Lesson Plan: Life Cycles of Plants and Animals

Subject:  Science

Grade: 3

Lesson Objective: To explore the life cycle of a plant and an animal

Next Gen Science 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.

Preparation Needed:

• Draw or get a picture of a life cycle of a plant.  (Draw a rudimentary life cycle of a plant- seed on top, arrow pointing to seed growing roots, arrow pointing to seed with roots and stem, arrow pointing to roots, stem and leaves, arrow pointing to roots, stem, leaves and flower or fruit and then arrow back to seed)
• Draw  or get a picture of a life cycle of a duck (Draw a rudimentary life cycle of a plant- egg at top, arrow pointing to a chick hatching from egg, arrow pointing to chick, arrow pointing to adult duck, arrow pointing to adult duck sitting on nest and then arrow back to egg)

Starter:

Say:

• How do plants and animals grow?  (Allow the students to answer.)

Main:

Say:

• There are things that all living beings need.  Those things are food, water, air, sun and the right temperature.
• When a living being, a plant or an animal, has what they need, they grow and go through their life cycle.
• A life cycle is all of the different changes that happen to a living thing during its life.  All living things have a life cycle, plants, animals and people.
• We are going to talk about the life cycle of a plant first.  (Show the life cycle of a plant.)
• Plants start out as a seed.  The seed begins to grow when it has enough water.  The seed grows roots and then a stem. 
• The stem and roots keep growing and leaves grow.  After leaves grow, the plant grows a flower or fruit. 
• Inside the flower or fruit are seeds that are then spread and the life cycle starts again.
• Now, let us talk about the life cycle of a duck.  (Show the life cycle of a duck.)
• A duck starts out as an egg.  Just like a seed, an egg needs the right things to make it grow.  The egg needs to be kept warm by the mother duck. 
• When the baby duck is ready, it hatches from the egg.  The duckling then grows because it eats food. 
• The duckling eventually grows into an adult duck.  The adult duck, if it’s a female, will then lay eggs and the life cycle starts again.
• We have talked about the life cycle of a plant and the life cycle of a duck.  What are the things that are the same between those life cycles?  (Allow the students to answer- write their responses on the board under the word “same.”)
• You noticed that both plants and ducks are born, they grow and they reproduce, or make more of themselves.
• What are some of the things that are different between the life cycle of the plant and duck?  (Allow the students to answer- write their responses on the board under the word “different.”)
• You are now going to draw a picture showing the life cycle of a plant and the life cycle of a duck.  After you have drawn the life cycles, circle the parts of the life cycle that are the same.
• Does anyone have any questions?

Feedback:

Say:

• Who would like to share the life cycles that you drew?  How did you show which parts of the life cycles are the same?  (Allow the students to share.)

Additional Resource:  Life Cycle of a Plant Worksheet

Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer

Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.

Copyright© 2018 Education World