Life Processes

Second Grade
Rebecca Metcalf
September 11, 2014









Rationale
My philosophy of teaching will follow the constructivist approach. I feel that my
teaching methods and beliefs will be in line to what the premise of constructivism is based;
learning is the result of mental construction. With this philosophy, knowledge is not received on
the outside, but through reflection on our experiences and allowing new information to fit in
place with what we already know. By doing this, we construct the knowledge together within
our mind. Students can best learn when they actively construct through their own
understanding.
With the constructivist philosophy, the emphasis is on the learner instead of the
instructor. It is the learner, who is interacting with events and objects, therefore gaining an
understanding of the events and objects (Jones, Araje, 2002). Students individually transform
and discover critical information by constructing their own conceptualizations and solutions to
presented problems









Objectives

Students will be able to:
1. Identify and explain the different kinds of life cycles.
a. Complete Metamorphosis
b. Incomplete Metamorphosis
c. Metamorphosis
d. Anthropod life Cycle
e. Bird Life Cycle
f. Fish Life Cycle
g. Mammal Life Cycle
h. Reptile Life Cycle
2. Identify and explain the stages of the plant life cycle.
a. Seed
b. Mature Plant
c. Flowers
d. Fruit
e. Reproduce











Standards of Learning (SOLs)

Life Processes
2.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a series
of orderly changes as they mature and grow. Key concepts include
a) Animal life cycles; and
b) Plant life cycles.


















Matrix
















Lessons SOL 2.4a SOL 2.4b
Day 1
x
Day 2
x x
Day 3
x
Day 4
x
Day 5
x

Overview
It is important for students to understand the surrounding natural world. This idea is
explored through the concept of change throughout each lesson about Life Cycles of plants and
animals. In the lessons to follow, students will discover facts about the life cycles of plants and
animals, interpret diagrams and photographs to answer questions, and organize information in
a variety of ways.





















Materials

1. Computers for each student Websites for life cycle games, Youtube videos of
animal/plant life cycles
2. Worksheets - filled in and blank
3. Flower with light colored pedals
4. Food coloring
5. Cup, Water
6. Scissors
7. Crayons/colored pencils
8. Tape (hang paged in hallway)















Safety Concerns

1. Students misbehaving with scissors, risk of getting cut.
2. Students being allergic to the flowers for the experiment.
3. Cups of water being knocked over, risk for slip/fall.






















Lessons
Day 1
Objectives:
Students will learn the definition of life cycle.
Students will explore and describe the life cycle of a plant.

Activity:
1. Students will be asked to explain what they think a life cycle is from any prior
knowledge.
2. Answers will be written on the board, by word or short phrase, so all students can have
a visual of their collective thoughts on the definition of a life cycle.
3. We will begin by watching a Youtube video on the life cycle of a plant.
Hippothesis - How Do Plants Grow? (4min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xldSRWtNMXE
4. The materials for the experiment at the end of the show will be provided. Students will
use the scissors to cut off the very end of the flower, then food coloring will be dropped
in (by the teacher), students will then place the flower in the colored water and use the
stem to stir the coloring in well. Once all students have placed the flower In te cup, they
will bring the cup over to the window and place it on a table.
5. The experiment will be revisited later in the day (a couple hours) to see the color change
in the flower.
6. A worksheet with a reading and 5 questions will be given to each student. 15-20
minutes will be given for the class to read and answer questions, and then we will read
aloud and review the worksheet as a whole class.





Lessons
Day 2
Objectives:
Students will recall the stages of the Plant Life Cycle.
Students will discuss what they learned, beginning and end of class.

Activity:
1. Students will have carpet time to watch the movie about Plant Life Cycles
Magic School Bus Plant Life Cycle (23min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBILnttVW10
2. When the movie is over, each student will return to their desks to write a journal entry
about what they have learned, what they still question, or what they dont understand.
Students will be asked to voluntarily, or be chosen to, read journal entries.
















Lessons
Day 3
Objectives:
Students will learn about the simple life cycle, the life cycle of amphibians, and the life
cycle of insects.
Butterfly, dragonfly, frog
Egg/larva/pupa/adult, egg/nymph/adult, egg/tadpole/froglet/adult
Students will be able to describe the terms:
Complete Metamorphosis, Incomplete Metamorphosis, and Metamorphosis.

Activities:
1. Complete worksheets and discuss Metamorphosis
Animals that Grow Up (Simple Life Cycle):
Most animals including fish, mammals, reptiles and birds have very simple life cycles:
they are born (either alive from their mother or hatched from eggs)

they grow up
These animals have three stages -- before birth, young and adult. The young are typically
similar to the parent, just smaller. The young slowly "grow" to become adults.

Amphibians:
Amphibians, like frogs and newts, have a slightly more complicated life cycle. They undergo a
metamorphosis (a big change):
they are born (either alive from their mother or hatched from eggs)

they spend their childhood under water, breathing with gills

they grow into adults and move to the land, breathing with lungs

Animals that Undergo a Complete Metamorphosis:
Insects
These insects have four stages in their life cycle:
egg: unborn stage.

larva: young stage -- this is when most of the feeding is done.
(they usually look like worms)

pupa: inactive (no feeding) stage between larva and adult stages.
(usually well camouflaged)

adult: final, breeding stage.
(they usually grow wings)
Animals that go through a complete metamorphosis are what my daughter Kaitlyn calls "Wow!"
animals -- they go to bed looking one way and wake up a completely different creature. Wow!

Animals that Undergo an Incomplete Metamorphosis:
About 10% of insects go through an incomplete metamorphosis. They do not have a pupal
form -- these include dragonflies, grasshoppers and cockroaches.
These insects have three stages in their life cycle:
egg: unborn stage.

nymph: young stage -- this is when most of the feeding is done.

adult: final, breeding stage - including wings.













Lessons
Day 4
Objectives:
Students will label and describe the life cycle of a penguin.
Bird Life Cycle egg/chick/adult

Activities:
1. Review previous Metamorphosis (day 3)
2. Label and describe the bird life cycle on worksheet.










Lessons
Day 5
Objectives:
Students will label and describe the life cycle of a Great White Shark.
Fish Cycle, Mammal Life cycle birth/pup/adult

Activities:
1. Review previous, Day 4
2. Label and describe the bird life cycle on worksheet.
3. Being the last day of the unit, students can choose any one worksheet from the unit to
color and be hung in the hallway.


















Sources of Information:
Worksheets:
http://www.k12reader.com/worksheet/plant-life-cycles/
http://www.kidzone.ws/
http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/lifecycle.htm

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xldSRWtNMXE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBILnttVW10

















Name ________________________________

Frog and Butterfly Life Cycle Test
SOL 2.4
[Highlighted are the answers to the test]

Multiple Choice: Circle the correct answer. (2 points each)

1. Which animal does NOT go through metamorphosis after it is born?

A. Frog
B. Whit-Tail Deer
C. Butterfly
D. Toad


2. Identify the order of the stages in the butterfly life cycle.

A. Larva, butterfly, chrysalis, egg
B. Chrysalis, egg, butterfly, larva
C. Egg, larva, chrysalis, butterfly
D. Butterfly, larva, egg, chrysalis


3. Identify the order of the stages in the frog life cycle
.
A. Froglet, egg, adult frog, tadpole
B. Egg, froglet, tadpole, adult frog
C. Tadpole, egg, adult, froglet
D. Egg, tadpole, froglet, adult frog


4. In what stage of the frog life cycle does it live mostly on land?

A. Tadpole
B. Adult Frog
C. Egg
D. Froglet
True/False: Circle true of the statement id correct. Circle false if the statement id incorrect. (2
point each)

5. Metamorphosis is when an animal resembles its parents when it is born.

True False


6. A chrysalis is made of silk.

True False


Fill in the Blank: Use the word bank provided below to fill in the blanks. DO NOT use any word
more than once. You will NOT use all the words. (2 points each)






7. A tadpole breathes by using _________ Gills____________.

8. In the butterfly life cycle, the chrysalis can also be called a/an
______ Pupa _________.

9. After hatching, caterpillars eat ________ Leaves_________.



Lungs Leaves Pupa Polliwog
Larva Flies Gills Froglet