New
New
Year 5

Insect life cycles

I can describe the stages in the life cycle of different insects.

New
New
Year 5

Insect life cycles

I can describe the stages in the life cycle of different insects.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Insects are animals, they are living things that grow and reproduce
  2. The life cycles of different insects can be observed over time and/or researched
  3. The life cycle of an insect is commonly: egg, larva (young stage), pupa (inactive) and adult stage
  4. Many insects undergo the greatest changes of all animals, they undergo a complete metamorphosis
  5. Scientific diagrams are used to show the stages in an insect’s life cycle

Common misconception

Pupils may think that the insect is dead inside the pupa, or that the pupa is not a living thing.

Using the lesson resources to support, explain that the insect is alive and changing inside the pupa, even if the pupa itself doesn't move.

Keywords

  • Insect - An insect is an invertebrate animal that has antennae, six legs and a body divided into segments.

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

  • Larva - Larva is the life cycle stage that some animals go through before metamorphosis into their next form.

  • Pupa - Inside a pupa, an insect changes from one form to another.

  • Metamorphosis - Metamorphosis is a major change from one form to another.

When children are creating their own insect in Practice Task B, give them the opportunity to be creative. They could make their insect using salt dough or box craft materials, or even use ICT to create a drawing.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Salt dough or similar (optional), access to the internet and/or texts about insect life cycles

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment

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.
Insects are invertebrates. What does ‘invertebrate’ mean?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: An animal without a spine (backbone)
An animal without a digestive system
An animal without legs
An animal without a brain
Q2.
Which two of these animals are not insects?
Ladybird
Correct answer: Garden spider
Correct answer: Snail
Ant
Q3.
Which of these is not part of an insect’s segmented body?
An image in a quiz
Head
Correct answer: Torso
Thorax
Abdomen
Q4.
What is the name for this object that has a developing animal inside?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: egg, an egg, eggs
Q5.
Animals can reproduce. What does this mean?
They have a life cycle
They hunt for food
They live together with animals of the same type
Correct answer: They make more animals of the same type
Q6.
What are insect antennae for?
An image in a quiz
Scaring away predators
Tasting food
Correct answer: Sensing the world around them
Extra legs

6 Questions

Q1.
Which stage does not appear in the insect life cycle?
An image in a quiz
Egg
Larva
Correct answer: Larva with hind legs
Pupa
Adult
Q2.
Order the stages in the insect life cycle.
An image in a quiz
1 - egg
2 - larva
3 - pupa
4 - adult
Q3.
Which statement is false?
An image in a quiz
Insects are cold-blooded
Insects are invertebrates
Insects hatch from eggs
Most insects go through metamorphosis
Correct answer: Insects drink milk form their mother when young
Q4.
When insects are at the stage of their life cycle, they are able to reproduce.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: adult, Adult
Q5.
Which diagram would be best for communicating the stages an insect goes through as it ages?
An image in a quiz
Venn diagram
Correct answer: Life cycle diagram
Table
Food chain
Q6.
The big change in form that most insects go through inside an inactive pupa is called .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: metamorphosis, Metamorphosis