Amazing Animal Life Cycles!
Lesson Description
Video Resource
Key Concepts
- Life cycle
- Invertebrates
- Vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals)
- Growth
- Change
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to define a life cycle.
- Students will be able to identify the life cycle of different animal groups (invertebrates, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals).
- Students will be able to compare and contrast the life cycles of different animals.
Educator Instructions
- Introduction (5 mins)
Begin by asking students what they know about animals. What animals do they like? Have they ever seen a baby animal? Introduce the idea that all animals go through a life cycle, meaning they grow and change over time. - Video Viewing (10 mins)
Watch the 'Animal Life Cycles' video from Inspire Education (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIIEXOlVSoA). Encourage students to pay attention to the different animals and how they change. - Discussion (10 mins)
After the video, facilitate a discussion about the different animal life cycles. Ask students what they found interesting or surprising. - Activity: Life Cycle Sequencing (15 mins)
Provide students with pictures representing the stages of a specific animal's life cycle (e.g., butterfly, frog, chicken). Have them arrange the pictures in the correct order.
Interactive Exercises
- Life Cycle Wheel
Students create a circular diagram that shows the stages of an animal's life cycle. They can draw pictures or use provided images. - Animal Sort
Students sort pictures of animals into groups (invertebrates, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, mammals).
Discussion Questions
- What is a life cycle?
- What are some different types of animals and how are they different from each other?
- How is a butterfly's life cycle different from a human's life cycle?
- Why is it important for animals to have a life cycle?
Skills Developed
- Observation
- Classification
- Sequencing
- Critical Thinking
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1:
What do we call the way an animal grows and changes?
Correct Answer: Life Cycle
Question 2:
Which of these animals is an invertebrate?
Correct Answer: Butterfly
Question 3:
Which animal starts its life in the water and then lives on land?
Correct Answer: Frog
Question 4:
Which of these animals hatches from an egg?
Correct Answer: Bird
Question 5:
A snake is a type of what animal?
Correct Answer: Reptile
Question 6:
Which group of animals usually has fur or hair?
Correct Answer: Mammals
Question 7:
Which of the following animals does NOT lay eggs?
Correct Answer: Dog
Question 8:
What is something that only a bird can do?
Correct Answer: Fly
Question 9:
What is the first stage of a butterfly's life cycle?
Correct Answer: Egg
Question 10:
Where do baby fish usually live?
Correct Answer: Ocean
Fill in the Blank Questions
Question 1:
A ________ is a bug that doesn't have a backbone.
Correct Answer: invertebrate
Question 2:
A frog is a type of ________.
Correct Answer: amphibian
Question 3:
A baby bird comes from an ________.
Correct Answer: egg
Question 4:
A snake is a type of ________.
Correct Answer: reptile
Question 5:
A dog is a type of ________.
Correct Answer: mammal
Question 6:
The changes that an animal goes through are called its ________.
Correct Answer: life cycle
Question 7:
The first stage of a chicken's life is an ________.
Correct Answer: egg
Question 8:
________ are animals that live in the water and breathe with gills.
Correct Answer: fish
Question 9:
A puppy grows up to be a ________.
Correct Answer: dog
Question 10:
Most ________ are covered in feathers.
Correct Answer: birds
Educational Standards
Teaching Materials
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