What Are the Life Cycles

of Different Animals?

Focus: S tudents investigate the various stages of the life cycles of different animals.

Specific Curriculum Outcomes NOTES:

Students will be expected to:
• 43.0 compare the life cycles of various animals
[GCO 1/3]

Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• communicate the similarities and differences of
familiar animal life cycles

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 Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
• show interest in and curiosity about objects and events within their
immediate environment [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts,
ideas, feelings, and experiences [GCO 1]
• create texts collaboratively and independently, using a variety of forms for
a range of audiences and purposes [GCO 9]

Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
• Science Card 6 • students’ Science • Collect posters, books, • fish
• Science Card 7 Journals magazines and images • mammal
• Science Card 2 (optional) • paper plates (2 per showing life cycles of • bird
• IWB Activity 3 student) various animals. • reptile
• IWB Activity 4 • paper fasteners (1 per • Find videos showing
• IWB Activity 5 student) the life cycles of various
• markers, colouring animals.
Literacy Place: pencils, or crayons
Pictorial Diagram: Frog Life
• 
Cycle (Conversation Card
#14–Active Learning Kit)
Who Laid These Eggs?
• 
(Guided Reading, Level F)

Science Background
• Different classes of animals have different life cycles. Most classes of
animals, including fish, mammals, reptiles, and birds, have fairly simple
life cycles. First they are born, either alive from their mother or hatched
from eggs. Then they grow and develop into adults. Amphibians and
insects have more complicated life cycles. These animals undergo a
metamorphosis (a significant change in their physical structure or habits).
There are two main types of metamorphosis: incomplete and complete.
In incomplete metamorphosis, the offspring resemble the adult (e.g., the
grasshopper nymph looks like an adult grasshopper except that it lacks
wings). In complete metamorphosis, the offspring do not resemble the
adult (e.g., the caterpillar and butterfly).

Unit 4: Animal Growth and Changes 33

 Characteristics of Different Life Cycles
Animal Class Life Cycle Overview Examples
insect Some insects undergo complete bee, butterfly, ladybug, mosquito
metamorphosis. The stages are egg, larva,
pupa, and adult.
Other insects undergo incomplete bedbug, dragonfly, grasshopper, lice
metamorphosis. The stages are egg, nymph,
and adult.
amphibian Amphibians also undergo a metamorphosis. frog, salamander
They lay their eggs in water. Larvae hatch and
live underwater. They grow and develop into
terrestrial adults that live and breathe on land.
mammal Mammals are born alive. They grow and bat, caribou, cat, cow, dog, harp seal,
develop until they become adults. humpback whale, moose, pig, polar bear,
porcupine, red fox, snowshoe hare, walrus,
wolverine
fish Fish deposit eggs (spawn). Fish hatch and Arctic char, capelin, dogfish, haddock, halibut,
then grow and develop into adults. lake trout, northern pike, rainbow trout, smelt,
salmon, whitefish

bird Birds lay eggs. The eggs hatch and the chicks American robin, black-capped chickadee,
grow and develop into adults. blue jay, Canada goose, chicken, junco, puffin,
seagull, snowy owl, starling, tern

reptile Most reptiles lay eggs. The eggs hatch and garter snake, painted turtle, sea turtle
the young reptiles grow and develop into
adults.

Possible Misconceptions
• Students may not realize that all living things have their own characteristic life
cycle. Ensure students understand that the life cycles they are learning about are
just examples and that every animal has its own life cycle with its own particular
features. Exposing students to as many examples as possible will help with
this. Students will further explore specifics of different life cycles as part of the
Teaching Plan How Do Different Life Cycles Compare? (see pages 38–43).

ACTIVATE
Looking at Life Cycles
Display one or more of the life cycle Science Cards (Science Cards 6, 7, and 2).
Talk through the stages of each life cycle, modelling the appropriate
vocabulary for the stages as shown on the cards. Record students’
questions about the life cycles on the I Wonder Wall. Ask
students to point out similarities and differences. The life cycles
shown on each card are summarized in the following chart.

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 Science Card Animal Class of animal Stages of life cycle
6 dog mammal • puppy
• adolescent
• adult dog
salmon fish • egg
• alevin
• fry
• fingerling
• adult salmon
7 chicken bird • egg
IWB Activity: • chick
Have students build • adult chicken (rooster or hen)
life cycles for a duck, sea turtle reptile • egg
a ladybug, and a • hatchling
salamander using Activity • juvenile
3: Build a life cycle (see • adult turtle
the Teacher’s Website).
2 butterfly insect • egg
• caterpillar (larva)
• chrysalis (pupa)
• adult butterfly
dragonfly insect • egg
• nymph (larva)
• adult dragonfly

Literacy Place Connection:

Cycle (Conversation Card #14) and
Display Pictorial Diagram: Frog Life
which live both on land and in the
explain that frogs are amphibians
y each stage of the frog’s life cycle
water. Challenge students to identif
let; adult frog). Have students
(egg; tadpole; tadpole with legs; frog to
sticky notes and attach each label
record the names of the stages on
on the card. Ask:
the correct stage of the life cycle
er
compare to the life cycles of oth
• How does the frog’s life cycle
animals?

CONNECT
Expert Group Jigsaw Activity
Organize students into “home base” groups with 4–6 students each. (Make
the group sizes as similar as possible.) Assign each member of the group a
number (e.g., 1–4 for a group of 4). The “home base” groups split up, and
all of the like numbers assemble in new groups. Assign an animal to each
numbered group and provide materials to learn about the life cycle of that
animal. See the Science Background section on pages 33–34 for ideas about
which animals to feature.

Unit 4: Animal Growth and Changes 35

 Once finished, have group members return to their own “home base” group
and share what they have learned. Students should record what they have
learned about the different animals in their Science Journals.

Life Cycle Museum

Set up stations around the classroom with posters, books, displays, images,
and access to videos focusing on the life cycles of various animals. (Science
Cards 6, 7, and 2 can be used here as well.) Include information about a
variety of animals including insects, mammals, amphibians, fish, reptiles,
and birds.
Allow students time to look at all the exhibits and think about the similarities
and differences between the life cycles.
Organize students into pairs. Assign each pair of students a pair of life cycles
to compare. Tell students they will be doing a think-pair-share about their
pair of life cycles.

1. Think—Ask students:
• What are some similarities and differences between the two life cycles?

Allow students 1–3 minutes to think individually about that question.

2. Pair—Have students discuss their thoughts about the question for 2–5
minutes. Encourage students to ask one another questions about what they
are saying.

3. Share—Have each pair share details of their discussions with the class.
Record questions that come out of the discussion on the I Wonder Wall. Ask
students if and how their ideas changed as a result of the discussion.

CONSOLIDATE
Venn Diagram
Provide students with a list of possible animals to compare, each from a
different animal class (insect, amphibian, mammal, bird, reptile, fish). Refer
to the Science Background section on pages 33–34 for some examples that
students can choose from. Have students choose two animals from different
classes and create a Venn diagram to compare the two animals and their life
cycles.

Animal Life Cycle Wheel

Provide each student with two paper plates and a paper fastener. Tell
students they will be producing a Life Cycle Wheel. Assign each student a
local animal or allow them to choose their own. Students should research
their animal’s life cycle and plan in their Science Journals how to draw the
stages of the life cycle around the wheel (on one paper plate).
Once their plans are ready, they can draw their life cycle. Help students cut
a window out of their second paper plate to show only one stage at a time
of the life cycle. Students can decorate this second plate (the top plate) and

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 include the name of their animal. Help students attach the plates with the
paper fastener to create a wheel that can be spun to show the stages in the
life cycle of their animal.

Guess the Parent Game IWB Activity:

IWB Activity:
Challenge students to make a “guess the parent” game Challenge students to
Students can match
in which they match animals at various stages of their match each butterfly or
adult birds with their
moth with its caterpillar
chicks using Activity 4: life cycles with an adult parent. Students can create using Activity 5: Whose
Whose chick? (see the cards using their own sketches or by cutting out caterpillar? (see the
Teacher’s Website). pictures from magazines and other sources, or Teacher’s Website).
produce the game using the Interactive Whiteboard
or other programs.

Literacy Place Connection:

s? (Guided Reading, Level F)
Read or revisit Who Laid These Egg
which animal laid the eggs
and challenge students to predict
l life cycles.
shown. Discuss the various anima

EXPLORE MORE
Life Cycles and Environments
Have groups of students create their own museum exhibits that show at least
three different life cycles in a single environment (ocean, beach or shoreline,
field, lake or river, bog or marsh, forest, farm). Students can use models,
drawings, photos, videos, and other media to create their exhibits.

Unit 4: Animal Growth and Changes 37