Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Life Cycles of Frogs, Dragonflies, and Butterflies

Subject Area

Science

Grade(s)

3

Overview

Students explore similarities and differences in the life cycle of organisms and are introduced to the process of metamorphosis. This lesson deepens students' understanding of the similarities and differences in the life cycles of organisms. The lesson begins with a reading of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Next, students use a video to study the developmental stages of frogs, dragonflies, and butterflies. They compare insect and frog life cycles to each other and to the stages of human development.

    Science (2015) Grade(s): 3

    SC15.3.6

    Create representations to explain the unique and diverse life cycles of organisms other than humans (e.g., flowering plants, frogs, butterflies), including commonalities such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SC15.3.6

    Vocabulary

    • Create
    • Explain
    • Representations
    • Unique
    • Diverse
    • Commonalities
    • Life cycles
    • Organisms
    • Birth
    • Growth
    • Reproduction
    • Death

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Organisms are born, grow, reproduce and die in a pattern known as a life cycle.
    • Organisms have unique and diverse life cycles.
    • An organism can be classified as either a plant or an animal.
    • There is a causal direction of the cycle (e.g., without birth, there is no growth; without reproduction, there are no births).

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Create representations to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
    • Explain the unique and diverse life cycles of organisms other than humans.
    • Explain commonalities of organisms such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Patterns of change can be used to make predictions about the unique life cycles of organisms.

    Scientific and Engineering Practices

    Developing and Using Models

    Crosscutting Concepts

    Patterns
    Link to Resource

    CR Resource Type

    Lesson/Unit Plan

    Resource Provider

    PBS
    Accessibility
    License

    License Type

    Custom
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