Learning Objectives

• Define a life cycle as the stages a living thing goes through as it grows and changes.
• Identify simple stages in a plant, animal, and human life cycle.
• Describe how living things need care, food, water, and a safe environment to grow.
• Use pictures and words to explain one example of a life cycle.

Materials Needed

• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Markers
• Life cycle picture cards (plant, butterfly, frog, human baby to adult)
• Glue sticks and scissors
• Blank paper or life cycle worksheet
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Optional: short picture book or slideshow about life cycles

Support

• Use real pictures and short sentences.
• Provide pre-cut picture cards for students who need fine-motor support.
• Pair students with a peer helper for ordering and labeling.
• Allow oral responses instead of written labels when needed.
• Repeat vocabulary with gestures and visual cues.

Challenge

• Ask students to compare two life cycles and tell how they are alike and different.
• Invite students to add one extra detail, such as what a plant needs to grow.
• Have students explain the stages in complete sentences using sequence words like first, next, then, and last.

Checks for Understanding

• Ask students to define life cycle in their own words.
• Have students point to the correct next stage in a picture sequence.
• Listen for use of vocabulary during discussion and movement activity.
• Review finished life cycle strips for correct order.

Closure

End with a quick chant: Living things grow and change! Review that all living things have stages in a life cycle and need care to grow. Invite students to name one new fact they learned.