Animal Life Cycles by Nia Bender

Grade Level: 4

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 19:14:56 UTC

Rationale

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 19:15:52 UTC

In my third grade class, we learned about the life cycle, where I learned I loved science. I appreciate how the Chickens Aren't the Only Ones book shows how chicken eggs can be used. I think introducing this idea at an early age is great since it not only teaches them science but demonstrates it happens to everything, and how it can impact their daily life.

Instructional Goals:

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 19:39:18 UTC

Students will be able to identify the stages of the life cycle of animals and the difference between a mammal and an oviparous animal.

They will be able to answer: What are the names for the different stages in a frog's life cycle? What is one exception of an egg-laying mammal?

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 19:49:04 UTC

Stellaluna

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 19:58:43 UTC

Two Literacy Objectives

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 20:47:09 UTC

Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. Able to use dialogue and descriptive words to show the characters' thoughts and feelings within a situation

Two Literacy Objectives

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 20:50:09 UTC

Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aid comprehension. Write informative/explanatory pieces on topics and texts, in which we introduce the topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Two Interactive Literacy Objectives

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 20:55:45 UTC

Explain and distinguish between facts, definitions, and details from the text. Work with grouping information into logical categories. Multiple opportunities to practice skills with feedback, and opportunities to revise work according to the feedback.

Compare Animal Life Cycles

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 20:58:34 UTC

It is listed as a fourth grade activity, but I thought it would be suitable for third grade as well.

Fiction Choice Affordances and Limitations

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 21:28:30 UTC

Affordances: Stellaluna does a good job showing the differences between animals. How the birds live in a nest, and don't hang upside down, but Stellaluna and her bat family eat fruit and love hanging upside down. It also shows their natural instincts, such as food preference and curiosities they have. The reader will benefit from the illustrations to apply the comedy when she meets another bat who is debating her on which one is upside down.

Limitations: While it is in the third grade range, I think some students might find the book too easy. It is very short, which some students will benefit from, and others will find it not challenging enough. The book doesn't talk about the whole life cycle for bats or birds to be able to rely on it for the entirety of the lesson.

Nonfiction Choice Affordances and Limitations

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 21:46:10 UTC

Affordances: This book did a great job giving the audience an example of something that lays eggs, they would be familiar with, and ways eggs can be used. It slowly introduced new animals, many third graders might not be familiar with an illustration of what their egg looks like. While you also might not want to completely rely on this book to teach the lesson, you can heavily prioritize it as a resource. The book talks about chickens, reptiles, fish, and bugs. At the end, it introduces what the name for animals who lay eggs is, oviparous, and gives a tease about mammals with a picture of a cat family.

Limitation: Since the book is about oviparous animals, it doesn't disclose the mammal life cycle, which would have to be taught before or after. The book doesn't have concrete information about defining the stages of different animal life cycles, which would also need to be brushed up on. It is also a short book with poems as the dialogue, which might not be as stimulating for more advanced readers, but for those that aren't as confident will be able to accomplish it.

Interactive Choice Affordances and Limitations

niabender35 — 2025-03-05 22:03:18 UTC

Affordances: This is from an educational site, which gives it more educational resources, but after playing the game, I found it to be a great resource. It visually shows the life cycle of the animal with its appropriate name. It has the baby, young, and adult name with a chart of what is, is not, and what they share in common. When you click submit, it says you got it right or shows the correct chart, and what you put, as a way for you to compare answers. When you get three correct in a row, you get to move on to a harder stage, but if you don't reach that goal, you continue working on it to reinforce your learning. It's great for teachers since they have a tool where you can use the "group cam," create a live classroom, and have leaderboards.

Limitations: IXL doesn't offer a read-aloud tool for this game, but for other games, it does. You would have to make sure they know the names of the stages, such as metamorphosis, since there isn't an option to have it defined in the game. When I played it, it only let me have three tries at it until it said I had to sign up for a membership to continue. I know some schools don't always have memberships for their students, which, if it is the case, the turns they have access to could allow them to make a paper version. There is a stopwatch on the screen, which can produce anxiety for some students.