New
New
Year 2

Changes in animal life cycles

I can record the life cycle of an animal.

New
New
Year 2

Changes in animal life cycles

I can record the life cycle of an animal.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The life cycle of an animal shows how it grows and changes from birth
  2. Making observations over time helps scientists to describe changes in animals during their life cycle
  3. The life cycle of animals can be recorded in different ways

Common misconception

Children may think that all offspring resemble their parents.

Show examples of offspring that resemble their parents and of those who do not.

Keywords

  • Animal - An animal is a living thing which moves and eats other animals or plants.

  • Life cycle - A life cycle shows the way in which a living thing changes as it grows.

  • Change - If something changes it does not stay the same.

  • Observe - To observe is to look very closely and use other senses too.

  • Record - To record information is to keep it so that it can be passed on to others. This can be through notes, photos and drawings.

For this lesson the children will need to observe an animal as it grows and record what they see. Tadpoles, caterpillars, chicks and other animals can be sourced from ethical companies to bring this process to life.
Teacher tip

Equipment

This will be dependent on the animal chosen to observe over time.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Risk assessment required - equipment
  • Exploration of objects

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
All animals grow and change from when they are born to when they become ...
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: an adult
an offspring
a life cycle
Q2.
An animal's life cycle is ...
An image in a quiz
What it eats.
Correct answer: The journey from when it is born until when it becomes an adult.
How it gets its food.
Q3.
When scientists look closely to see how an animal grows and changes, what skill are they using?
An image in a quiz
researching
sorting
Correct answer: observing
Q4.
Put these different stages of a frog's life cycle in order starting with the youngest.
An image in a quiz
1 - frogspawn
2 - tadpole
3 - froglet
4 - frog
Q5.
When we observe this penguin and its chick we notice that ...
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: the chick is smaller than the penguin. The chick has grey, fluffy feathers.
the penguin is bigger than the chick. The penguin has grey, fluffy feathers.
the chick is smaller than the penguin. The chick has black and white feathers.
Q6.
Aisha spots some butterflies on a flower and realises that she has never seen a baby butterfly. Why do you think that is?
An image in a quiz
Baby butterflies are very shy and hard to spot.
Baby butterflies only come out at night.
Correct answer: The offspring of a butterfly is a caterpillar.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these shows how an animal grows and changes from birth?
An image in a quiz
an offspring
Correct answer: a life cycle
an adult
Q2.
Which of these could help a scientist to observe the life cycle of an animal?
Correct answer: binoculars
a stopwatch
pencil and paper
Q3.
As an animal moves through its life cycle, it will grow and change. What does change mean?
An image in a quiz
If something changes it stays the same.
If something changes it lives far away.
Correct answer: If something changes it does not stay the same.
Q4.
Which of these could help a scientist to record the life cycle of an animal?
a magnifying glass
Correct answer: paper and pencil
a ruler
Q5.
Use your observation skills to spot the mistake in this life cycle of a goat.
An image in a quiz
The adult goat is too big.
Correct answer: The adult and growing offspring are in the wrong place.
The arrows should all face upwards.
The offspring at birth label is with the wrong photo.
Q6.
Use your observation skills to match each stage of this animal's life cycle to the correct description.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:Offspring at birth,It looks very small and has no fur.

It looks very small and has no fur.

Correct Answer:Young offspring,It is bigger but not fully grown. It has short ears.

It is bigger but not fully grown. It has short ears.

Correct Answer:Adult,It is fully grown, has long ears and white fur.

It is fully grown, has long ears and white fur.

Q2 image 2 UYSEG