Life Cycles of Plants and Animals: Patterns of Growth and Reproduction

Life Cycles of Plants and Animals: Patterns of Growth and Reproduction

Grade 3 · Science · NYSSLS 3-LS1-1 · 55 Minutes

NYS-Aligned Standard

3-LS1-1 — Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. NYS P-12 Science Learning Standards / NYSSLS (2017)

Three-Dimensional Alignment

Learning Objectives — “I Can” Statements

• I can name the four stages all organisms share: birth, growth, reproduction, death.
• I can create a model (diagram) of the life cycle of a butterfly and a bean plant.
• I can compare two life cycles and explain how they are similar and different.

Essential Question

What do the life cycles of a butterfly and a bean plant have in common — and how are they different?

Materials & Prep

• Life Cycle Model Sheet (1 per student — circular diagram with 4 arrows)
• Images of butterfly life cycle stages (egg, larva/caterpillar, pupa/chrysalis, adult) — teacher-sourced or drawn
• Images of bean plant life cycle (seed, sprout, seedling, mature plant, flower, seed pod)
• Colored pencils
• Vocabulary anchor chart

Prep note: All images used must be teacher-drawn, sourced from public domain, or from school-licensed science resources. No copyrighted textbook images.

Vocabulary

Lesson Sequence

Hook / Warm-Up (8 minutes)

1. Show two pictures side by side: a tiny seed and a tall sunflower. “Same organism? How can you tell?”
2. Show a caterpillar and a butterfly. “Are these the same organism?”
3. Bridge: “All living things go through changes. Today we’ll model life cycles and find patterns.”

Direct Instruction (12 minutes)

1. Introduce the 4 shared stages: birth, growth, reproduction, death.
2. Walk through butterfly life cycle using images: egg → larva (caterpillar) → pupa (chrysalis) → adult butterfly → lays eggs (→ back to start)
3. Walk through bean plant: seed → germination → seedling → mature plant → flower/fruit → seed
4. Ask: “Both life cycles start and end with ___? What is that called?” (reproduction; back to birth)

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

1. Students work in pairs to complete the Life Cycle Model Sheet for the butterfly.
2. Pairs add labels, arrows, and a brief description at each stage (1 sentence).
3. Teacher circulates: “What stage comes after the larva? What does the chrysalis do?”

Independent Practice (12 minutes)

1. Students independently complete the Life Cycle Model Sheet for the bean plant.
2. Students add a comparison statement at the bottom: “Both the butterfly and bean plant ___. But the butterfly ___ while the bean plant ___.”

Closure (8 minutes)

1. Class share-out of comparisons.
2. Build a Venn diagram together: Butterfly / Both / Bean Plant.
3. Exit ticket: “Name 2 stages that ALL organisms share.”

Life Cycle Model Sheet

Name: __________________ Organism: ______________________ Date: _________

              STAGE 1: ______________________
                ↗       Description: __________________
    STAGE 4:               ↓
   ____________          STAGE 2: ______________________
   Description:             Description: __________________
    __________                ↓
                ↖       STAGE 3: ______________________
                         Description: __________________

Comparison Statement:
Both the ___________ and ___________ life cycles include: ____________________
One difference: ____________________________________________________________

SDI & Differentiation Block

Supports for MLLs/ELLs

Entering/Emerging (NYSESLAT Levels 1–2):

• Provide picture cards of each life cycle stage; student sequences cards before drawing
• Bilingual vocabulary list: life cycle / ciclo de vida, butterfly / mariposa, plant / planta, seed / semilla
• Allow student to label stages in L1, then copy English labels
• Sentence frame: “First, ___. Next, ___. Then, ___. Finally, ___.”

Transitioning/Expanding (NYSESLAT Levels 3–4):

• Vocabulary graphic: life cycle wheel with blank labels for student to fill in
• Academic vocabulary sentence frames for comparison: ”___ and ___ are both similar because ___. One difference is ___.”

Supports for Students with IEPs

SDI Adaptation Dimensions: content, methodology, delivery

• Content: Focus on one life cycle only (butterfly); reduce comparison task to identifying ONE similarity and ONE difference
• Methodology: Pre-cut and pre-labeled picture cards for the butterfly stages; student arranges cards into circular sequence without drawing; use manipulative sequence before drawing
• Delivery: Provide a pre-drawn circular template with stage names already added; student adds descriptions only; extended time per IEP

Suggested Placement: ICT, Resource Room

Suggested IEP Goal Reference (Teacher Reference Only — Not Legal Advice): Given picture cards of 4 life cycle stages, the student will arrange them in correct sequence and name each stage with 80% accuracy across 4 of 5 trials, supporting progress toward 3-LS1-1.

Extensions for Advanced Learners

• Research a third organism (frog, salmon, or flowering tree) and create a third life cycle model
• Compare metamorphosis types: complete (butterfly) vs. incomplete (grasshopper)
• Connect to 3-LS3-1: How do offspring resemble their parents?

Answer Key / Model Comparison

Butterfly: egg → caterpillar → chrysalis → adult butterfly → (lays eggs) Bean plant: seed → germination/sprout → seedling → mature plant → flower → seed pod

Similarity: Both have birth (egg/seed), growth, reproduction (new eggs/seeds), and eventually death. Difference: Butterflies undergo metamorphosis (dramatic body change); bean plants grow continuously without a chrysalis-like stage.

Exit ticket answers: birth, growth, reproduction, death (any 2 of these 4 are correct)

Alignment Record