Diane E. Althouse, Notre Dame, Vacaville, CA
ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES
Appropriate for grades 3-8.
OVERVIEW: Almost every elementary school child has had the
opportunity to directly observe the stages in the life of a plant
or an animal. Since most children have seen a puppy or kitten
turn into the adult dog or cat it was destined to become, this
unit focuses on the diversity in change around us. To the young
student, these observations are often like pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle, somewhat interesting as individual bits of information,
but difficult to assemble into a coherent picture. With
instruction, the pieces are brought together. The study of the
life cycles of different species helps put into perspective many
aspects of human development, a topic that is often the subject of
youthful curiosity. The connections are made between various real
life experiences and, more often than not, the result is
enthusiastic understanding.
PURPOSE: This is a unit in the LIFE SCIENCES. By doing these
activities, students will learn that all living things are born,
grow and change; consume water and food, and die. This process is
commonly known as the LIFE CYCLE. Hands-on experiences as well as
creative writing, art-related and cognitive activities are used to
demonstrate the beauty and complexity of the transitions all of
life must go through.
OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the life cycles of different species.
2. Recognize a similarity in the basic needs of all living
organisms and how they effect their own environment.
3. Evaluate their relationship with other forms of life and the
need to preserve them.
ACTIVITIES: Activities for an animal life cycles unit are diverse
and just about endless. Be creative and open. Work in groups and
as individuals. Study together in the classroom and explore the
great outdoors. Study books and bring in the experts. Most
living specimens may be either purchased locally at petshops,
school biological supply companies or captured outdoors. Journals
or other record keeping devices should be used which include life
cycle charts, descriptions and measurements where appropriate.
Here are a few activities to get you rolling....
THE LIFE CYCLE IN REALITY/HANDS ON EXPERIENCES:
1. Set up an aquarium for raising brine shrimp (sea monkeys).
Brine shrimp are related to crabs and lobsters in a group
commonly known as crustaceans.
2. For each student or study group, place two or three mealworms
in a capped jar. Provide the mealworms with bran and a slice
of raw potato or apple. The mealworm is the larva stage of a
beetle. Before reaching this final step in the
metamorphosis, the mealworm goes through a pupa stage that
resembles neither the "worm" or "beetle" developmental
periods.
3. Fertilized frog eggs are usually easy to find or purchase.
Place them in an aquarium and observe each day. Tadpoles
hatch from frog eggs in a week to ten days and the process
from tadpole to frog is fascinating to observe.
4. Incubate fertilized chicken eggs. The period of incubation
for chicks is twenty one days. Hold the eggs to your ears
periodically. Days before hatching you will be able to hear
the chicks peeping inside. Some teachers will open an egg
every day or so, to show the developing embryo in various
stages of growth. The age of the students and the guidelines
set by local animal rights organizations must be a
consideration. The baby chicks should also be given a proper
home shortly after birth.
5. Keep open the possibility of real-life experiences that may
occur close to home. Thanks to the great accessibility of
video camera equipment, someone might be able to record the
live birth of an organism such as a kitten, calf or if you
are really lucky, the birth of a human baby. Once again,
make sure the material is appropriate for the age group and
parental permission is advised.
ART/ART-RELATED ACTIVITIES: All children are different and have
varied talents. A unit should include as many aspects of
creativity and learning as possible. These projects would focus
on the child expressing himself/herself in an artistic manner.
Some suggestions are making a set of animal identification cards,
designing a life cycles mural, creating posters, making slides and
overhead transparencies and creating a "new" organism.
LANGUAGE ARTS: The "word" can be a creative way to express the
facts observed, researched and learned. Try some of these
activities...
1. Pretend you are one of the creatures observed or researched.
Write your life story, making certain you mention your life
cycle somewhere in your tale.
2. If you had to be an organism that was studied, which one
would you choose to be? Support your choice with scientific
facts you learned, combined with personal reasons.
3. Write a letter to an organization devoted to the care of
animals or the preservation of animals in danger of
extinction. Ask for information about the animal, its life
cycle or suggestions on how you can help. Some possible
places to start include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
World Wildlife Fund, and National Audubon Society.
4. In your opinion, what is the most successful organism in
terms of the life cycle it goes through? Summarize your
choice in a good paragraph.
5. Write poems, create a play, or organize a debate.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED: No special resources needed.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: The diversity of available resources makes
the study of LIFE CYCLES one of the best opportunities for
exciting and creative instruction. From videos and field trips to
expert lecturers and art projects, the material is there to
challenge the best of students. Indeed, even instructors with
many years experience learn new "fun facts" almost every year.
The enthusiasm generated when the light bulbs of understanding
click-on can have a long-lasting impact throughout the spectrum
of an individual's scholastic endeavors.
This subject area lays one of the corner stones for future study
of the complexities of the LIFE SCIENCES. As our society grows
more dependent on high technology, the decision-makers, the voting
public and the leaders of tomorrow can ill afford limited exposure
to, and comprehension of, the biological threads that make up the
web of life on planet Earth.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org