ICT & Science

Useful ideas for teachers. Some brilliant ideas/suggestions for teaching the topics. Teacher can pick suitable activities mentioned in this lesson plan and apply it in the classroom.

 

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.

 

taken from : http://www.col-ed.org/cur/sci/sci15.txt