Lesson Plan & Links
Title of Lesson: The Life Cycle of the Frog
Unit: Life Cycles of Plants &Animals
Subject: Science
Grade Level: 3
Massachusetts Academic Content Standard(s) Addressed:
Learning Standard 3: Recognize that plants and animals go through predictable life cycles that include birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death.
Learning Standard 4: Describe the major stages that characterize the life cycle of the frog and butterfly as they go through metamorphosis.
Learning Standard 4: Describe the major stages that characterize the life cycle of the frog and butterfly as they go through metamorphosis.
Goal(s)/Essential Question(s)
The students will accurately identify and describe each of the stages in the life cycle of a frog using the correct scientific vocabulary.
Task Analysis
Content Skills and Knowledge Required
Students need to have an understanding that living things progress through a life cycle. Students will have already gained experience with organisms (both plants and animals). They have completed a recent study on the life cycle of the butterfly and of a bean plant.
Technology Skills and Knowledge Required
The students need to possess a basic understanding of using a computer including the keyboard and mouse. They need to know how to navigate a website. They must be familiar with the following functions in Powerpoint: opening a file, editing text and/or recording sound, saving the file. The students also need to know how to place a file into the drop folder on our school computer so that I may access it at a later time.
Learner Characteristics
My third grade class consists of 23 students. As a whole the class is hard-working and inquisitive. They have been responsive to our structured environment and routines. The students work well cooperatively and are respectful and supportive of each other in the classroom. They have become resourceful, independent learners. There are 14 boys and 9 girls. Four of the students are diagnosed with ADHD.
James faces many challenges as a learner. He struggles to attend to lessons that are not interactive. He is impulsive and has not demonstrated an ability to follow verbal directions. David is a very bright student who brings a wealth of content knowledge to the classroom. He is excited about science and social studies and enjoys reading non-fiction texts. His writing and spelling skills are extremely weak and he avoids related tasks as a result. Emily has an outgoing personality and possesses strong interpersonal skills. Her language arts skills are below grade level and she requires extra time and repeated practice to process information. Andrea is quiet, but enjoys working with others. She is a creative student and takes great pride in her artistic abilities.
Learner Supports Available
The computer lab is staffed with a paraprofessional who is available to circulate and assist as needed. There are five computers within the classroom that may be used to preview and review online videos and activities. Teacher-presented material is executed in the form of minilessons lasting no more than 10-15 minutes with related activities in between. I utilize Whole Brain Teaching strategies to make lessons interactive and high-energy and to assist students with attentional issues in remaining focused.
The following accommodations (as outlined on students’ IEPs and 504 plans) are consistently in place:
- Provide an overview of the lesson before beginning.
- Monitor the student’s comprehension during instruction.
- Set time limits for specific task completion.
- Minimize the amount of written work.
- Provide clear and well-defined instructions that can be accessed as needed.
- Have the student verbalize instructions before beginning a task.
- Provide a consistent, routine for transitions.
- Provide the student with low-distraction work areas.
- Provide opportunities for physical activities.
- Provide advance warning and supervision for transitions.
- Break the assignments into smaller, sequential steps.
- Supply a checklist for assignments and routines.
- Use high impact visual aids and lively presentation.
- Provide this student with an environment where it is safe to learn—academically, emotionally and socially.
Plan for Instruction
Instructional Objectives
Students will be able to identify and describe the stages of a frog’s life cycle using the correct scientific vocabulary.
Advance Preparation
- print frog photo
- print life cycle photos
- print vocabulary cards
- cue frog audio clip
- set up links on class website for easy student access
- inform computer lab para to have the Smartboard on and ready when we come to lab
- copy life cycle printables
- gather related literature
- set up listening center
Introduction/Pre-Instruction
Mini-Lesson #1 (10-15 minutes)
Gather the students to their assigned seats on the rug in the classroom meeting area. As soon as they are settled, play an audio clip of frogs and have the students predict what they are hearing. Provide time for them to share their predictions with their “talking partners.”
Show an 8 x 10 color photo of an adult frog, explain that the sound they were listening to was a frog, and post the essential question, “How does a frog become an adult animal?”
(click on photo to enlarge and print)
Activate prior knowledge by instructing the students to brainstorm what they have recently learned about the life cycles of the bean plant and the butterfly. Instruct the students to discuss this with their assigned talking partner. Move around the group and listen to the conversations. After a few minutes, call for the attention of the class and quickly review the life cycles using the anchor charts showing the life cycle of the butterfly and the bean plant that were created during the previous lessons.
Using Power Teaching Strategies to engage the students, explain that frogs go through a life cycle as well. Present each stage by providing a brief overview of the stage and by placing the photo and vocabulary cards that relate into the pocket chart at the same time.
Clarify that they will need to use those vocabulary words to name and describe each stage in the life cycle of the frog.
Instructional Activities
Transition Activity / Movement Break (5 minutes)
Display the charted Frog Life Cylce Song. Point out that the tune is to “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Hum it together and then have the class hum the melody while you sing the lyrics and point to the words.
Have the class join you in singing the lyrics a second time through.
Finally, have them stand up and act out each verse as you all sing it a third time using simple movements that relate to each verse and provide the students with an opportunity to participate in a kinesthetic activity. Immediately line the class up to go to the computer lab across the hall.
Audio Visual Instruction
Whole Group (15 minutes)
Using the Smartboard, view the Life Cycle of a Frog Video (running time 2:23) as whole class. Encourage the students to read the text aloud with you as it appears. Have the students discuss what they learned from the clip with their talking partner. Discuss key elements of importance as a whole group.
Watch the 30 second film titled, “Frogs from Baby Tadpoles” (running time 0:28) It is short, but includes a lot of information. Have the students discuss what they learned from the clip with their talking partner. Discuss key elements of importance as a whole group.
Show the third video, “The Life Cycle of a Frog” (running time 3:17). Provide the students with time to again discuss what they learned with their talking partners. Discuss key elements of importance as a whole group.
Audio Visual Instruction
Individual (15 minutes)
Using the individual computers and their personal headphones, the class will have time to explore the interactive books and the online labeling activity. If time allows, they may rewatch the videos that were viewed whole-group.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE INTERACTIVE BOOK: THE LIFE CYCLE OF A FROG
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CAST BOOKBUILDER TEXT: A FROG GROWS UP
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ONLINE LABELING ACTIVITY: LABEL A FROG'S LIFE CYCLE
Culminating Activity/Follow-Up/Extensions
Science Activity and Choice Time (20 minutes)
All of the students will be responsible for creating either retelling cards or a life cycle wheel using the provided templates. They will use their final product as a prop for discussing the life cycle with a partner. Remind them that they must use the vocabulary posted in the pocket chart.
CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE LIFE CYCLE WHEEL: FROG LIFE CYCLE WHEEL
CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RETELLING CARDS: RETELLING CARDS
Upon completion, they may choose from the following in-class activities:
- Read related non-fiction literature either independently or with a partner (students have the option of pairing with a peer who is allowed to read the book to him/her)
- Listen to the book, From Tadpole to Frog using the listening center.
- Revisit any of the videos/activities from the computer lab using one of the five classroom computers.
- Use playdough to form the different stages. Share/discuss with a classmate.
- Listen to the song “Tadpole” blues and choreograph movements to go with it.
- Design a presentation to showcase the life cycle of a frog using Powerpoint or any of the classroom art supplies.
Evidence of Student Learning
Assessment Instruments
Informal assessment will occur through teacher observation, conversation, analysis of completed activity and listening to peer discussions.
The students will be formally assessed using a Power Point Presentation. I have created a basic file containing a title slide on which to insert their names and four additional slides (each with a photo of one of the life cycle stages and a text box). The students will each open the file on their individual computers during our next time in the computer lab. They will type their name on the title slide and may then opt to either type a description of each stage on the appropriate slide’s text box or they may record their voice describing the stage. They will then save the file as “FLC(number)” (LC stands for Frog’s Life Cycle and the number will be their personal number (1-23) that is frequently used in class. They will save their completed project to the shared folder on our server so that I may access it for assessment. This method of assessment allows the children to have the choice of being assessed in writing or verbally in a manner that does not impact classroom instruction time. It also allows me to review the project with individual students and offer effective feedback. It can be shared with parents electronically. A third (and typically the least popular option with the students) is to print the slides and hand write the information onto the hardcopy.
At the end of the unit as a whole, the content of this lesson will also be included in the formal assessment. Students will create a 3-sided triorama that showcases the lifecycle of the butterfly, frog and bean plant with labels.
Assessment Criteria
The students will be assessed on their ability to properly name and describe the stages of the frog’s life cycle using the correct scientific terms and vocabulary. The criteria will be retaught in small groups, the resources will be available in class, and the online resources will be shared with the parents for additional reinforcement at home as needed until mastery is met.
Resources
anchor charts of past schema
photos
vocabulary cards
classroom computers to access online dictionaries and marked sites
book on CD
printable projects of the frog’s life cycle
developmentally appropriate non-fiction texts
online video
interactive activities
