### Year 5 Science Lesson Plan: Life Cycles
#### Lesson Overview:
- **Topic:** Life Cycles
- **Year Group:** 5
- **Duration:** 60 minutes
- **Objective:** Students will understand the life cycles of different organisms, including mammals, amphibians, insects, and birds, by exploring their stages and comparing them.
#### Curriculum Links:
- Understanding life processes and living things.
- Learning about the stages of growth and development in different animal species.
#### Resources Needed:
- Projector and computer
- PowerPoint Presentation on Life Cycles
- Printed worksheets with life cycle diagrams (frog, butterfly, human, bird)
- Scissors, glue sticks, and coloured pencils
- A short video clip showcasing the life cycle of a frog
### Lesson Structure:
#### 1. **Introduction (10 minutes):**
- **Greetings:** Welcome the students and introduce the topic.
- **Hook:** Start with a question: "Have you ever wondered how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly?".
- **Objective Statement:** Explain that today we will be learning about the life cycles of different living organisms and how they grow and develop over time.
#### 2. **Direct Instruction (15 minutes):**
- **PowerPoint Presentation:** Use slides to explain the concept of life cycles, including key vocabulary such as ‘egg’, ‘larva’, ‘pupa’, ‘metamorphosis’, ‘adult’.
- **Examples:** Show and explain the life cycles of:
- Frog (egg → tadpole → metamorphosis → adult frog)
- Butterfly (egg → caterpillar (larva) → pupa → adult butterfly)
- Human (infant → child → adolescent → adult)
- Bird (egg → chick → juvenile → adult)
#### 3. **Video Clip (5 minutes):**
- **Frog Life Cycle:** Show a short video clip demonstrating the life cycle of a frog. Discuss the video after watching to reinforce the stages.
#### 4. **Activity (20 minutes):**
- **Worksheet Activity:** Hand out worksheets with jumbled life cycle stages for different organisms.
- **Instructions:** Instruct students to cut out the stages and arrange them in the correct order. They must then glue the sequences in the correct order on another sheet and colour the images.
- **Walk Around:** Move around the classroom to assist and provide feedback.
#### 5. **Discussion and Comparison (5 minutes):**
- **Class Discussion:** Once the activity is completed, bring the class back together and discuss the differences and similarities between the life cycles.
- **Q&A:** Encourage students to ask questions and engage in a brief discussion comparing the different life cycles.
#### 6. **Assessment and Reflection (5 minutes):**
- **Quick Quiz:** Conduct a quick oral quiz with questions such as:
- "What is metamorphosis?"
- "What comes after the tadpole stage in a frog's life cycle?"
- "How does the life cycle of a bird start?"
- **Reflection:** Ask students to write one thing they found interesting about today's lesson and one question they still have.
### Differentiation:
- **For Lower Ability:** Pair students to work together; provide extra support and simpler worksheets if necessary.
- **For Higher Ability:** Challenge these students with additional questions about the differences in life cycles and ask them to create their own diagrams.
### Plenary (5 minutes):
- **Recap:** Summarise key points about the different life cycles discussed.
- **Connect to Further Learning:** Mention that next lesson will be exploring the plant life cycle.
### Extension Activity:
- For students who finish early or want extra work, provide an extension worksheet that requires them to draw and label the life cycle of their favourite animal not covered in class.
### Homework:
- Ask students to find out about the life cycle of a different animal or plant and bring information or a drawing to share with the class in the next lesson.