EALR 4: Life Science

Big Idea: Structures and Functions of Living Organisms (LS1)

Core Content: Life Cycles
In prior grades students learned that living things have basic needs and they meet those needs in various
ways. In grades 2-3 students learn that all plants and animals have life cycles. They also compare the life
cycles of a few common animals to see how they are similar and how they are different, and learn about
the life cycles of plants. Focus should be on observable characteristics of how plants and animals change
over time. An important aspect of life cycles is that plants and animals resemble their parents. This is a
first step in understanding how the structures of plants and animals develop and function.
Content Standards

Performance Expectations

Students know that:

Students are expected to:

2-3 LS1A: Plants have life cycles that include

Describe the life cycle of a common

sprouting, growing to full size, forming

type of plant (e.g., the growth of a fast-

fruits and flowers, shedding seeds (which

growing plant from seed to sprout, to adult,

begins a new cycle), and eventually dying.

to fruits, flowers, and seeds).

The details of the life cycle are different for

different plants.

ISTE Standards
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and
processes using technology.
a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. Create original words as a means of personal or group expression
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
d. Identify trends and forecast possibilities

Plants

Link for teachers notes

Seed

Seed

Sunlight

Water
Tree

Plant
Leaf

Flower

Mushroom

Flower

Petals

Stem
Leaf

Soil

Roots

Life Cycle of a Plant

1st

5th

2nd

Touch Box to Listen

4th

Drag Pictures to correct Spots

3rd

What is a seed?
A seed is a little package.
It has a baby plant in it.
It has food for the little plant too.
The seed gets water and sunshine.
It starts to grow roots under the ground.
The stem holds up the leaves and flowers.
Now the seed has become a young plant.

Use Paragraph to Answer

Questions on Next Page

What is a seed like?

a jar

a package

a box

What is in a seed?
baby plant and food

dirt and sand

water and roots

What does a seed need to grow?

water and wind

sun and water

lightning and thunder

What does a seed grow underground?

stem

a flower

roots

What does a seed grow above ground?

stem

roots

dirt

What holds up the leaves of a plant?

root

stem

flowers

Sort the Plants

and Animals

Lesson Rationale
Teaches children about the life cycles of
plants.
Children are able to collaborate together,
by using the Interactive Whiteboards.
For children with vision impairments,
parts of the lesson are recorded so they
can still partake in the lesson.
For the writing portion, children with
motor struggles, can use other tools,
besides the pens to write with.
Children are working on different subjects
within this lesson, e.g., writing,
comprehension,