 for creativity and understanding. Prepare Copy My Life as a p. 7 for each student. Pretest (student, pairs) Look at the cover and the pictures in the Life Cycles book you are going to read. Using the first person, tell your partner three things about your plant or animal.
8 TEACHING LIFE CYCLES Additional Resources BOOKS Chrustowsky, Rick. Turtle Crossing. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 2006. Colorful illustrations bring this story about how a painted turtle completes her life cycle to life. Kalman, Bobbie. Animal Life Cycles: Growing and Changing. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2006. Colorful photos accompany simple explanations of various animals life cycles. Murray, Julie. Corn Life Cycles. Minneapolis: ABDO Publishing Company, 2007. Students will learn about the life cycle of a corn plant. Nelson, Robin. From Egg to Chicken. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2003. Students will learn about the life cycle of a chicken, from hatching to adulthood. Other life cycles examined in the Start to Finish series are those of a horse, a frog, a butterfly, a corn plant, and an apple tree. Ross, Michael Elsohn. Life Cycles. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2001. This illustrated title explains the life cycles of a sunflower, a mushroom, and a grasshopper. Taylor, Leighton. Anemone Fish. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2007. Read about the characteristics, habitat, and behavior of this colorful fish. Other titles in the Early Bird Nature series include Cheetahs, Popcorn Plants, Octopuses, Saguaro Cactus, and Silkworm Moths. Trattles, Patricia. Emperor Penguins. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2006. This book describes the Emperor Penguin, its habitat, what it eats, how it raises its young, and much more. The Pull Ahead Animals series includes titles on more than forty different animals, all with full color photographs. WEBSITES Animal Coloring Pages: Life Cycles http://www.enchantedlearning.com/coloring/ lifecycles.shtml You ll find coloring pages for the life cycles of a variety of animals, including butterflies, frogs, mealworms, and more, at this Enchanted Learning website. Bitesize Revision Science http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/ science/ This BBC site offers information, games, and quizzes on a variety of science topics, including life cycles. Horsefun http://horsefun.com/ The homepage for horse lovers. There are horse quizzes, puzzles, stories, poems, games, and brain teasers, as well as information on horse breeds, horse care and more. Life cycle Snakes, lizards and other reptiles http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/activities/ lifecycle/activity.cfm?groupid=37 This illustrated site shows the stages in a snake s life cycle, with descriptions of each stage. Life cycle Spiders http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/activities/ lifecycle/activity.cfm?groupid=12 Students can view an illustrated diagram of the spider life cycle and read about what happens at each stage. Life Cycles of Animals http://esd.iu5.org/lessonplans/lifecycle/ animals.htm This site gives a general overview of various animals life cycles. It includes a pretest and posttest, as well as a link to the life cycle of the Cecropia Moth. Snake Life Cycle http://www.thematzats.com/snakes/life1.htm This site describes the life cycle of snakes, complete with color photos. Wood Frogs http://www.naturenorth.com/spring/creature/ woodfrog/wdfrgcvr.html Learn about wood frogs and how to raise them. Wood Frog http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/frogs/wood.htm This site explains the life cycle of wood frogs in Nova Scotia.
Teaching Life Cycles My Life as a Name 9
10 Growth Chart 1 Name Date 7 6 Teaching Life Cycles
2 3 11 5 4 Teaching Life Cycles
12 KWL Chart Name Date What I KNOW: What I WANT to know: What I LEARNED: Teaching Life Cycles
Symbols 13 sun water warmth food shelter soil air air care Teaching Life Cycles
14 My Life Cycle Story Name Date Directions: At home, look for pictures of yourself or another member of your family. Bring pictures of yourself or another family member to school or draw copies of the pictures you find. Label each picture by writing words that tell about the age of the person shown. Some words you might use to label the pictures are infant, toddler, child, adolescent, adult, and elderly. Use another sheet of paper if you need more space. Teaching Life Cycles
Life Cycle Evaluation 15 Name Date Reading Understood main ideas as evidenced by note taking Applied prior knowledge Contributed to group discussions Writing Clear and accurate labeling of diagrams Neat, coherent, and concise Correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar Growth Chart Detailed and accurate Description of animal/plant stages of development My Life Cycle Story Neat, detailed, and colorful Applied understanding of the term life cycle /10 /5 /5 /20 /10 /10 /5 /5 /10 /20 Comments: Total: /100 Points Teaching Life Cycles
16 Venn Diagram Name Topic Topic Different Same Different Teaching Life Cycles