LS.2.1.1
Use models to summarize the life cycle of animals including: birth, developing into an adult, reproducing, aging and death.
Embedded Files
District Recommended Resources for 2nd Grade Science
Science Phenomena Resources
Next Generation Science Standards YouTube Channel
Step 1: Lesson Standards & Learning Goals
Dimension 1:
Science and Engineering Practice: Develop and Use Models: Students use models (e.g. diagrams, physical models, etc.) to represent the life cycles of animals (NSTA SEP Matrix).
Dimension 2:
Crosscutting Concepts: Structure and Function, Patterns
Dimension 3:
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
LS1.B Plants and animals have predictable characteristics at different stages of development. Plants and animals grow and change. Adult plants and animals can have young (A Framework for K-12 Science Education).
Sample Essential Questions
Sample Essential Questions
How can we use models to understand and explain the different stages in an animal’s life cycle, from birth to death?
What is a life cycle?
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
birth
death
life cycle
adult
reproduce
stage
metamorphosis
Students will be able to...
Students will be able to...
Summarize how life cycles follow predictable patterns.
Give specific examples of different animal life cycles.
Use models (e.g., diagrams, physical models, etc.) to explain how animals grow and change through their lives.
Constructing Explanations- Construct or support an argument with evidence and models that animals have predictable life cycle stages.
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information: Read grade-appropriate texts and/or use media to obtain scientific information to determine patterns and evidence about life cycles.
Students will know...
Students will know...
Animals are born, they grow and change into adults, and age and die.
A life cycle is the series of steps or stages that an animal goes through from being a baby to an adult and then until it dies.
Animals go through specific changes in each stage of the lifecycle.
Metamorphosis has four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Step 2: Assessment
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessments
Writing Prompts
What are the stages of a __________ life cycle? (butterfly/frog/chicken/etc.) (butterfly- egg, larva, pupa, adult; frog- eggs, tadpole, adult frog; chicken- egg, chick, chicken)
How does a __________ change as it goes through its life cycle? (e.g., A caterpillar hatches from an egg. It gets bigger as it prepares to pupate. As a pupa, it creates a shell-like structure around itself. More changes happen in the chrysalis. It emerges as an adult butterfly.)
Mini Projects and Investigations
Lifecycle Journal
Illustrate and label various lifecycles of animals - begin with cut-outs and progress to students drawing their own illustrations.
Butterfly Journal (for those doing butterflies in their classrooms)
Students create a journal and keep track as the classroom caterpillars turn into butterflies.
Baby Chick Journal (for those doing baby chicks in their classrooms - 4-H Embryology Program)
Students create a journal during the incubation period until eggs have hatched.
NCDPI Grade 2 Science
Culminating Activity
Animal Life Cycle Comparison Project
Choose two animals.
Create a mini-poster or 3-D model to compare how the animals move through their life cycles.
Materials: a piece of white paper and construction paper, scissors, glue, craft materials (clay, play-doh, pipe cleaners, etc.).
Illustrate the stages of each animal's life cycle.
Create captions explaining what changes are happening in each stage of the lifecycle.
Write a paragraph
Use animal life cycle books from the school library or Epic! for reference.
Step 3: Lesson Instructions
Possible Activating Strategies
Possible Activating Strategies
Graphic Organizer
Preview:
Relate animal life cycles to the human life cycle.
Preview:
Life cycles have different stages depending on the type of animal.
This graphic is used again with LS.2.1.2 to compare the similarities and differences.
Additional Literacy Connections
GetEpic.com (log in needed)
Readworks.org (log in needed)
YouTube
EBSCO (access through NCEdCloud)
Waring, Geoff. Oscar and the Frog: A Book about Growing.
Huson, Brett. The Grizzly Mother.
Mabry, Sheri. Soar High, Dragonfly.
Milton, Alexandra. Who is in the Egg?
Jaycox, Jaclyn. Unusual Life Cycles Series.
Davies, Benji. Tad.
Donaldson, Julia & Zommer, Yuval. The Wooly Bear Caterpillar.
Davies, Nicola. One Tiny Turtle.
Leedy, L. (1993) Tracks in the sand.
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources
4-H Embryology Program
Science A to Z (paid subscription)
Animal Life Cycle Unit (on Diffit, free log in)
Butterfly Kits with Live Caterpillars (purchase)
Wordwall (vocabulary website)
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